Bangkok Hotels

GM charge for the internet per day is steep, e. g. 500 Baht. Admiral Premier has free internet but ISG and some other sites disabled. Can use free wifi in a few pubs and cafes, but its slow in some, and inconvenient.

I bought an Aircard (USB plug in) that in capable of 3G (or Edge). True has 3G SIMs but only if you have an ongoing monthly account. Others with top-up SIMs you have to use the slower Edge service, but I found was good enough for my work VPN connection and also for ISG use, etc.

Their are various use packages available like several hours (non-continuous) , or 1 day unlimited, or one month unlimited, etc.

If you are a frequent visitor to Thailand, or spend a lot of time, but don't have a really reliable internet connection that is cheap, then getting one of these cards is a good option in the long run. I'm using it right now.

Or if you stay in a hotel where ISG is blocked, you could buy a VPN. I recommend strongvpn.com for about 60 or 80 bucks a year, depending on the plan. You can then use your fast internet hotel connection (instead of slower 3G) to access whatever you want.

VPNs are also useful (some would say, required) to protect your data confidentiality whenever you are surfing on wifi networks in public places (cafés etc). It's very easy for someone to intercept your passwords and access your gmail, facebook etc if you don't have one. Very easy. So everyone should have a VPN anyway.

Re:Soi23, yes it's not always easy to walk in high heels, but not that hard either. I'm just back from the 7/11 with a high-heeled cutie, she did ok. She is showering now...

The bathtub at GM is also pretty nice.

[QUOTE=Chill Out;1142420]Yes, The Landmark is 5 stars.[/QUOTE]They may claim to be but I seriously doubt it!

[QUOTE=Rjsss212;1142646]They may claim to be but I seriously doubt it![/QUOTE]Agree, the Landmark is NOT a 5 star. Try 4 star (so are SGS, WGS and JW)

If you want a real 5 star in BKK, then there isn't one on Sukhumvit.

For me, the real 5 Star Hotels are 4seasons, Sukhothai, Lebua (Tower Club).

The rest are 4star+ but not really 5star.

Fair enough. I haven't stayed at Landmark so I should have kept my mouth shut ;) I researched it though and considered staying there, and the website had me convinced of the quality of the place. They sure are charging high prices anyway.

It also depends what you consider 5 stars. Even the GM is described as 5 stars on wotif. And it ain't, really. The JW though, I would think is 5 stars.

It's a good idea to scroll down and look at many different deals on wotif, not just the secret deals.

The only problem is:

-Is the hotel Girl friendly? Search this thread, or if there is a sentence in the description such as "a 3 mins walk from Soi Cowboy", I'm pretty confident it means yes.

-Some hotels pad up their base prices. Hotel Solo for example is selling their basic room at 2167 baths, with the normal rate quoted at 4000, when in fact I've booked that room for 2200 on their site.

At least with normal listings you can check the veracity of the discount (if you want to spend the time) ; you can't do that on secret deals. And normal listings are sometimes more interesting.

[QUOTE=Chill Out;1142786]It also depends what you consider 5 stars. Even the GM is described as 5 stars on wotif. And it ain't, really. The JW though, I would think is 5 stars.[/QUOTE]On most of these websites, the hotel's stars are Self rates. So a guesthouse could be seen as a 4 star in Wotif because they decide themselves.

The JW is a great 4 star but for Asia, it's not a 5 star. They might rate themselves as 5 star but they aren't.

I have a question for those who have stayed at the Dynasty Grande. How well equiped is their fitness center? Thanks

[QUOTE=Wmb774;1142806]I have a question for those who have stayed at the Dynasty Grande. How well equiped is their fitness center? Thanks[/QUOTE]It's equipped and better than most in the area. I always got a good work out in their gym as I was usually the only one in there.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy; 1142801]On most of these websites, the hotel's stars are Self rates. So a guesthouse could be seen as a 4 star in Wotif because they decide themselves.

The JW is a great 4 star but for Asia, it's not a 5 star. They might rate themselves as 5 star but they aren't. [/QUOTE]

There really are 2 distinct tiers of 5-stars in Asia. In my opinion, the JW is of the same class as the Sheraton Grande, Conrad, and the Plaza Athenee. That makes it a 5* to me. Now it's not in the class of the Peninsula, Shangri-La, Sukhothai or the Four Seasons, which are the upper tier of 5* places, but it's right there with anything else.

Excluding the Mandarin Oriental. A place that I personally rank as a 1-star based upon their obnoxious attitude. And I wouldn't stay there if it were the last hotel in Bangkok with rooms, and they offered me a half-price rate.

[QUOTE=Member #2041; 1142895]There really are 2 distinct tiers of 5-stars in Asia. In my opinion, the JW is of the same class as the Sheraton Grande, Conrad, and the Plaza Athenee. That makes it a 5* to me. Now it's not in the class of the Peninsula, Shangri-La, Sukhothai or the Four Seasons, which are the upper tier of 5* places, but it's right there with anything else.

Excluding the Mandarin Oriental. A place that I personally rank as a 1-star based upon their obnoxious attitude. And I wouldn't stay there if it were the last hotel in Bangkok with rooms, and they offered me a half-price rate. [/QUOTE]Well, I certainly see your point and I think it is quite valid. I've stayed in a few JW's though not in BKK and your right, they are quite good, well appointed and certainly high end. BUT, since the rating / star system tops out at 5 then I would have to degrade the JW to a 4 bearing in mind that a 5 star property is the ABSOULTE FINEST lodging experience on earth. By way of example, the suite I rent at the Peninsula comes with a 24 hour butler (whose language skills, soothing Thai manner and discretion I have on more that one occasion made use of). I don't believe the JW's offer that level of service.

Interesting observation concerning the Mandarin Orintal! I've Never stayed in one but I am often in or passing through the one across the river from the Peninsula in BKK. Excellent smoke shop with the best selection of Cubans I've seen anywhere in BKK (though definitely not reasonably priced) and there is a little bank branch off the side soi (Ayuda, I think) that has excellent x-change rates. But the place is like one large movie set with a 50's theme. The pool is an eyedropper of water on a postage stamp and the staff often appears preoccupied. I don't personally see the attraction. In addition, and the thing that I find most bizarre, is that the drivers at the Peninsula tell me that the Oriental is not chica friendly and that they are somewhat proud of it. The only other hotel in BKK that I know of that is actually anti-chica is the Atlanta on Suk. Soi 2.

Here is the Atlanta's web site warning:


Bangkok's bastion of wholesome and culturally sensitive tourism.

The oldest unaltered foyer in Thailand is at The Atlanta Hotel. It is frequently used as a filmset.

The Atlanta Hotel.

Bangkok's bastion of wholesome and culturally sensitive tourism.

Le patron mange ici.

The Atlanta is run on conservative principles and fosters traditional values. The Atlanta caters to respectable families and couples for whom there are attractive small (one bedroom) and large (two bedroom) suites.

78 Soi 2 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel: (+ 66-2) 252 6069 or 252 1650 Fax: (+ 66-2) 656 8123 or 656 8124

No e-mail.

Ethos.

Run on conservative principles and imperiously heedless of fashions and trends, The Atlanta is untouched by pop culture and post-modern primitivism. Its style and atmosphere hark back to gentler and more cultivated times.

The Atlanta is popular with cultured occidentals, with writers, academics, artists, cinema & theatre and other professional people, with dreamers and innocuous eccentrics, and their families, who can afford to stay at more expensive places but choose to stay at The Atlanta.

The Atlanta has a 'zero tolerance' policy with regard to trouble-makers and all illegal activities, including the use or possession of illicit drugs. Such miscreants are reported to the police without advance warning, without hesitation and without apology.

Those who object to this policy, and those who wish to spend their time in Thailand whoring, indulging in alcohol abuse, drugs or other illegal activities should stay elsewhere.

The Atlanta is against sex tourism.

Sex tourism is exploitative, socially damaging and culturally demeaning:

Those who want to buy sex should do so in their own country.

Tourism is not about going on a rampage through other people's country: those who cannot go abroad without behaving badly should stay home.

SEX TOURISTS ARE NOT WELCOME


I've never stayed there either as, despite my best efforts, I often catch myself engaging in long bouts of whoring and abject primitivism...
RJSSS212

Anyone know how GF the new St. Regis is?

[QUOTE=Rjsss212;1142908]Well, I certainly see your point and I think it is quite valid. I've stayed in a few JW's though not in BKK and your right, they are quite good, well appointed and certainly high end. BUT, since the rating / star system tops out at 5 then I would have to degrade the JW to a 4 bearing in mind that a 5 star property is the ABSOULTE FINEST lodging experience on earth. By way of example, the suite I rent at the Peninsula comes with a 24 hour butler (whose language skills, soothing Thai manner and discretion I have on more that one occasion made use of). I don't believe the JW's offer that level of service.[/QUOTE]I certainly agree that places like the Peninsula are at an even higher tier, but the fact is, places like the Sheraton Grande, Plaza Athenee and JW Marriott are distinctly more upscale than the typical nice Marriott or Sheraton or Westin in the USA or Europe, which would be considered as 4* establishments. I think that we can simply agree that the overall caliber of high-end chain hotels in such Asian cities as Bangkok or Hong Kong is a class above what one sees elsewhere, and that places like the JW and the SG are the equal of 5 stars elsewhere, while the MOST deluxe places in BKK or HKG such as the Peninsula in either place warrant elevation to an even more elite level. Effectively a sixth star, if you will.

Places like the Landmark and the Majestic Grande and Millenium Grande are 4*s. And they are nowhere near as nice as the JW. Although there's nothing notably wrong with them, they are comparable to your average U.S. urban Marriott.

[QUOTE=Member #2041;1143023]I certainly agree that places like the Peninsula are at an even higher tier, but the fact is, places like the Sheraton Grande, Plaza Athenee and JW Marriott are distinctly more upscale than the typical nice Marriott or Sheraton or Westin in the USA or Europe, which would be considered as 4* establishments.[/QUOTE]You can't Compare Asian Standards and Others. A 5 star in the USA would not even cut it as a 5 star here (well, seeing as you put the JW as a 5 star, maybe it could).

Most these hotels are self rated and make you believe they are 5 star. While they are of High standard, I would and this is my professional opinion, classify the JW, Sheraton Grande, Westin and the likes a 4star+

If you want to see what a 5 star is, then visit the EUGENIA on soi 31. Ok, it's very small, but when you stay there, they know who you are and what you like, they know how you like your coffee, how you like your bed made and which brand of chocolates you want at turndown or what you need in your fruit basket in your room when you arrive.

Can JW or one of the other factories do that? Don't think so.

5 star isn't just about the Room and hotel product, it is also about service.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;1143050]You can't Compare Asian Standards and Others. A 5 star in the USA would not even cut it as a 5 star here (well, seeing as you put the JW as a 5 star, maybe it could).[/QUOTE]Nic,

It seems likely that JW here is similar to JW in the USA as far as standard goes, maybe smaller.

You can't go having 5 star being completely different standards in different countries. It has lost enough meaning already. I think you are needing a higher category for Hotels here that exceed the typical world wide 5 star standard.

Maybe there should be 6 star (or 5 star plus) Hotel categories for those that far surpass the normal 5 star standard. I presume places like Shangri La and Oriental are in special categories for service and price.

I have no idea exactly what is considered to make the typical 5 star standard since obviously some things important to yourself and others are not important to me. If you claim a 5 star rated Hotel is not really 5 star, you should indicate on what criteria they are failing to make the grade. Some objectivity is needed. I am not disagreeing but merely curious to know why they fail to be 5 star, and therefore presumably a waste of money if also expensive.

I am staying in a small Hotel, the Admiral Premier which is very good for the price (way below your 4K) and very modern with well equiped comfotable rooms, but it obviously cannot be compared to top Hotels as doesn't even have a business centre and I guess no conferencing facilities, ballroom etc. and only 1 Cafe. They did print some documents for me, however. Its probably 3 and half stars at best, but I like special things like the large Samsung refridgerator with super cold freezer in the kitchenette where I can keep a tub of ice-cream in perfect condition. Breakfast and Internet free (of course). This place is convenient in may ways. I wonder if a 5 star hotel would give a large refridgerator with freezer. Perhaps this place is more like small serviced apartment accomodation rather than normal Hotel style.