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Sunday, November 05, 2006
Oakwood City Residence, Bangkok
rate: over 100 USD for a suite
Internet connection: yes
Address: 291 Soi Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 24 New Sathorn Road, Chongnonsee
Contact number: Tel +66 2 672 0200
Website: http://www.oakwood.com/
Landmark/s: near the Silom and Sathorn business districts
Transportation: There's a regular shuttle bus to Chong Nonsi Skytrain station.
Plus: It has its very own Starbucks!
I've decided to include serviced apartments in this blog for one simple reason: I wanted to write about Oakwood. I stayed here for two days during the Songkran festival and immediately fell in love with the place! It is my idea of a perfect apartment in Bangkok: conveniently located (it's still near the sky train stations, Silom and Sathorn business districts), but thoughtfully tucked away at a quiet residential area so you could relax in the evenings when you get home. This comes highly recommended for long-staying tourists, who, give it a few weeks of staying in Bangkok, will be clamouring for a place of peace and quiet at night and over the weekends. The place is enormous (it's almost like a small community) and has a holiday feel to it, which I like. Although the suites are not as elegant and luxurious as its 5-star hotel counterparts, they are tastefully decorated--bar a few walls that will look grand with a painting or two. All things considered, I would say Oakwood is one of the best places I've ever stayed in.
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Thursday, November 02, 2006
Amari Watergate Hotel
rate: ranging from 100 to 150 USD for Internet room only rates
Internet connection: yes, free Wi-fi access at the lobby
Address: 847 Petchburi Road, Bangkok 10400
Contact number: Tel +66 2 653 9000 Fax +66 2 653 9045
Website: www.amari.com/watergate
Cable TV: yes, but it's quite a limited selection
Landmark/s: in front of Platinum mall and near Pratunam market
Plus: The Sivara Spa, of course.
What a 5-star hotel is all about--really good food and fantastic service. It's also what a 5-star hotel in Bangkok should be about--relaxing enough to forget the traffic outside (and how many hours you spent sitting on the taxi). Unfortunately, the best view that its ritzy 5-star rooms could offer would be at night time, when the city lights are luring you out for a different kind of ping pong game in Bangkok.
Photos of Amari Watergate Hotel (credits to my friend Diana Hernandez, who stayed there last month)
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Wednesday, November 01, 2006
I'll start this thread with Siam hotels (Siam area's my absolute favorite). Three characteristics define this group: (1) centrally-located and (2) convenient--there are 7-11s in almost every corner, it's walking distance to the sky-train, and there's a good variety of food and restaurants around; and (3) shopaholic-friendly--the major shopping malls are in this area, from high-end to bargain: MBK, Siam Square, Siam Discovery, Siam Center, Siam Paragon (very high-end), and not too far, Central World (formerly World Trade Center).
Vidhayanives - Chulalongkorn University
rate: 15 - 20 USD per night
Internet connection: dial-up, 3 baht every time you connect.
Address: Chula Soi 13 Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330
Contact number: + 66 2 218 3010
Website: none
Breakfast: no
TV: yes
Cable TV: no
Landmark/s: near MBK (stands for mabungkrong, a famous mall in Bangkok), and Pathumwan Princess hotel. It's also near the National Stadium and Siam sky train stations.
Comments: Vidhayanives is a university guest house, my favorite for its convenient location (it's walking distance to the major shopping malls) and quiet surroundings (it's within the university campus). It's nothing great, and I won't even say pretty (no decor in the room whatsoever and believe me when I say you'll start seeing gray if you stay in the room the whole day). The rooms are basic, clean, and cheap, and there's a small balcony in each room. While admittedly the lack of a hotel restaurant is a set back, there are plenty of choices nearby. MBK is but 5 minutes away. Even closer, there's a restaurant at Sasa hotel (Sasa Cuisine), which is just next door, that serves good breakfast. For approx. 3 USD, you get a full meal which includes coffee, milk, orange juice, bacon and eggs, fruits, and toasts. Thai meals are of course much cheaper.
Plus: There's a small 7/11 near the parking lot. And no, they don't sell beer and cigarettes (the beer you could buy at Sasa, the cigs at MBK).
Sasa International House
rate: approx. 40 USD per night.
Internet connection: yes
Address: Chula Soi 13 Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330
Website: http://www.sasin.edu/facilities/accommodation/
Contact no: tel: +66 2 216 8844; fax: +66 2 215 3880; e-mail: SasaHouse@sasin.edu
Breakfast: inclusive
TV: yes
Cable TV: yes
Landmark/s: near MBK and Pathumwan Princess hotel. Near National Stadium and Siam Sky Train stations.
Comments: Definitely much more expensive than Vidhayanives but it's a ladder up too. It's what you'll have to pay for more carpeting, newer and nicer beds and curtains, cable tv and outdoor swimming pool and sauna. Oh, and make sure to check the pool for frog/s at night before diving in (if you're horrified by them, just like me).
Plus: Free use of pool and sauna, and you can have your Thai Massage in the convenience of your room.
Pathumwan Princessrate: 85 USD to 100 USD
Internet connection: yes, Wi-fi
Address: Chula Soi 12 Payathai Road, Bangkok 10330
Contact number: Tel: +66 2 216 3700; Fax: +66 2 216 3730 3; E-mail: ppb@dusit.com
Website: http://www.pprincess.com/
Breakfast: yes
TV: yes
Cable TV: yes
Landmark/s: It's practically part of MBK!
Comments: Pathumwan Princess is 4-star, so naturally pricey. With the price comes: good music, tasteful decor and there's Wi-fi everywhere! You'll love it for the simple fact that the Studio Bar stays open until 2 am, something you'll appreciate when you're dying for another round of beer and you're in Bangkok--where everything shuts down at 1 am. So is the price worth it? Let me state the obvious--it greatly depends on what you want to do in Bangkok. If you're there for business and you'll be working most of the time at the hotel, then this place is perfect (let me recommend by the pool at least, you workaholic). If you just want a place to sleep or a bed to tumble to when you come home drunk, then better get a cheaper hotel. You won't know the bunk bed from the 4-star one anyway.
Plus: It's connected to MBK mall and very near the National Stadium sky train. AND, they've got the best blueberry yoghurt ice cream in town.
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Bangkok, Asia's top tourist destination and the third top in the world according to Travel and Leisure magazine. The city is heaving with tourists from all over, and the long lines at the immigration, even at the newly opened Suvanabhumi airport, are the longest I've seen in any country in Asia. Tourism naturally becomes big business (in fact, it's everybody's business) and not to be left behind is the city's massive hotel industry.
There are a variety of hotels in Bangkok that you could choose from, reflective of the different kinds of tourists the city attracts. The usual suspects are of course there-- backpackers, college students on semestral break, visa runners, and business men. On cue, the hotels or guesthouses would range from downright cheap and dodgy to student-budget friendly, to 5-star pricey.
Having practically lived in hotels in Bangkok over the past years, here are a few of the ones I've tried (and heard of) that are worth checking out. I'm by no means an expert, and hardly a hotel connoisseur. This site is a compiled response to friends who have over the years turned to me for advice on their travels to Bangkok and Asia in general, and to those planning their trip and are in need of some 411.
Happy browsing!
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Sunday, November 05, 2006
