Bangkok hotels

NiftyDigits

For all round connectivity, I would go for Centrepoint Silom(though you'll need to know where to book to get the best price) as it is both next to a Skytrain station for easy access into the new city, as well as being next to Sathorn Pier for the 15 baht express boat to all of the sights of the old city, including the Khaosan road. Any other place and you may need to make use of taxis..only to get acquainted with the Bangkok traffic..

Chaophraya Grand Deluxe with twin beds perhaps
Room Size: 66 Sqm.

£66 per night

or perhaps

1 Bedroom Grand Suite
Room Size: 90 Sqm.

£75 per night

One room for them and one for you.

A decent space and location. Head over to The Verandah at the Mandarin Oriental for breakfast if the weather is good. Grab yourself a table at the waterfront. Of course you can just stay and eat the inclusive breakfast at Centrepoint. In addition there is a full supermarket in the basement of the adjoining building(private entrance). So no need to touch anything in the minibar.
With everything so close at hand, you can make the most of your time there.

richardw

NiftyDigits makes a good point about being near a skytrain station and pier for getting around, I really dislike Bangkok taxis.

PompeyPete

richardw wrote: »

NiftyDigits makes a good point about being near a skytrain station and pier for getting around, I really dislike Bangkok taxis.

This link has practically all you need to know about getting around Bangkok by Public Transport, whether it be the Skytrain (BTS), Underground (MRT), Chao Phraya River Ferries, and even by Khlong (canal) Boats...

http://www.transitbangkok.com/

So far as getting into town from the Suvarnabhumi Airport is concerned, unless you are very familiar with the area you're staying then it's best to get a taxi from the Airport.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g293916-s301/Bangkok:Thailand:Arriving.And.Departing.html

It's an inexpensive door-to-door option and saves messing around with bags on the Airlink/BTS/MRT trains.

Leanne1812

PompeyPete wrote: »

Scamming tourists in Bangkok has been going on for yonks.
It's easy for the scammers because their intended victims change all the time 24/7, and the scammers know that most tourists will have just been travelling for a long time, be tired and might be off their guard

Here's a selection of a few more scams to be wary of...

http://travelscams.org/asia/common-tourist-scams-thailand/

But it's not as though Bangkok is that much different from anywhere else in the world. It's just that the scams are different.

Doing as much pre-trip planning is important as the saying...

Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail

...is often very true, and can be expensive.

And never ever engage in small-talk with strangers in tourist areas, especially well dressed ones in tourist areas in Bangkok.

Pete, you hit the nail on the head. Our guy was well dressed & spoke very good English. Initially we never doubted he was an employee at our hotel.


My hubby & I can giggle now about how easily we were taken in. Hubby even suggested writing a review to the hotel praising this employee and his helpfulness :rotfl:

Effectively we paid around £35 for a rickety boat to take us to the palace ( 5 minutes away). We thought we were getting a tour & English speaking guide. I refused to get out of the boat and gave the driver an earful. He took us on a ride around the Chao Praya for about 20 mins after that.

I'd love to say it won't ever happen to us again but you never know....

totallybored

I normally stay at the Hansar in Bangkok and would recommend it if its in your budget. I find the location to the skytrain and malls very good if that's your thing. (I'm not a huge fan of cultural stuff though).

toffee'n'tom

thanks for all replies and advice. i think we have decided on eastin grand hotel sathorn. it seems to have direct access to skytrain and one stop from river. nanybviewa?

NiftyDigits

toffeentom wrote: »

thanks for all replies and advice. i think we have decided on eastin grand hotel sathorn. it seems to have direct access to skytrain and one stop from river. nanybviewa?

Drove past it on the way to Centrepoint a couple of days ago.
Not sure that I get your reasoning...unless you think it might rain when you are there.
I think it more desirable to stay near the river, not more than a km away. There appears no benefit unless you are planning to visit the Blue Elephant every day.. As far as I know they don't have any rooms with a river view. I don't think more a kilometre away counts as a river view room.
Centrepoint has a much better location and the River Garden rooms will be much more impressive.
I think the benefit of being connected to a mall and supermarket outweighs a skybridge to a BTS station.. It;s just one minute walk to the Skytrain from Centrepoint and two to the river..
Perhaps the Eastin has something else attractive about it, but personally, i would not. Stay closer to the river.

Everynamestaken

toffeentom wrote: »

thanks for all replies and advice. i think we have decided on eastin grand hotel sathorn. it seems to have direct access to skytrain and one stop from river. nanybviewa?

Hey I have stayed at Eastin before, you can't go wrong with it to be fair.

I did however prefer the Chatrium. I stayed in a suite on 33rd floor and it overlooks all the riverside. As people mentioned though, alot of the hotels are similar and just depends on what facilities you use if it's even worth it sometimes.

paddyrg

crazycamper wrote: »

Only get excursions/trips from your hotel reception...the reception will give you a card with the hotels taxi number on to call.

Oh yes, booking through the concierge does mean paying more than the prices quoted direct by touts, but if the driver tries it on, they'll get punished for it. Friend had a hotel driver take them in entirely the wrong direction to a friend's shop, threatening to abandon them in a rougher part of town if they didn't buy anything. They complained to the concierge who had booked the cab, some seriously loud words were had, they were refunded the trip and the tat they were overcharged for (which the driver had to take back to his friend's shop). It's so rife that it's a false economy not to.

And they can be really quite incredibly organised https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5f0PuJbLE with layer after layer of people working together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaGhVx0ZEIM
So keep your wits about you.

I had one in Bangkok where we popped into a restaurant to be greeted with a disposable face-wipe each opened and offered as we entered (very welcome), and ordered 2 soft drinks on the menu at about 10-12 Baht each (at the time they'd have been 1-2 Baht in a 7-11, so was paying handsomely for the locaation anyway). I didn't want ice in the drinks, thinking of my tummy, but they brought an ice bucket for the coke bottle which was a nice touch. When I nearly finished one, they replaced it in the ice bucket with another open one - cheeky, but actually I'd probably have asked for it anyway.

The bill was somewhat over 100 Baht for 3 drinks (menu price ~36) - we were charged for the wipes, charged for the ice bucket, charged for stuff we didn't ask for or want. And it was made clear there wasn't a way out of this. Again, be aware this can/does happen and you will spot it early by being aware, so not be a mug like we were.

deejaybee

NiftyDigits wrote: »

For all round connectivity, I would go for Centrepoint Silom(though you'll need to know where to book to get the best price) as it is both next to a Skytrain station for easy access into the new city, as well as being next to Sathorn Pier for the 15 baht express boat to all of the sights of the old city, including the Khaosan road. Any other place and you may need to make use of taxis..only to get acquainted with the Bangkok traffic..

Chaophraya Grand Deluxe with twin beds perhaps
Room Size: 66 Sqm.

£66 per night

or perhaps

1 Bedroom Grand Suite
Room Size: 90 Sqm.

£75 per night

One room for them and one for you.

A decent space and location. Head over to The Verandah at the Mandarin Oriental for breakfast if the weather is good. Grab yourself a table at the waterfront. Of course you can just stay and eat the inclusive breakfast at Centrepoint. In addition there is a full supermarket in the basement of the adjoining building(private entrance). So no need to touch anything in the minibar.
With everything so close at hand, you can make the most of your time there.

Hi Nifty,

Would you be able to give me a clue re getting best deal for Centrepoint Silom ?

Cheers, DJB