To Malaysia... and beyond!

Doshwaster

totallybored wrote: »

I've booked the Hansar Bangkok. It's about £90 a night but is 5 star and has only just opened and looks very nice. I do like nice hotels though and am very picky. Still haven't booked flights yet as am still considering alternatives.

Oooh. Looks like a nice hotel in a great location. I'll try to remember it for my next visit.

In terms of flights, there is plenty of discussion earlier in this thread. Basically your options are either a) fly direct or b) connect in the Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi). I prefer the second option as although it takes longer, it tends to be cheaper and it is nice to stretch your legs for a few hours at halfway. 12 hours in an economy seat in a pressurised metal tube is just too much for me. Emirates are excellent especially if you get one of their A380 services.

totallybored

Doshwaster wrote: »

Oooh. Looks like a nice hotel in a great location. I'll try to remember it for my next visit.

In terms of flights, there is plenty of discussion earlier in this thread. Basically your options are either a) fly direct or b) connect in the Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi). I prefer the second option as although it takes longer, it tends to be cheaper and it is nice to stretch your legs for a few hours at halfway. 12 hours in an economy seat in a pressurised metal tube is just too much for me. Emirates are excellent especially if you get one of their A380 services.

I already have flights booked to Singapore (Air France premium economy as I can't cope with that length flight and due to going straight back to work I need to try to sleep) so just need flights from there which will be Tiger or Air Asia.

Leanne1812

owains wrote: »

I've just had a quick look for accommodation for my time in Bangkok... but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the choice! I'll be staying for 5 nights mainly exploring the city (one day trip to Ayutthaya planned) so I don't have any need to be immediately close to any particular area. I'd be looking to pay in the region of £50 per night.

Any advice on where to start? Even if it's just to narrow down the choice to a particular area of the city!

Can anyone else pass on any recommendations based on places they have stayed before?


My hubby & I stayed at the Lebua 2 years ago. It worked out at £55 per night including breakfast which was fab. This rate was achieved using quidco which gave me 10% cashback for going through them and hotels.com also had a 10% discount code. Quidco is definately a good site to consider booking through, it is a nice surprise when your cashback appears in your bank account. Free to join and plenty of travel offers.

Location is riverside which I liked although some may say it is a way out from all the action in Bangkok. Tuk tuks are cheap enough.

Hope this helps.

PompeyPete

UK to BKK, fly Emirates if you want a break. Dubai airport is much better than Abu Dhabi to break a journey.
If you want to fly direct then recommend Eva.

In BKK stay near the river or BTS (skytrain).
Have a look at:
http://www.navalai.com/index.php
The Navalai is right on Pier 13. The riverview rooms all have a balcony, and superb views. It's got a lovely riverside restaurant, and the breakfast is yummy. You can get up and down the river dead easy by regular public ferry (about 20 bahts). Pier 13 is also the stop for Khao San Road, which is only a 5 minute walk. Chinatown is also easily accessible. To get to the BTS (skytrain) take the ferry all the way to Central.

In my experience getting to the Khao San area is a whole lot easier by taxi from the airport than getting to Sukhumvit (can be a nightmare!).

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

In my experience getting to the Khao San area is a whole lot easier by taxi from the airport than getting to Sukhumvit (can be a nightmare!).

The Khao San Rd area is a great place to spend a day stocking up on "replica" T-shirts and hanging out at cheap pavement bars while watching the world pass by but unless you are on a really tight budget I probably wouldn't stop there.

Taxis to Sukhumvit really depend on the time of day. I usually arrive late evening and it has never been too bad (at least by BKK standards!)

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

The Khao San Rd area is a great place to spend a day stocking up on "replica" T-shirts and hanging out at cheap pavement bars while watching the world pass by but unless you are on a really tight budget I probably wouldn't stop there.

That's where the Navalai River Resort is, which is why I mentioned Khao San.
The Navalai is far enough away from Khao San for you not to even know you were near it.
As I mentioned earlier the views from the riverview rooms are sublime, and being practically on top of Pier 13 is a bonus.
The Khao San area is a love it or hate area to stay, but as you say great for T-shirts and something to eat or drink.

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

That's where the Navalai River Resort is, which is why I mentioned Khao San.
The Navalai is far enough away from Khao San for you not to even know you were near it.
As I mentioned earlier the views from the riverview rooms are sublime, and being practically on top of Pier 13 is a bonus.
The Khao San area is a love it or hate area to stay, but as you say great for T-shirts and something to eat or drink.

Ah, I see what you mean. Yes, the river taxis are a great way of getting around and are extremely cheap. There is also the tourist riverboat which does an all day hop-on hop-off ticket for B150.

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

There is also the tourist riverboat which does an all day hop-on hop-off ticket for B150.

Why get a boring boat full of tourists at tourists prices, when you can mix it with the locals for 20 bahts?

amictus

Thanks for all your input... it's certainly helped to direct my searching a bit!

PompeyPete wrote: »

In BKK stay near the river or BTS (skytrain).

Yeah this is pretty much the conclusion I have come to.

totallybored wrote: »

I've booked the Hansar Bangkok. It's about £90 a night but is 5 star and has only just opened and looks very nice. I do like nice hotels though and am very picky.

Thanks for your response. This hotel looks really nice... but at £90 per night it's way beyond my budget!

Leanne1812 wrote: »

My hubby & I stayed at the Lebua 2 years ago. It worked out at £55 per night including breakfast which was fab.

I just did a quick check and it now works out about at about £75 per night, which, again, is just a bit more than I'm willing to pay really.

PompeyPete wrote: »

Have a look at:
http://www.navalai.com/index.php
The Navalai is right on Pier 13. The riverview rooms all have a balcony, and superb views. It's got a lovely riverside restaurant, and the breakfast is yummy. You can get up and down the river dead easy by regular public ferry (about 20 bahts). Pier 13 is also the stop for Khao San Road, which is only a 5 minute walk. Chinatown is also easily accessible. To get to the BTS (skytrain) take the ferry all the way to Central.

I really like the look of this place. Can you give any more details of your time there?

I like the idea of being able to take an evening stroll along the river or over to Khao San Road... but I guess this may be a bit unrealistic. Would it also be possible to walk in to Chinatown?

Being right next to a ferry stop would be great for getting about the city. However, Banglamphu seems to be quite a distance from the SkyTrain, which I understand is the best way to get around the city. How long would it take to get to the nearest station by ferry? Would this be Saphan Taksin?

Obviously the big appeal is having a river view... but this increases room price from £35 to £65 per night. Is it really worth it?!

Doshwaster wrote: »

As above, I would suggest the Sukhumvit Road Area http://www.bangkok.com/sukhumvit/ as it's pretty safe, close to a lot of the shopping and nightlife, there's a wide range of hotels at all price levels and it's right on the Sky Train network so getting around the city is easy.

In that area I have stopped in the Holiday Inn - though you may not be able to get it for £50/night. It was pretty good (though the other Holiday Inn on Silom Road is nicer) but I'm sure you can get better value nearby by avoiding the international chains.

Yeah, this is the other area that I'm looking at. It certainly looks like a good place to spend the evenings searching for a good place to eat

I like the idea of having easy access to the SkyTrain. However, much of what I want to see will be in the old town (Chinatown, Riverside, Ko Ratanakosin, etc.). Would it be straightforward to access this part of the city from appropriate stations?

It seems like there a lot of apartment-type accommodation (all of which look pretty much identical)...

Adelphi Suites
Legacy Suites
Kingston Suites
Adelphi Grande
President Park
Windsor Suites
Centre Point Sukhumvit 10
Centre Point Wireless Road

Any general thoughts on this type of accommodation?

All these are similarly priced at about £40 to £50 per night, which seems very reasonable. At the moment I'm thinking I'll probably go for something like this If I decide to stay in this area.

Here are a few hotels I've come across (Sukumvit and elsewhere) that just fit my budget

Amari Boulevard
President Palace
Chatrium Suites
Novotel
Majestic Grande

Any further thoughts?

PompeyPete

owains wrote: »

I really like the look of this place. Can you give any more details of your time there?

Loved it. It's on the curve of a mighty river, which is the heart of one of the most fascinating cities in the world.

owains wrote: »

like the idea of being able to take an evening stroll along the river or over to Khao San Road... but I guess this may be a bit unrealistic. Would it also be possible to walk in to Chinatown?

Khao San is only a few minutes walk. Chinatown, you'll need a taxi (forget tuk-tuks altogether in BKK). On the other hand you could get a public ferry to the Chinatown Pier (can't remember the number of the Pier) from Pier 13 (finishes at about 1900(ish).

owains wrote: »

Being right next to a ferry stop would be great for getting about the city. However, Banglamphu seems to be quite a distance from the SkyTrain, which I understand is the best way to get around the city. How long would it take to get to the nearest station by ferry? Would this be Saphan Taksin?

Forget completely about the Skytrain while you are in Banglamphu/Khao San.
Take the public ferry from Pier 13 to Central (terminus). That's where the Saphan Taksin Skytrain station is. It's also quite an interesting area to wander round.

owains wrote: »

Obviously the big appeal is having a river view... but this increases room price from £35 to £65 per night. Is it really worth it?!

The reason you are staying there is for the sublime river views. So answer that one yourself!
Get up early every morning and watch a city that doesn't sleep come really alive - Priceless!!