paulfort Posted December 10, 2016 Posted December 10, 2016 I have stayed at Tarntawan Place loads of times, was there in October after the change of ownership and whilst still OK clearly they are cutting back in a number of areas so time for a change! Have also used the Rose a few times but the rooms are pretty small and Malaysia but even the new rooms are fairly basic and loation not ideal for me. I have been looking at the Raya Hotel - has any one used it and if so what is your view especialy with regards to ease of taking a Thai guest back - hate the joiner fee crap! Also what are the rooms, is there much diference to justify the higher spec/priced rooms and what is breakfast like - is breakfast availble on room service or just in restaurant and any other info would be welcome? Thanks Quote
orson Posted December 10, 2016 Posted December 10, 2016 No problem with bringing guests, no extra charges. For the other queries, better get your answer in trip advisor or similar sites as I am pretty low maintenance. Quote
jason1975 Posted December 11, 2016 Posted December 11, 2016 PROS New and clean rooms. Glass shower is nice! Next to Soi Twilight. CAN BE IMPROVED No early check-in Limited breakfast spread. Quote
calluna15 Posted December 11, 2016 Posted December 11, 2016 Le meridian states that only registerred Guests are permitted in the room. I stayed there for 2 nights on last trip And did not challenge this rule. Has anyone had guests without a problem? Love the rooms and location on surawong. orson 1 Quote
paulfort Posted December 11, 2016 Author Posted December 11, 2016 Whilst certainly not a definative answer as I have never stayed there, on my visit in October I asked a young boy from Tawan Bar I spent a few evening with the same question on Le Meridian and also Tawana Hotel as I felt Tarntawan Hotel was going down hill a bit. His English was pretty basic (but better than my Thai!) and his reply was to the effect "Tawana no problem is good .... I think Le Meridian maybe not good, not like boy you must give them mony take boy back - no good" I quized him further and learnt that him and some of his friends had experinced problems - I guess guy they are with being politly escorted to reception to pay a joiners fee - which I hate! However you could always email the hotel direct and ask the question - though from what I learnt I am not hopefull (hense rulled it out and looking at the Raya hotel, which from what I am learning sound OK!) Quote
firecat69 Posted December 11, 2016 Posted December 11, 2016 If you were going to pay the rate at Meridian then why not go to the Crowne Plaza. Very convenient to Soi Twilight and no problem with guests as a couple of members have mentioned. As always make sure your reservation is for 2 people. splinter1949 1 Quote
ggobkk Posted December 11, 2016 Posted December 11, 2016 Agree with Firecat69 - always make the reservation for 2. I've been a multiple visit guest at Tarntawan but, after my visit in late October, began casting about for another base camp. Discontent with Tarntawan is related to the shift to group bookings and the reduction of veteran staff. The group booking when I was there was of couples from Malaysia. I wish the hotel success...it deserves to survive. Returning in mid January, the Raya but it was sold out initially for the dates I wanted. Ya from Siamroads recommended Le Siam (formerly Swiss Lodge) as an alternative - which I booked. No information on joiners fee there. A few hours ago, checking back on Agoda, I found that the Raya had a mini-suite available for my dates. Pricing was the same or less than Tarntwan or my AirBNB possibility, so I booked it and cancelled Le Siam. So, I'll report back on the Raya, which Vinapu has used to set records of offs. Learning, when something is sold out...check back. vinapu, TMax, paulsf and 1 other 4 Quote
Guest ryanasia Posted December 12, 2016 Posted December 12, 2016 Le meridian states that only registerred Guests are permitted in the room. I stayed there for 2 nights on last trip And did not challenge this rule. Has anyone had guests without a problem? Love the rooms and location on surawong. I didn't have a problem but information was on a need to know basis. I was discreet. Quote
Guest Promsak Posted December 13, 2016 Posted December 13, 2016 I wish the hotel success...it deserves to survive. No it does not ----- after the shabby way it treated Lukas! Quote
orson Posted December 13, 2016 Posted December 13, 2016 About leaving meridian. No problem bringing back boys. Last week a Japanese guy was dead drunk being escorted by his mate back to their room. I guess discretion is key. orson 1 Quote
DivineMadman Posted December 13, 2016 Posted December 13, 2016 I used to stay at Le Meridien a lot and never had a problem with joiners - but I haven't been there for a few years. Quote
Guest ronnie4you Posted December 15, 2016 Posted December 15, 2016 The husband hired a Tawan guy and took him to an hourly hotel so as not to get in trouble with Le Meridien. However, when they finished, they both came to the room at LeMeridien to see me. Obviously the guy just walked in with the husband and no one stopped him. From what I can see of the Raya, it is all suites. At least, that's what they offer when I put some dates in. It looks good, is cheaper than the Meridien, and breakfast is included. At Le Meridien, you have to pay extra for breakfast, but it's pretty darn good. Those hotel points could keep me at Le Meridien. Also, the Raya only offers queen beds. LM has king. I was just looking further at the Raya. It's very interesting in that two descriptions for the rooms, one of the differences between the executive suite and the plain suite is that the executive suite has air conditioning. Surely the other suites do too, no? They don't say... Quote
TMax Posted December 15, 2016 Posted December 15, 2016 Yes all rooms at Raya are air conditioned, on their website if you click on accommodation it has all the room descriptions Quote
orson Posted December 15, 2016 Posted December 15, 2016 on the negative side for le meridien is that they charge for wifi. i mean for the price you pay for the room, no wifi - really? Quote
Guest ronnie4you Posted December 15, 2016 Posted December 15, 2016 It does not list it for the suites, except for the Executive suite. I can't sleep 2 in a qyueen sized bed anyway, so it is moot for me. Two weeks util my plane takes off! Quote
Guest abang1961 Posted December 15, 2016 Posted December 15, 2016 I think hotels that charges wi-fi is so outdated! I had this horrible experience in a hotel in Malaysia. Wifi is not available in the room. I have to go to the main lobby to be connected with wi-fi. Although the amount charged is minimal but RM15 daily prevents this poor pauper from using the hotel again. *** By the way, the tourist SIM card is oly THB 299 for 7 days..not very sure about the speed though. Quote
TMax Posted December 15, 2016 Posted December 15, 2016 It does not list it for the suites, except for the Executive suite. I can't sleep 2 in a qyueen sized bed anyway, so it is moot for me. Two weeks util my plane takes off! On this page they have descriptions of all the rooms and suites and on each one they have air conditioning listed, the suites (all of them) have 2 air conditioners each. Oh, and the suites have king sized beds not queen size. Not too sure where you're looking but the correct link and info is posted below http://www.therayabangkok.com/accommodation Normal suite SUITE 5 Suites, 46 sqm. King bed (2) Flat screen TV’s Satellite TV Free WiFi Telephone Safety deposit box Bathrobe & slippers Mini-Bar Kitchen (2) Air conditioners Rain shower Quote
orson Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 I think hotels that charges wi-fi is so outdated! I had this horrible experience in a hotel in Malaysia. Wifi is not available in the room. I have to go to the main lobby to be connected with wi-fi. Although the amount charged is minimal but RM15 daily prevents this poor pauper from using the hotel again. *** By the way, the tourist SIM card is oly THB 299 for 7 days..not very sure about the speed though. real paupers will not buy tourist Sims when for 100baht you get 1gb for 7days. Quote
spoon Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 real paupers will not buy tourist Sims when for 100baht you get 1gb for 7days. Haha, ditto that, bought a 49 bath sim with some data inside with few minutes and buy the 100 bath topup 7 days 1gb. Tourist sim is too expensive compared to this Quote
Guest abang1961 Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 Now ..I'm enlightened. Which network provides that? Quote
spoon Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 Its the same one with the tourist sim. Went to a 7e asking for the sim, the cashier brought up the box with bunch of simcard, and showed me the tourist one, i scan trhough the box and the 49 bath simcard were on the other end. The top up will be printed on a receipt and u need to key in the code, but if u have used a prepaid sim before, its pretty easy to do even if u dont understand thai Quote
stijntje Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 After reading all the comments about Tarntawan going down, I will stay not book it anymore and choose the Raya when in Bangkok for my second trip to Thailand in February next year. Quote
ct2005 Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 I bought a "AIS buddy" SIM card 2GB for 7 days at airport for 169BHT. Quote
Guest ronnie4you Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 On this page they have descriptions of all the rooms and suites and on each one they have air conditioning listed, the suites (all of them) have 2 air conditioners each. Oh, and the suites have king sized beds not queen size. Not too sure where you're looking but the correct link and info is posted below http://www.therayabangkok.com/accommodation Normal suite SUITE 5 Suites, 46 sqm. King bed (2) Flat screen TV’s Satellite TV Free WiFi Telephone Safety deposit box Bathrobe & slippers Mini-Bar Kitchen (2) Air conditioners Rain shower That's amazing. Today it is all King beds, but I SWEAR that yesterday each one said Queen! Now I might reconsider! Quote
worldatlarge Posted December 16, 2016 Posted December 16, 2016 on the negative side for le meridien is that they charge for wifi. I mean for the price you pay for the room, no wifi - really? I was at Le Meridien last week and wi-fi is free. Room was great as I was upgraded to the Vista corner room with the round bed. Breakfast buffet has a very large selection. In fact too large because nobody can eat everything on display. Price is steep at 850 bht but considering the offering it makes sense. Foodland Patong makes mores sense with their 89 bht breakfast. Naturally the best is the location. Easy access to everything around. I could not test the guest policy so I cannot comment. Quote
