Bangkok Hotels which is better?

[johnandrachel]

Hi all.

Just receive some 'orders' from my boss.
She wants me to on the way buy polo tees for company use (print co. shirt). any recommendation? wats the price like too. (so i don go there and get chopped.

many thanks ya.

also anyone knows any cheaper website to book rooms besides directroom.com? already confirm with them baiyoke suite liao but now send email wan to check availability and upgrade to novotel siam sq. got no response. think wan to cancel my booking and go look for others. very pek cehk.

 

[tomatoes]

Hi John
You can go MBK to check out their printing services. I heard they are good and cheap wor.

 

[sirwin]

hi john, u mean no penalty if were to cancel booking after cfm? else I wld like to try my luck to book hotel 1st, followed by flight(schedule nt out yet for nov)

 

[johnandrachel]

tomatoes

do you know the price then (roughly) scare go there kana chop. heehee

win

I just receive a reply from directroom. they are undergoing cheks for the availability of the hotel that i want to change. they did not state any additional charges. Just mention to me once confirm just top up the balance. and they are quite responsive too. recommend that you can try booking your room through them. very cheap too. they have policy that if you can find cheaper prices elsewhere they will try and beat the price. hope you can find your hotel and get your air ticket soon.

 

[tomatoes]

Hi John
I am not very sure of the prices. But MBK is a proper shopping centre and I dun think you will kanna chop there.

 

[johnandrachel]

Hi all,

heard tt there wil b v heavy rain in oct izzit?? Any1 been 2 bangkok in oct b4? wil it really affect our itenary? if it really rains, wil places like pratunam mkt, suan lum mkt, chatuchak stil be opened?

Thx!!

 

[alan_golfnut]

My wife and I always stay at Pathumwan Princess. Convenient location next to the Skytrain, walking distance to all the major malls (incl the essential MBK), got a big gym there, spa (though rather darned expensive), great rooms, reasonably priced room service, great rooms, great service.. what more can I say? We love it!

And yes, Oct usually floods too, so beware.

Would be happy to help if anyone has any questions abt BKK. Enjoy!

 

[tobebride]

Hi serrich,

any comment on Eastin? Thanks.

 

[blurunicorn]

John:
Try not to go to BKK during rainy season ..
Not easy to walk ard, espy at Chachuchat mkt ..
The drainage sys there is rather bad ..

 

[caicai]

hi ppl,
i was pretty apprehensive abt taking tutuks and taxis @ BKK , after all the stories i hv heard in the forum . Is there other alternatives ? anyone tried their buses ?
i am staying @ Baiyoke Sky and it is not near to
chinatown . I was thinking of visiting chinatown and suan lom ?

 

[alan_golfnut]

Unicorn: What do you mean the drainage at Chattuchak Market is bad?! It's non-existent!! *lol* Mini floods will occur at some parts of the market, while the roof leaks when it rains. But then again, it's the experience, ain' it? Best time to visit: December. The whether is really cool!

caicai: Take the Skytrain. Takes you to all the major shopping areas, unless some of the places you wanna go are not accessible by Skytrain, such as the Museum. Problem with some tuk tuks and taxis is that they're paid by some retailers to bring tourists to their shops whether you want to or not. Not pleasant experience.

 

[johnandrachel]

Hi Alan,

will the flood be serious to the extent of keeping oneself indoors? the qn on flooding was post by rachel. we're afraid that the rain will disturb our holiday. but i'm sure the weather ain't that bad throughout the whole of oct. right? Thanks for your info.

Tomatoes
Thanks for your recommendation. think my boss is really keen on cutting cost. So Sway. holiday also got to run errands for the co. *lol*

 

[alan_golfnut]

John: Yeah, the time I was there, the flood was like half way up the doors of sedan cars. Passengers had to climb in through windows. I kid you not! Apart from that, the rains actually, strangely, comes as if it's on a timetable! It'll rain at night from 9pm onwards, clear in the morning, shower in the afternoon for maybe half an hour, then that's it for the day. Just hope that it doesn't rain so much at night.

Just make sure that you have backup plans when it does flood (it does clear pretty fast though), like stay in the hotel and enjoy the luxury, maybe help Singapore contribute birthdate. Keep track of the weather through the Thai newspapers (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/), and plan what you might wanna do in case it floods, so that it won't spoil hour holidays. There're usually warning signs of flood and the people will know in advance.

Enjoy your hols!!

 

[caicai]

hi alan ,
thanks for your advice . think i betta keep my fingers crossed . what is the maximum i shd pay for the cab shd the uncle refuse to go by meter ???

 

[sirwin]

Thanks Alan for sharing e flooding info here, any1 here noe whether will e rain/flood extend to Nov? any1 been to bkk prev. during Nov here? thnks.

 

[alan_golfnut]

wow! how did I become the expert with so many people asking? *lol* Will try my best!

cai: Hmm.. never had that prob of driver not going by meter before. ALWAYS ask him if going by meter before you leave. Let me emphasise that again" ALWAYS! Otherwise, check with the hotel staff before hand.

Win: November is pretty good actually. It gets cooler too. Great time, esp if past the middle of the month. Was there in 1999 in late November. Oh, avoid one of the days in the first week of Dec, King's Birthday, I think. Country comes to a standstill from evening.

 

[sirwin]

coolz,,,e perception of ur expertise rgding tis aspect was been perceived,,, thnks anyway, Alan. I'll keep a lookout of e weather from e provided URL from here.

 

[alan_golfnut]

"e perception of ur expertise rgding tis aspect was been perceived" *LOL* Yeah yeah! Enjoy your hol man! What r u looking to buy from BKK?

 

[caicai]

one thing to add abt bad weather , when i was there in June . My plane delayed taking off coz of bad weather <lightning>
Even after we took off , our plane was struck by lightning . Luckily nothing happened to us ......
was quite worried then , when we heard a beep sound on the plane . so we have to pray hard that , we shd have good weather thru out our stay there. haha

 

[blurunicorn]

Cai:
If the driver dun wan to go by meter, then take another cab ..

Agree with Alan that it is better not to visit during the royalties' birthday ..
Everywhere is very quiet ..

One thing abt the rains in BKK, once they starts, they dun really end fast ..
It was also quite scary to see from the balcony, the lightnings that flashed across the grey sky ...
The cable programs were mostly disrupted when there were heavy rains ..

 

[durian]

I went to BKK two years ago, and wanted to transfer hotel to extent our stay.

This is what my tourguide told us.. how true, I dun know. The "tall" hotel near the " four face buddha" that you girls were talking about-- he told us not to stay there. There was a fire and people had died there. His description was quite scary.Prayers have been held to "cleanse" -- but how effective, he not too sure.

But I believe not everyone can "feel" these things. If this is not a concern , no problems then.

 

[alan_golfnut]

unicorn: I dunno leh, last couple of times I went, it usually rains heavily for a long time at night. Wife and I really enjoyed the electrical show by nature. We just turned the couch around to face the city skyline, turn off the lights and chilled.

 

[caicai]

urghhhhhhhhhhhh, which "tall hotel" unicorn is talking abt ?
I am going to stay @ Baiyoke Sky leh ?
abit worried .....

 

[sirwin]

alan: gd Q, have nt realli come out with e shopping list &amp; mkt to recce, but usual stuff applied, like clothes, shoes, accessories, hsehold items etc.

 

[alan_golfnut]

win: Errr... sorry for the dumb question, but going by your nick, I assume you're a guy, as in Sir Win? Household stuff, plenty plenty at Chatuchak Market. Remember when you bargain, be polite! I see many tourist bargaining really rudely and then walk away. I can understand some Thai, and I could make out that the vendors get damned pissed when the tourists are so rude. Bargaining is fun, so banter with them, don't lose your cool. If you don't like the price, just walk away. It pays to know some time phrases, they'd love it! It shows them that you bother and respect their culture, which they're very proud of. One thing I learnt: for the older folks, I make sure I call them older brother or sister when I bargain. And don't go first thing in the morning. They're not prepared to give good discounts, go later when they wanna clear their stuff. And unless I know if you're a man or woman, can't advise you on the clothes stuff yet!

 

[blurunicorn]

Cai:
The apartment that I stayed in, is near the river so it was pretty obvious for me ..
Juz ignore the lightnings shd it rains ..
You can try shopping at world trade centre if it rains ..
I think there is another shopping centre opp WTC, something like 'big c' ..
There is oso another 7-storey shopping centre - 'Central' at the end of the BTS (Chidlom) ..
Can get visitor discount pass there, 5% off ..
Not difficult to move and shop ard BKK ..
My Thai is pretty much pte ltd ..
Only can understand the pricing terms and the directions ..

 

[alan_golfnut]

Unicorn: Aiya, basic greetings and stuff would be good enough for langauage command.

Actually, quite a number of the shopping centres have this discount card thing for tourists. But Central @ Chitlom is lovely. Go to this restaurant there, called Little Kitchen or something, serves Thai food. Not too expensive, but serving's a bit small for me (err.. ex rugby player here! *lol*), but wife and I like it a lot. There's a big golf shop in there too! Slurp!

 

[erowen]

hi caicai
dun mean anything, just that i have went to baiyoke sky hotel before, personally i find that it's location is not really that good compared to asia or novotel or pratunam princess. But of course you can still walk to WTC.

and i find at night, baiyoke sky is very messy, and traffic there is terrible and there's a lot of arab ppl there bcos of the garment centre located at the hotel shopping centre.

i find the pratunam area very "zha". i got a shock when i was there just recently. I went there for their buffet dinner, no doubt the food was value for money and view is great! but still to stay there for a few nights is something i really need to consider.

just sharing with you my thots.

 

[caicai]

Hi Erowen. thanks for the feedback on Baiyoke Sky
Actually my budget only allows me to take this hotel coz I dun dare to step into Asia Hotel after all the so called "sightings"

Novetel is expensive for me , i rather spend on shopping lor .

Beggars can't be choosers . hahaha . U went to the buffet dinner @ Baiyoke Sky ? I think i wld like to try all the restaurants that u folks hv been recommending .... just hope that i wun L.S

 

[johnandrachel]

caicai

wats the price you got for baiyoke sky? cos if i'm not wrong novotel price is comparable to it. i just got confirm not long ago for 4 nights at ard S$107/night. Seems to be the internet pricing for both hotels are about the same.

thus i choos novotel bcos the hotel is rated 4 * while sky is 3 * hehehehe.... (got alot of positive feedback frm people here too.

Alan thanks for your advise.

 

[alan_golfnut]

John: No worries! Have a good holiday! And from a point of view of access to nearby amenities, Novotel is def a good choice! *thumbs up*

 

[erowen]

hi cai cai
yup i went to baiyoke sky especially for the buffetd dinner. you may wish to ask the hotel business centre to make reservation for you, if not you let you wait quite long.

it was abt 410baht per person and yes i pretty much like the food. international selection and i like the japanese section, cos they have my fav "Oden", which i find not common in singapore buffet.

as what john mentioned, double check on the prices again, you may be just paying like 10bucks more for the diff hotel and i stayed at novotel, it's really thumbs up! location, breakfast and rooms wise.

 

[caicai]

sob sob , i bought my package for Baiyoke Sky - 288 for 3D2N/extn 80/rm,nite.
<excluding tax>
cannot change liao .
Novotel more exp 328 for 3D2N /extn 120/rm,nite

Thk hv to use the savings for cab rides

 

[blurunicorn]

Cai:
Dun worry so much ..
U can have a great time shopping at pratunam ..
A blouse can range from 50B to 200B, depending on the designs and quantities ..
There is also a IT plaza (Pantip) opposite ..

 

[johnandrachel]

unicorn

your IT refers to the place selling gadgets like thumbdrive, software or hardware for PCs? is the price and quality good?

caicai,
did you book everthing through agency? i guess most pple will agree booking everything yourself on the net will be better. you'll will be able to source out cheaper deals one. esp for those going later this year, tigerairway is coming soon, the price war will definitely benefit holidays goers.
I too kiasu, din wait for it to come so book earlier heheh.
Anyway this is the price I'm paying for your reference in future. hope it can benefit you.
1-going 15 oct to 19 oct 5D4N
2-airfare, airasia, ard S$280 for 02 return tics
timing also very good going at noon coming back evening, not like those cheaper flights frm SIA or TG go siao siao early and come back siao siao late.
3-hotel, Novotel Siam Sq, 107/n total 428, incl all their tax and breakfast.
Grand total- 708 for 02 person => ard S$354/person. (excl. sg airport tax)

 

[alan_golfnut]

But thing abt Air Asia is that it departs Bangkok really early doesnt it? I dunno, but lugging the shopping back Senai back to Singapore is just too much of a nightmare for me! *faints*

 

[tobebride]

Hi John,

I thought the fare is inclusive of sg airport tax but excl bkk airport tax which is 500 baht?

Alan, fyi it departs bkk at 1750 and it flies direct from sg to bkk and not senai.

 

[alan_golfnut]

toebride: Wow! Sorry, jus haven't had time to check out these updates anymore! In that case, it's really worth a think then! But is there still a limit to the baggage allowance?

 

[droplet]

anybody knows can debit card be used for payment for hotels in bangkok when book online at www.asiahotels.com?
Thanks

 

[blurunicorn]

John:
Yah .. They oso sell pir***d stuffs as well ..

 

[andreal]

hey ppl

can check roughly when will most of the hotels release their room rates for nov,dec etc? i did saw some agents aldy put up the rates for tos mths.

hi Unicorn,
can check with u what are the things worth buying at pantip? beside the pi***** stuffs *grin* I din go there d previous trips.

 

[andreal]

hi John,
Any idea when is Tiger Airway gona start their flight operation? or to be announced later huh?

 

[serrich]

Hi Adeline,

Yup u can use debit card to book the hotel. Tat was what I did too!

 

[blurunicorn]

Andreal:
Juz went to look look see see only ..
Din make any purchases there ..
But u can go there to see if on the way ..

 

[caicai]

hi john , my first time @ BKK <for> , so i stupidly book through travel agency.
scare i mite lose my way , u see .
coz travel agent hv hotel transfers + 1/2 day BKK tour <dunno>

i agree totally w u , that is definitely much cheaper n more freedom using DIY . one thing abt budget airlines , it is THE safety issue.
the other time , during my biz trip , my chauffuer tld me its BKK flt to HK , part of its wing dropped off .dunno if it is true , but sounds scary .

 

[tomatoes]

Hi All
Do you all know where to buy "P**" DVD movies in Bangkok? Are the quality good?

 

[alan_golfnut]

cai: WAH! You got chauffeur? Then those couple of bucks for you no sweat lah! Bolts and nuts flying off planes quite common nowadays actually, cos of the demand for higher productivity even for planes, faster turnaround time. Once wife and I took Mana Ada System, first there was a one hour delay, than after we finally boarded, the auxillary egnine died, needed to start it up again with an external device, so delay again. Then while we were taxi-ing, there was this continuous clunking noise, and no explanations were forthcoming. I've flown domestic flights in US several times, and although they were 'basic', but at least things went along technically okay. But that clunking sound was prob the freakiest thing to me. Dunno if their landing device was stuffed or something.

 

[johnandrachel]

andreal:
read and heard over the news tiger is coming around mid sep or early oct if all their proceedings goes smoothly.

tobebride
the info i've got says the tax included is incoming thailand tax. outgoing sg you have to pay b4 u depart from sg. then b4 u depart from thailand back to sg, you have to pay the 500baht lor. you taken airasia b4 wats your procedure like?

anyone else care to share the payment experience taking airasia?

unicorn
thanks for your info. but i'll skip the pr...te though. Sg security so tight cannot underestimate them. once kana.... then die siao siao liao keke... all tis i usually go to our neighbours.

cai cai
the way u mention u got chauffeur hor, i think the price diff won't make any diff to u liao. got big shot treatment so nice. my trip only going on foot, tuk-tuk ,btm and taxi only. no personal driver

sooo.. envious. but then those half day tour i heard not so interesting lor. others mentioned the tour guide insist they pay him tips. i know the amount is ok lah but this kind of service demand will really put off our trip.

alan
the hand luggage limit if still correct is 7 kg. then the rest pricing is about the same overall. you can check out their website if you're free though. airasia.com

oh ya, just asking hor, anyone care to share if got kana caught b4 for pir..te. and how so.so next time won't follow kekekeke.....

 

[caicai]

aiyah , the chauffeur is booked by my boss . NOT special treatment for me !
i am a poorly paid soul

 

[tulip94]

Hi John Tan,

I am planning to stay in Novotel Siam Sq or Pratunam Princess for my Bangkok trip from 1st Oct to 3rd Oct.

Is it true that Novotel is having renovation? Any idea when the renovation will complete?

Thank you in advance