Traveling to thailand

Does anyone know where a few good places to stay in Bangkok might be? I’ll be heading down later this month for few days and curious where some nice places to stay might be. Oh, and maybe suggestions on some tours. I’ve never been there before so I dont have a clue. I’ll just be there for a few days, so I’ll be sticking around Bangkok. Thanks!

How much do you want to spend a night? Soi Rambuttri (not far from Khoa San Road) has nice guesthouses for dirt cheap prices.(around 100-200 baht). There’s also some nice hotelsin the area that start around 300-350 baht. You can do a riverboat tour here very easily. Just walk to a pier.

I’d go for a place near a skytrain terminal if I was only there for a few days though. Sorry I’m not recommending the place I used to stay at as you can get far better I’m sure.

If you want something nicer, in the off season you can often get a reasonable price at a nicer hotel, even some of the big ones. You can also just jump in a taxi, tell them your budget and the area of town, and they’ll help set you up.

I personally like a smaller, clean quiet place called Jim’s Lodge, a 5-min. walk from the Skytrain and the embassies.

http://www.thaihotels.com/hotels/hotel-3871.aspx

One bed for two is about 1100.00 THB ~ 27 USD , which by Western standards is really very little for a nice, clean quiet little inn, nothing fancy but with excellent service, suitable for business travellers, with no noise, bars or sleaze nearby.

But it all depends on what part of town you want to be in relative to your tourist destinations, and ask yourself, do you want to be in the middle of a cheap foreigner backpacker’s ghetto, or away from it? To each his own…

hostelworld.com is a great place to check for listings and book online.
When I was in Bangkok I stayed in the Sukumvit area of town and even though it’s a bit far from Khao San and downtown i really enjoyed the area.

The Atlanta is quite famous for not catering to sex-pats. If you want to avoid that lovely scene, at least where you are sleeping, I recommend it. It’s also a 5-7 minute walk from the metro.

I always stay at Omni Tower serviced apartments which is very comfortable has a nice pool and is on par with major hotels. They charge 1600baht/night including breakfast. Its a 7 minute walk to Nana station BTS. Located at Sukhumvit Soi 3. If you get a high floor room like 20-36 floor, you can have a view of the whole city.

im going to thailand on may 13 or 16 and will stay for about 20 days, anyone else wanna come or meet up?ill be mostly in the north though

I’ll be heading to Bangkok for a convention held at the Shangri-La. Can anyone tell me how close the Sofitel and Holiday Inn is to the Shangri-La? Or the Menam Riverside and cabbing it up?

How is traveling the BTS (Silom) compared to the MRT?

TIA,

[quote=“Yellow Cartman”]

How is traveling the BTS (Silom) compared to the MRT?

TIA,[/quote]The view looking out is usually much better during the daytime. You can usually see out the entire trip.

If the weather is nice go up the Baiyoke 2 tower in Pratunam, it has an observation deck and offers a great view over Bangkok. It also has a hotel, in case you want some more upmarket accomodation.
A visit in the evening to the bar/restaurant on top is also nice, I think if you consume you don’t need to pay entrance.

You can also do some shopping around the Pratunam street market, drop by at Panthip Plaza (computer stuff) or the Central World Plaza shopping complex (formerly World Trade Center). MBK Center isn’t too far from there either.
Don’t miss out on a visit to the Chatuchak weekend market, last stop of the BTS though I can’t recall the direction or name of the station (just ask around). Take your time though, it’s huge - and don’t forget to bargain if you want to purchase something!

A visit to the Wat Pho (aka Wat Phra Chetuphon) with it’s reclining Buddha might be worth a visit, too, though they close early (3pm I think) and you need to dress appropiately. Afterwards you can take a river cruise from the nearby pier through the klongs, possibly with a visit of the royal barge.

Don’t forget to ride in a Tuk-Tuk, though perhaps do so at night when there is less traffic and thus less pollution.

The Reno, Soi Kasem San 1. Near Siam Square, Skytrai, Jim Thompson’s House, canal taxi stop. About 700-800Bt, has a pool. Not super-plush but excellent value if you want aircon and pool and a quiet non-sleazy environment.

Take a river taxi to Nonthaburi (15Bt), play around on the khlongs also. A nice way to see Bangkok.

Wat Phra Keow is great. You should go to Jim Thompsons house to see this guy’s great collection of Thai art and Ayyuthaya period houses. There are also lovely gardens.

The Erawan shrine is fun for seeing Thailand’s folk religion in action. Most of the time, you can see trad. Thai dancing, for free. If you’re interested in local folk beliefs, go and see the Mae Nak shrine out in Phra Kha Nong (soi 77, Sukhumvit, nr Onnut Skytrain).

Try the food stalls in the street and the foodcourts in malls for the best curries and noodles. The food’s usually really bad on the tourist trail.

Have fun.

[quote=“Yellow Cartman”]I’ll be heading to Bangkok for a convention held at the Shangri-La. Can anyone tell me how close the Sofitel and Holiday Inn is to the Shangri-La? Or the Menam Riverside and cabbing it up?

How is traveling the BTS (Silom) compared to the MRT?

TIA,[/quote]

I usually stay at Centre Point Silom (www.centrepoint.com), not far from Shangri La. Not a bad serviced apartment, right above a huge department store, shops and a grocery store and close to the skytrain. They will give you a discount on rooms if you contact them directly. Nice big rooms and apartments.