tbrown

Hello,
Not knowing what area is best, I think I have narrowed down the hotel choises. Based on feedback from travel forum's, proximity to transportation, Cost (we get airline discounts at some of the hotels). What I don't know about the hotels is which hotels have a better location for food stalls and possibly a night market. We want to take a river cruise but I think we can take the Skytrain and we might want to go to MBK but I also think we can take the Skytrain.

Here are the hotrls we are considering so far in no particular order:
Admiral Premier Bangkok
Bossotel Bangkok
Citadines Bangkok Sukhumvit 16
Citadines Bangkok Sukhumvit 23
The Inn Saladaeng #199
Centre Point Silom
SilQ
Aspen Suites Bangkok

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

dogster

Think of it this way:
Four areas - Riverside [separate from the city but with pretty views of the river]

Silom [Skytrain is SalaDaeng] for night markets, street stalls, naughty bars, gay street, lots of that Patpongy stuff.

Siam [Skytrain is Siam] for mega-shopping, amazing malls, department stores, restaurants, cinemas, wowie zowie

Sukhumvit [Nana] for street food, street stalls, whores by the ton and a lot of err.. older guys.

Pick an area, otherwise the choice becomes overwheming. By the look of those hotels you're aiming for the 2,500 - 3,000 baht mark. check latestays.com for easy navigation. There are lots more.

rhkkmk

of the list centre points are the most popular... and they are very nice...i have toured CP silom and the apartments are nice, the pool is decent and the location can't be beat next to the skytrain, a department store with a grocery store in the basement and tons of restaurants neat-y like harmonique and tongue thai which are fodors favorites...

costs can be all over the map with little correlation why...

bossotel is near to CP silom and one fodorite at least says its just fine..

there is no one superior area to stay in, ino....almost everything you might want to do is located in different parts of the city so you have to move around anyways...

Kathie

Given what you've said, I'd tend to recommend Centre Point Silom. It's near the river (ask for a river-view room) and the Skytrain, and a short walk from the pier for the water taxis. It, like many on your list is a serviced apartment.

simpsonc510

Dogster... you do a dis-service to the Sukhumvit area. Yes, there are the things you mentioned, but that's mainly only on soi 4, with a smattering of it on some of the other less frequented sois. There's lots more to offer in this area than just what is on your list.

I love staying on soi 8. Very close to food, shopping, and about two minutes walk, or less, to the skytrain escalator going UP, at Nana Station; and only one stop away from the subway at Asok. In the heat, that escalator going UP can be a real benefit! Beats the 3 sets of stairs going up!

To the OP, have a look at my favorite location... the Adelphi Suites on Sukhumvit soi 8. It is a serviced apartment bldg, with a bit more modern feel to it than some of the older apt bldgs. And it's not so large as many of them are. Plus, the lobby floor restaurant is quite good. B'fast included in the nightly rate.

Also to the OP, you might also take a look at a hotel called Suk 11. It might look interesting to you. Not a serviced apt, but in a rather different sort of location, with lots of night life right outside the door, including the Pickled Liver, my favorite British style pub in Bangkok.

rhkkmk

there are quite a few places along soi 11, sukhumvit that might work for the OP..

tbrown

Dogster you painted a pretty grim picture if we couldn't stay riverside we would have to pick between mall, naughty bars and whores. Pretty scarry for a couple celebrating their 25th anniversary and coming from Utah, USA.

I tried Centre Point Silom but no rooms for our date.

I was glad to see the posts from simpsonc510 and rhkmk.

I will look at Adelphi and some others on Soi 8 and Soi 11.
I do think we are looking for a small to mid size location with some street stalls and a night market without being.
Adelphi might be the place.

Thank you the suggestions.

rhkkmk

there are centre points in the sukhumvit area also... adelphi is a really good area... the rembrandt hotel is another possibility and it has two fantastic restaurants...they also have serviced apartments....the marriott sukhumvit park is another good choice on soi 24---i'm staying there this fall and their prices are fantastic...i have toured and the apartments are far superior to adelphi and centre point, imo...

rhkkmk

take a look at www.sawadee.com as their list of hotels is by street and you can get some ideas there...

simpsonc510

Bob, your new Marriott on soi 24 looks really nice!! The price is slightly higher than my favorite, Adelphi on soi 8. I think you will really like apartment "living" in Bangkok, rather than staying in a hotel room!!! I don't think I could ever go back to a hotel room during my stays... but then, I'm usually in BKK (not touring other areas of Thailand/S E Asia) for a minimum of 10-14 nights in a row.

But the Marriott address ... #90... that's waaaaaaaay down soi 24! I hope they will provide you with transport to the skytrain from there! Or maybe they'll have a supply of ready taxis?

Do you have your dates now? (I assume so... and I did not write them down)

Carol

simpsonc510

Bob, is this Marriott a brand new property for them? I've never heard this name before you mentioned it here.

dogster

<i>Pretty scary for a couple celebrating their 25th anniversary and coming from Utah, USA.</i>

lol, oh well. Next time I'll practice my mind-reading skills. Just go to the Oberoi, lock the door and don't come out.

rhkkmk

yes carol its quite far down the soi, across from the famous seafood market in fact....they have a tuk tuk svc and taxis are not a problem as soi 24 is quite busy as you know..

it is a new building and opened last fall....we toured it...its way nicer than adelphi, which we have also toured... and right now costs the same or less...

i agree that soi 8 is fantastic however...

btw, please e mail me...

our dates now for bkk are: oct 28-nov 1; nov 14-23 and nov 28- dec 2..

i'm twisting andy's arm to come and some friends may come also and smeagol is going to be there and kathie and cheryl at some point and others....do you smell GTG's?? not to metion our usual on sites partners: pook and michael....

simpsonc510

I'll probably be in Tulsa and then off to Germany and Switzerland for our annual trip to the trade shows during the month of November. Darn! I'll be in BKK in mid-December thru early January for the holidays once again. Maybe we can somehow coordinate a spring trip sometime.

To the OP... sorry for intruding on your thread. Hope you find a hotel/apartment to your liking!

Carol

Kathie

Back to the hotel topic. Tell us how much you want to spend per night. If it was my 25th wedding anniversary, I'd be more likely to want a hotel than a serviced apartment (unless I was staying several weeks).

While you may get airline discounts at some hotels you might do better using one of the hotel booking sites, like www.sawasdee.com so don't limit yourselves to the ones the airline gives you a discount on. The prices on sawasdee include tax and service (which add up to 17.7%) and often breakfast as well.

When will you be in Bangkok?

tbrown

Hi Kathie,
We will be in Thailand July 2 - 12.
We will only be in Bangkok on the 2, 3 and 12.
The rest of the time we will be spending in Ko Tao.

I don't think we will spend much time in the hotel. We are looking to not spend more than 100.00 a night US.

We are hoping to take a day tour our first day, we want to see the country and the people. We aren't big on shopping. We do want to make sure and try a lot of the different Thai foods.

We prefer a smaller hotel or apt. if it means that we get a better feel for the city. However, we probably don't want to be bombarded by the sex offers.

We probably won't got to clubs but my husband would like to have a beer.

One of the things I thought we might do the night of our anniversary was a dinner cruise. Are they nice or just touristy?

Thanks again everyone. I'm sure with all of your help, we will find the right place. I am looking at places on Soi 8.

Tina

yellowluggage

This serviced apartment suits your budget: http://www.evergreenapartment.com/

2-min walk from BTS Ratchathewi (just one stop away from BTS SIAM). I've stayed here once and really liked it. It is a cozy and comfortable place. Good sized rooms, good water pressure, well working air con, and spacious bathroom.

There's a 7-11 in front of the apartment. Walking to Siam Paragon department store and some new art museum (don't know the name) takes 8 minutes.

Kathie

It's perfectly possible to visit Bangkok and never see any sign of the sex industry. Indeed, you are very unlikely to be solicited unless you choose to walk down Soi Cowboy or Patpong at night. I'm afraid dogster's post scared you.

I don't think it makes a difference whether you stay in a large hotel or a smaller hotel or apartment in terms of getting a feel for the city. What will help you most is being located close to a skytrain station.

You might consider taking a look at some of the big hotels. You'll be there in low season and should be able to get good prices. For instance, Starwood has quite a number of properties in Bangkok. See what kinds of rates you can find. If possible, get a rate that includes breakfast.

I'm not fond of the dinner cruises. The food is mediocre and it's really a tourist activity. Instead, I'd choose a good Thai restaurant located in an old Thai house. Very atmospheric! One of my favorites, just a short walk from a skytrain station is Lana Thai at Face. www.facebars.com click on Bangkok. You'll be able to look at menus, look at their spa menu (one of my favorite little spas in Bangkok), see a small map of where they are located.

simpsonc510

tbrown

I've done 4 or 5 dinner cruises over the years. The best one was put on by the Oriental Hotel. It seems more authentic, and the food was quite acceptable! There is something special about a slow cruise down the river in the evening while the city lights are coming on.

I'm glad you are still thinking about soi 8. It is a more "typical" soi for Bangkok, as it is very narrow (barely room for 2 cars to pass one another), and is lined with street food vendors and small shops. You will see vendors coming along the soi, riding bikes or pushing carts, or carrying "yokes" with baskets, selling all manner of goods! So interesting! And everyone is very friendly!

Our most favorite pizza place (called Via Vai) is located directly across from the Adelphi's front door. It's so easy to pop in there after a day of shopping and order a pizza to go. Their caprese salad is also quite good. Wine is expensive, but they do have some nice chiantis. Oh, and the caprese salad at the Adelphi restaurant is also quite good!

Also on soi 8, just a short walk from Adelphi (going further "into" the soi) is a wonderful Thai restaurant called Kinnaree. This restaurant is in a Thai style "house" and has a terrific menu, and there is dining inside or out. We always enjoy a meal here.

BTW, there is a (slight) chance that I would be returning to BKK in July. I'm heading there in a few weeks, and usually go there 3-4 times per year. I doubt I'd be there at the beginning of July, but perhaps by the 12th...? We could meet for coffee or a cold beer!

A suggestion, since your BKK time is split, you should try staying in a couple of places. For that list night, if it were me, I would probably think of splurging on a place by (or with a view of) the river. Centre Point Silom comes to mind. The Oriental/Peninsula/Marriott Resort/Royal Orchid Sheraton are all on the river, but pretty pricey. (your island time sounds delightful, by the way)

Just some of my random thoughts.

I do hope you leave Bangkok with the same positive opinion of the city that so many of us here share!

Carol

rhkkmk

soi 8 would allow all of the things you might want....kineree would be a fabulous place for your special dinner as would lots of restaurants in hotels along the river, but more $$..

i would avoid the river cruise like the plague...