Grand Milennium Sukhumvit
Any intel on this hotel? It is supposed to be a brand new 5 star and I am deciding between it and the JW. They are offering great intro rates. Thanks
Newbie Nitpickers Review of Livingstone's Lodge
Hello everyone! I am in the midst of my first (long) visit to Bangkok and have chosen to stay at Livingstone's Lodge while here. I am about to upgrade my room here but I wish to review my stay over my first week here. Reviews of the girls that I have had along Soi 33 will be in a report shortly forthcoming.
I chose a Superior room at Livingstone's to save a little money over the first week. Overall, Livingstone's is a good place to stay at and I would recommend it to (as others have said) for mongers - especially first time mongers. The all-day breakfast and free internet access are especially welcome amenities here at the Lodge, especially considering what internet access might cost elsewhere in this area (I looked into it at the Novotel Lotus one time when the computer here was busy and I needed something quick and it was expensive there). As has been mentioned before the beds are surprisingly comfortable for a hotel and housekeeping, management, restaurant staff and the Lounge staff have been great over the first week for me. I love the tropical look of the place and love that I have a whole city to monger in and yet come back to what sort of looks like an island paradise - from the inside (pool area, showers, lounge).
I do have a couple of general caveats which I wish to share with you - separated by room versus staff. Please note the following that you should be aware of:
1) Not the hotel's fault, per se, but as I am not a seasoned international traveller, I did not pick up on several quirks in the room when I first arrived and needed help understanding nuances to the following things: sink drain bottom needs a push down each time to to open and close, air conditioning controls were confusing to get consistently cool air (as opposed to freezing air after a couple hours - keep control at "cool and dry-automatic"), air conditioning and light switches are interconnected and so air conditioning shuts off automatically when not in room. Hope this is helpful to newbie North American travellers who may also find themselves in a similar predicament.
2) The one interpersonal thing that has been a letdown is front-desk staff. There has rarely been a late night when I have walked past them when they weren't virtually sleeping at the front desk...a potential troublespot for emergencies and picking up the telephone (daytime calls from North America perhaps???). They are quick to wake up as if they know they might be watched but still... Also had two bad situations when I asked for afternoon wake-up calls and both times, front desk girl set wakeup for wrong time - not 1 PM and 3 PM but 1 AM and 3 AM respectively. Finally, front desk girls seem more than a bit inconsistent with attitude. One seems reasonably nice but another one is notable for her lack of grace and even to the point of talking on (personal phone call???) when I had a request and I had to remind her that I was waiting for a response from her.
Again, overall am happy and hotel is contributing to a good long vacation while in Bangkok. However, caveats should be noted so that surprises are minimized.
Happy mongering!
Michael