Hotel Reviews Bangkok

[Boy69]

 I Residence is in a great location .I booked the Furama not far from this hotel mainly because it's joiners friendly , has a rooftop pool ,  spacious rooms on reasonable price and generous breakfast bufet. Hope it will be fine .

[alex303]

1 hour ago, Boy69 said:

 I Residence is in a great location .I booked the Furama not far from this hotel mainly because it's joiners friendly , has a rooftop pool ,  spacious rooms on reasonable price and generous breakfast bufet. Hope it will be fine .

Furama Silom is a good hotel IMHO but worth paying a smidge more for the Exec rooms as just nicely turned out (love the glass walled bathrooms & shower) plus you get a few nice freebie extras like access to a small / private dining snack area that serves free drinks late in the afternoon (I got a bit too attached to their Gin supply).  They've never even looked up at reception when I've come home with a guy so think you'll be happy.

Raya also gets my vote, as the Grand Deluxe rooms with showers are lovely and super convenient for Patpong, glass walled bathrooms again make things interesting at playtime.

Bandara Suites also have some very nice Suites at reasonable rates that are about 55sqm with separate Sleeping & Living areas, very handy when your LT over-night is still snoozing, in truth the Suites are more like a Serviced Apartment as have small kitchenette and full sized fridge / freezer, upper floors have good views of BKK too, I'd suggest asking for a room with an 'L shaped' sofa though as more sociable at playtime.

 

 

[Boy69]

I considered to book their Exec. room but since I almost don't drink alcohol it's a waste of money however I booked their upgrade Delux room.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Boy69 said:

.... since I almost don't drink alcohol ....

it.s curable, they must have pills for it

[vinapu]

any info about Silom Serene , visitors friendly ?

[manuelmendez]

if your hotel quite far from your bar, and you off boys there. is your boy don't mind to walk together until reach your hotel? any experiences about this? 

i always stay hotel nearby patpong area. so both of us just walk like usual.

[Londoner]

I was shy on my first couple of visits back in 1990s. A lot less so once I started staying in gay hotels but even then I can recall the first time I left Boyztown with my future boyfriend.

No longer do I worry. I've taken P all over Thailand and beyond. Of course, he is thirty-six now and  so doesn't look like bar-boy even to the tutored eye.

 

[reader]

4 hours ago, manuelmendez said:

if your hotel quite far from your bar, and you off boys there. is your boy don't mind to walk together until reach your hotel? any experiences about this? 

i always stay hotel nearby patpong area. so both of us just walk like usual.

This was discussed on the forum not so long ago and, if I recall correctly, most posters believed that you should expect the boy to walk a modest distance. I don't know how far you consider "quite" far but you can reach just about any hotel within the immediate vicinity in no more than 10-15 minutes. After all, if you can walk it I know there's no reason why he can't, especially if he's a stage performer.

As an example, certainly walking from Patpong to the Red Planet on Surawong is a reasonable distance. If a guy balked at that, I would not see this as a good omen. Others may have different parameters in mind.

But the most important question I think is do you wish to walk that far. So you're the ultimate decider in the walk or ride matter.

If it's raining more than light sprinkles, I think a taxi would be in order.

 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, reader said:

 

But the most important question I think is do you wish to walk that far. So you're the ultimate decider in the walk or ride matter.

 

that's wise advice.

I'm not exactly novice in those matters, walk a lot and must say I only recall one serious grumbling by the guy, walk from Hero to Nana BTS station. Used exactly your approach  -if I can walk so do you, it worked.

On another hand if distance is more than trivial , say Arena to BBB Inn sometimes I ask guys if they want taxi just in case they don't want to be seen parading with grandpappy farang, so far no takers other than obvious like from Patpong to Malaysia Hotel or Boyztown to Jomtien.

On last trip I had true hero - we walked all the way from  Central Festival to far end of Walking street and back length of Walking street to baht bus stop near school so boys have legs, often very nice looking too. Get them to use those. 

Even suspected primadonnas ( just suspected , they are not) like Mekhin or Tam suggested walk from old Jupiter to Nantra.

[alex303]

On ‎9‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 2:46 PM, Boy69 said:

I considered to book their Exec. room but since I almost don't drink alcohol it's a waste of money however I booked their upgrade Delux room.

I think you'll be fine, Furama is a nice hotel, many happy memories there! 

Its also not far from Chong Nonsi BTS if you want to get yourself around during the day if traffics heavy...good location imho.

[vinapu]

Few more words about Red Planet. This is mostly repeat what i said in my recent report.

Rooms are  small and there’ s not much room for wardrobe for which there are few hangers on the massive hook. But there’s  something like desk and night stands, safety box,  kettle, 2 mugs , small fridge, shelf for toiletries in the washroom and quite sizable shower. In short , everything most of travelers may require. Relative lack of space is forcing one to be organized with stuff in the room.  Reception is on 2nd floor which means nobody bothers you with checking on your visitors. There’s 7/11 in the building as well as pizzeria Scozzi where for 200 baht one can have a decent breakfast. Patpong and BTS are in walk-able distance, hotel stands beside Amara, where Narathiwas joins Suriwong .  

Spotless clean and very well maintained, great option for short stay visitors without much of luggage. I liked it. X-One exchange with  Bangkok best rates nearby on Suriwong toward Patpong

[Guest]

Browsing Hotels.com, I clicked the Nantra on the map, just to remind myself what review score a really poor hotel gets.  Look at the price.....

This dump is worth just over a tenth of that, but I won't stay there any more

 

 

[spoon]

This is why its always good to check comparison of price from the various booking websites. While i also shared the view that standard of this hotel is below what ill stay myself, the price is really cheap for those who can tolerate their downside.

[anddy]

from the last 2 posts it becomes apparent that hotels.com doesn't have their business in order, showing such an absurd quote.... Not sure if I have ever used that site, if I have it must be 15 or 20 years ago....

Nantra may not be great, but at about 600 Baht it's value for (little) money provided that's for the larger rooms (which may not be the case). I have seen one of the large rooms there (when @vinapu stayed there and I could have a look at his room) and it seemed perfectly fine to me. The very small single rooms though (have seen one too) do seem inadequate though.

[Guest]

I agree it's a good idea to check more than one booking site.   

Hotels.com gives you one free night after every 10 stays.   However, by the time I exclude any listings where they charge more and take account of their reduced range of hotels, I'm not sure they are worth it.   But I currently have some free nights to use.

Booking.com is my favourite site.  However, if Hotels.com have the same price, then I book there for the free nights perk.

Agoda sometimes have good pricing and no longer seem to be 100% prepay.  However, they have this criminal behaviour of making the prices look lower on google searches by excluding taxes.   If the price is the same as the other sites after taxes, I avoid them on principle.   In the UK, Mrs Thatcher made this practice of excluding taxes from displayed prices illegal for any business selling to mainly retail customers.   

 

I have stayed at the Nantra in the past.   Due to dirty bedding and broken bathroom fixtures, I am not intending to go back.   Several years ago, it was slightly better.

[pong]

Interesting read, feminds me of former job-had something to do with hosp. and tourism  etc. now in pension as as many may remember mot at all a fan of staying in that area or even visiting often.

So this is mostly for the record or for the (praise them!) ´cheaposkatos.

YELLOW INN is above an Indian restr on Suriwong, close to Tarntwn, rooms around 7/800 (Booking) and a complaint in review: guest friendly (lady) but the place was condoned as they wanted to hold ID at reception of the lady. Looks like a converetd shophouse and must be noisy, I think.

There is even 1 hidden in the subsoi across Super A; KINNON hoStel, also does dormbeds.

In soi 6/Silom end: the FAH, around corner of Prime

Something named like UK-Thai guesthse, same corner, never ever read something about it.

HEAVEN (not the sauna!) is a place in the centre where ARENA is, left hand and also advertises a hostel. More hoStels in that road where the BTS turns in along Skywalk Mahanakorn. There must also be a nice rooftop(beer)garden, but I could not see how to enter that.

Under construction to help alleviate the apparent shortage of rooms in this area:

IBIS STYLES along Silom, roughly opposite Patpong, to open mid 2020. Expect lower introdct. rates. BUT IBIS is alas famous for very noisy (chinese) tourgroups.

A rather large HTL in the mid of soi 6, beside MANGO restrt. UNIQUE? or whatever.

Some remarks re above:

BBB now definitely all closed and in near state of being dismantled Also at least 1 of the 2 hoStels that were around there.

Both Pavillion and the one on the corner at Tawan were previously only short time rooms. From many moons ago I remember Pav as hospital -sterile all white.

The former OmYim, praised here many moons ago, is still operating as cheapo placeo under other name.

Red Planet used to be AirAsia HTL, here is also one near Term21 across near Sukhumvit, just like the EASY HTLs in EUr. In the past you paid-just as with tix-the base price and could add for extra what you wanted: AC, sheets, towels, WiFi, etc. This would not work in Asia.

Re booking things:

as above, in general many Thai HTLs are not that familiair (yet) with all the US technicalities of those sites. Agoda often seems lower, as it omits taxes-in the end you pay samesame as bkg, bkg has bought agoda a few yrs ago. In the EU this is not allowed at all, but here anything goes. same applies to airlines.

This is a warning from inside: IF a HTL offers (some) notorious cheaper rooms this may mean they dump off their bad rooms for that that noone in the know wants. Its generally not possible to ask to see rooms etc on such an advance bkg. Once a HTL knows you, just mail them, ask for your favorite rm and propose/ask a price. May not work in really big chain HTls though.

Key deposit is not just for a new key, but for exchange of wholelock etc. For keycards for the readers etc. Or-at least-that is the explanation. You may not really have lost it and come back later to steal from the next guest if just key replaced by locksmith.

And yes-experience- the cheaper Thai style HTLs do not maintenance, some do not even know how to. It just fades and gets broken here and there etc. Staff is or maybe brilliant nice or wont give a hink or even know what to do. ANY cheaper HTL (say under 600-local rate) will have some hidden notsonice things. Complaining wont help a penny. In the 600-1200 band it maybe or may not. Above 1500 you can expect normal service and that things work etc.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, anddy said:

 

Nantra may not be great, but at about 600 Baht it's value for (little) money provided that's for the larger rooms (which may not be the case). I have seen one of the large rooms there (when @vinapu stayed there and I could have a look at his room) and it seemed perfectly fine to me. The very small single rooms though (have seen one too) do seem inadequate though.

last time I stay in Nantra was in 2018  and while far from excellency I liked there and likely will stay again. Price is cheap and even included basic breakfast (toast with jam, cereals , fruit , tea and coffee ). Bathroom can use better maintenance, nothing wrong with cleanliness but problems with flushing toilets and leaks from the shower, poodle of water on floor. Few years ago I booked just one night and had an impression that bed linens  were't changed after previous occupant. Still I consider that hotel good value for money. Like Baan Silom in soi 3 much more though.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, z909 said:

 

Agoda ..... have this criminal behaviour of making the prices look lower on google searches by excluding taxes.      

 

 

while I agree with your sentiment , that is not  nuisance for Americans and Canadians as retail practice in both is exactly the same like Agoda's. Capitalistic propaganda explanations for that is that by adding taxes only at check out customers know how much taxes they really pay.

Thank God for internet which makes comparison easy , specially when one uses www.hotelscombined.com

Not only prices can be compared but also availability and on more than one occasion while one site did not have desired rooms available , other had 

[jason1975]

My favourite is still Raya. But it gets sold out quite often. I simply love the Grand Deluxe room with its living room space apart from the bed. I had 4 guys over in December for a drinking session.

[abidismaili]

2 hours ago, jason1975 said:

My favourite is still Raya. But it gets sold out quite often. I simply love the Grand Deluxe room with its living room space apart from the bed. I had 4 guys over in December for a drinking session.

It’s my favorite also. Medium priced and the rooms are excellent and modern. 

[colmx]

A word of praise for hotels.com
The Raya was booked out on my last 3 nights in Mid Jan, so we moved down the road to the Glitz hotel.
We dropped off our bags and headed to Paragon for a few hours. When we got back to the room our bed was swarming with ants, as was the bathroom (note we had no food with us, so it wasn't due to that)

BF went to reception and asked to change rooms, they moved us to a (smaller) room 2 flights up. As soon as we entered that room i picked up a pillow from the bed and there were 3 ants under it. The girl saw them and simply shrugged, we were told there were no more rooms and that they would not cancel our reservation as it was non refundable.

I booked us into the Red planet and we checked our of Glitz and made our way down the road

Later that night i went on an online chat with a hotels.com representative. They rang the hotel and asked to speak to the manager. The manager had gone home so they told me that they would call the manager on my behalf the next day.

Next morning when i woke up I had an e-mail from Hotels.com to say that they had spoken with the manager of the Glitz and refunded all 3 nights to my CC and also attached a voucher for €39 towards my next stay with them.

I thought that this was excellent service and they definitely have my loyalty now. I guess the fact that I booked a parallel booking in Red Planet on the same dates helped my refund case. One thing for sure is that I will never ever go back to the Glitz

[colmx]

Oh and a few words on the Red Planet Surawong

As others have written the rooms are very small.

They may be ok for to sleep in with an occasional overnight guest or ST visitor, but as someone that was travelling with my BF, the room was totally unsuitable for 3 nights. We were at the end of a 3 week trip and there was no room for 2 suitcases etc

On the plus side: Clean and bright rooms, excellent AC, absolute dark blackout blinds, Fast lifts, Friendly staff, 7-11 onsite, 6-7 min walk from Wat Hualumpong and the new Mall at Samyan Mitrtown

I even managed to get my BF to walk from there to Patpong (a miracle!)

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, colmx said:

 We were at the end of a 3 week trip and there was no room for 2 suitcases etc

 

have you ever heard about an idea of travelling light ?

[colmx]

4 minutes ago, vinapu said:

have you ever heard about an idea of travelling light ?

Of course, my BF shows up in Suvarnabhumi with only the clothes on his back, his phone and his tablet. 3 weeks later he is hauling 30kgs of new stuff with him and blaming me for making him walk from The Raya to The Glitz!

[Guest]

13 hours ago, pong said:

ANY cheaper HTL (say under 600-local rate) will have some hidden notsonice things. Complaining wont help a penny. In the 600-1200 band it maybe or may not. Above 1500 you can expect normal service and that things work etc.

In Bangkok, which is of course the subject of the thread, I suspect your price guide is about right.

Out in the smaller towns and cities, there are numerous good value hotels for around 600 baht, which are often new and clean.  The Hop Inn chain is one example.  They have just one cleaner per floor and they actually clean the rooms properly, rather than talking amongst themselves.   The beds are the most comfortable that I have sampled in Thailand. 

Places like Nantra and The Glitz must just have poor management, as the difference in cost to provide a clean pest free hotel where things work cannot be more than 100 baht per night.  Probably less.  They would make that back on the room rate.