bangkok hotels

[Guest aot87]

IF you wanted to stay at a upper range hotel in bkk which one would u choose and why .On my next trip i want to visit for a long weekend with a thai friend , age mid 20s, so we will book in together, but dont want to stay at the old stand by , (tantawan)but looking to stay near silom /river side, I was thinking of the holiday inn , ex crowne plaza,.but would love to stay at the hilton just the other side of the river, but not sure how it would go down with the managment

[Guest]

You would have NO problem with the Hilton. I have never had any problem with any nice hotel in Bangkok. Not one time!

 

I like the Marriott Executive Suites near Silom. They are large, comfortable and very gay friendly staff.

 

I also like the Holiday Inn next to the Intercontinental Hotel near Siam Paragon. It is in walking distance of the mall and very easy to get a train.

[Guest beachlover]

For reasonably-priced 5-star hotels in the Silom area, start with the Dusit Thani, Sofitel and Le Meridien. You can usually get rooms starting between 3,000-4,000 baht/night at these three places.

 

DT and LM are within 5 mins' walk of Silom Soi 2 and Sala Daeng Skytrain Station. Sofitel is slightly further way, 2-min cab ride, but very very nice rooms, high-rise view and great executive lounge.

 

If you want to goa little more high end, Lebua State Tower Hotel is in the Silom area and quite spectacular, but it is further towards the river. It's within 5 mins' walk of a Skytrain Station and only 5-10 mins by cab to the main Silom gay venues. Minimum 4,000-5,000 baht/night the last time I checked.

 

If you want to be on the riverfront near Silom, Shangri La and Mandarin Oriental are two higher-end hotels, which overlook the river. Probably looking at 5,000-6,000 baht/night minimum at these places. 10-min cab ride to main Silom venues.

 

Pan Pacific is another option but I don't think it offers as good a value as the others mentioned above. I've never stayed there but the rooms look about on par with the Dusit and location is similar (it's about 100 metres from the Dusit Thani) but yet they seem to keep their rates much higher than the Dusit, 4,000 to 5,000 baht minimum and if you want one of the better rooms or lounge access you pay a lot more. Dusit actually looks like it's slightly better located as it actually overlooks Lumpini Park.

[PeterRS]

There is a lot of choice, it depends on when you will be in Bangkok and your definition of "upper class". The Hilton is offering great rates for weekends next month. I agree you'll have no problem with a younger friend. agoda has rates there around US$120 for weekend nights next month. Lebua State Tower has rates $150 - 170. The Mandarin Oriental is over double that.

[Guest beachlover]

Hilton does look spectacular being on the river and looks like good value, but its location seems a bit isolated. What's it like being on the other side of the river? Inconvenient?

[PeterRS]

Not inconvenient. The hotel has a shuttle boat that links it with River City and the Skytrain at Saphan Thaksin. When it stops around midnight, you can always get a taxi back as the traffic is very light.

[Guest beachlover]

Found what might be a better option than the Hilton for staying on the riverfront near Silom: http://www.royalorchidsheraton.com/

 

Anyone stayed there? Looks nice.

 

- It's not on the other side of the river, so it's a more convenient location.

 

- Normal room rates seem to be 3,000-4,500 baht/night, which is more affordable than the Shangri La or Mandarin Oriental.

 

- Seems to be close enough (short drive/taxi) from Silom. But there's no sky train station nearby.

 

So many places to check out in Bangkok. Wish I was dropping in every second month...

[PeterRS]

http://www.royalorchidsheraton.com/

Anyone stayed there? Looks nice.

Not recently, but did stay there quite soon after it opened. The problem I found was the noise from the river. The rooms were not double glazed, and so the noise started soon after 6.00 am. I'm told it's a favourite of tour groups now. Plus, as beachlover points out, transport is not so easy, unless you go by river.

 

Big rooms, but it's nowhere near the standard of the Mandarin Oriental.

[pong]

1. for general reviews look at sites like tripadvisor for these upmarket HTls. I never stay there. (note that some of them may have strict guest policies_read between lines on tripadv and this will be noted.

2. As (due to job) have to peruse those sites what they write about Thaild from time to time, I remember a very recent item for HTls you book via a broker without knowing the name. Very good 5** HTLS around Silom, like Lebua and Dusit Thani could be had for 3000 THB or around. Again; DT is often cited due to its strict guest rules.

[Guest beachlover]

Damn... looking at Tripadvisor, the key complaint about the Royal Orchid Sheraton BKK is it's in the middle of no where and looks "barren" once you step out of the hotel with few eateries and amenities within a short stroll, which is something I don't like.

 

From Tripadvisor: "Aside from the very expensive and barren River City there is nothing around here and you either have to take a taxi or else catch the hotel boat down to the train followed by a 10-15 min ride to get to any decent shops or eating areas."... "Location whilst nicely on a river aspect had little to no surrounding shops / resturants without a taxi ride."...

Not recently, but did stay there quite soon after it opened. The problem I found was the noise from the river. The rooms were not double glazed, and so the noise started soon after 6.00 am. I'm told it's a favourite of tour groups now.

That would've been like, 25 years ago! Apparently they did just re-do all the rooms. Hopefully with double glazing.

 

DT is often cited due to its strict guest rules.

I've stayed in the Dusit Thani BKK a few times now, brought back plenty of impromptu guests and never had a problem. Never stopped. Never asked for joiners fee. Staff always smile and wai at us when we walk in back late at night. Also, if your guest drives, there seems to be free parking, at least for a few hours (don't know about overnight).

 

The worst I've HEARD is a guest being asked to pay a joiners fee. But judging by the characters who say this, I'd say there's a chance they were bringing back dodgy guests or looked dodgy themselves and the hotel thought they were bad for the place's image.

 

The Dusit bakery downstairs has a good reputation and does nice cakes, chocolates and pastries. I got them to put box of goodies together to give to a boy I had a casual affair with for his family.

[firecat69]

Consider Chatrium Suites on the River. All suites and better prices then other Hotel on River mentioned. #1 on Trip Advisor.

 

3 restaurants on sight and boat to Skytrain every 15 minutes. On the good side of the River

[Guest luvthai]

I would book into the Landmark Hotel. We always go there for the Christmas eve buffet and it is always good. The streets below are all lighted and is a delight .