Pathumwan Princess Hotel
November 12, 2008
As mentioned in the post Choosing Thailand Hotels for Songkran I had 6 different hotels in Bangkok that I short listed, 3 in the Siam area and 3 in the Sukhumvit area. Today’s post will take a closer look at the second hotel on my short list from the Pratunam/Siam area – the Pathumwan Princess Hotel.
The thing I really liked about this hotel is that it is literally attached to MBK. Now that might not mean much to you, but I can assure you that if you have a shopper with you this location will be awesome for them. I know Golf could spend all week shopping between MBK, Siam and Central so this location is ideal.
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Getting right to the important stuff, the Pathumwan Princess is not a cheap Bangkok hotel, as you might expect given the location. Prices range from $120-154 a night, though I would say that $154 a night isn’t bad for their Executive suite given the location.
As I said, MBK is attached to the hotel and other malls are within walking distance including Siam Square (youthful and great bargains), Siam Discovery (medium price-range clothing), Siam Paragon (top-tier brand-names, aquarium, fine-dining outlets, movie theatre, opera, and bowling), and Central World Plaza (Bangkok’s largest mall). And you’re also within walking distance of the Siam BTS station so you’ll have easy access to everything else Bangkok has to offer.
While the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel was ideal for families, the Pathumwan seems ideal for the fitness oriented group boasting both an Olympic sized swimming pool and a huge 9000 square foot fitness center which includes personal trainers on staff, free weights, cardio machines and group classes in step aerobics, yoga, karate, jazz dance and other varied programs. It also has great hours being open weekdays 6am-11pm and weekends/holidays 7am-10pm.
You’ll find a full service bar at the hotel as well as 4 restaurants serving Thai, Korean and Italian menus. While this is convenient, the hotel restaurants tend to be expensive and in most cases the food is not nearly as good as what you’ll find outside the hotel. Honestly there are so many restaurants within the Siam area that you would be hard pressed to hit them all even if you were there for a month.
The hotel is recently non-smoking which could be considered either good or bad news depending on your preference. The only other consistent bad review I found is that the hotel and some of the rooms are a bit old and run down, however that is apparently being fixed as the Pathumwan Princess is currently under renovations.
Overall the Pathumwan Princess seems like a good hotel and I love the idea of the huge pool and fitness facilities. This is something I would use so it’s a definite bonus for me. The location is superb, however on the downside it is a bit pricey. Well, I have 4 more Bangkok hotels to look at still, so no decision yet, but I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts.
Popularity: 20% [?]
Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel
November 11, 2008
Ok, following up on my post Choosing Thailand Hotels for Songkran here’s the first of the hotels that I investigated. I am going to simply go through all the hotels first and let you know what I found and then finally will give you my choices for each location – Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. I want to thank those of you that have already emailed me with your own suggestions for hotels in Thailand as well.
So, as I said previously I am considering 6 different hotels in Bangkok, 3 in the Pratunam/Siam area and 3 in the Sukhumvit area. I’ll be looking at the Siam area hotels first and today I am going to talk about the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel which is located just off Rama I near the Chit Lom BTS station. This puts you within walking distance of the BTS and also within walking distance of Central World, Siam and MBK which is very nice, especially for you shoppers. It also puts you close to Central Chit Lom and Lumpini Park if you need a bit of greenery in Bangkok.
First off let’s get the issue of price out of the way. The Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel will set you back anywhere from $117-188 per night (based on prices from http://www.agoda.com for April 2009). Yes, I know that this isn’t cheap for Bangkok, but this is a 5 star hotel located just minutes from Siam Square including all of the facilities and amenities you would expect from such. Honestly I’d expect to pay triple this price in New York, Tokyo or London.
All the reviews I read about the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel were good and many of them pointed to the excellent service as well as the “kid friendliness” of the hotel. Of course if you don’t have kids with you this won’t mean much, but if you do it’s a big selling point as hotels that are good with children can be difficult to find. Cleanliness and size of the rooms was also pointed to as a big positive of the hotel.
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You’ll also find both a huge swimming pool on site as well as a gym and Jacuzzi, but be forewarned that apparently the Jacuzzi is separated by gender so you won’t be able to enjoy it with your significant other. Surprisingly there is only one small restaurant onsite, but I really don’t think that finding food will be an issue in the Siam Square area considering all of the restaurants and food courts available in the nearby shopping malls.
All things considered the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel could be a great place for you to stay if price isn’t a huge consideration and you want a great location. Additionally, if you’re traveling with children this looks to be a great hotel. Ultimately the decision is yours, but I would (and am) seriously consider trying the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel.
Popularity: 20% [?]
Mikes Place Patpong 2 in Bangkok
October 2, 2008
Any of you planning on visiting Bangkok in the future will be very interested in the comment left on the post Patpong Road and Patpong Bars today. Seems that Mike Jenkins from Mikes Place Patpong 2 is offering a 50% discount on drinks if you mention reading the post when you’re there. Here’s the exact quote: Read more
Popularity: 24% [?]
Retiring to Bangkok Thailand
July 14, 2008
Recently I was asked to discuss retiring in Thailand and this is the first in a series of posts answering the first question I identified – “Where will you live”. I decided to break the answer up into individual posts for each city I plan on covering rather than overwhelm everyone with a 2500 word post that includes everything. I plan on writing about Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya as possible retirement destinations; I may add more once the series has begun based on reader feedback.
I think the first place that comes to mind when people consider retiring to Thailand is Bangkok. This is a logical thought since Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, the hub of it’s commerce and the largest city in Thailand by far. There are many positives and many negatives when you consider living in Bangkok full time. Ultimately it’s up to you what deciding factors you want to use as some people can overlook certain negatives and a positive for one person isn’t necessarily so for others.
Since Bangkok is such a large city with a huge population (over 10 million last time I checked) it comes with a lot of the same positives and negatives as other large cities. Of course in Bangkok the negatives are a bit amplified I think due to the comparative lack of infrastructure based on Western ideas.
The traffic in Bangkok is legendary and if you think you’ll go crazy after several years of sitting in traffic jams then you may need to seriously consider another destination. While taxi’s are plentiful and still cheap even after the recent hike in prices you will sit in traffic – a lot. Especially during morning and afternoon rush hours you can easily plan on a 1 ½ to 2 hour commute if you’re traveling across the city. Even at 2am you could experience gridlock in the popular nightlife areas and be stuck.
Along with the traffic you’ll experience a much higher degree of pollution than you’re used to. If you have any type of breathing ailment like asthma or bronchitis then you may want to reconsider Bangkok as a home or at least see how you react after an extended period of time there. On a good note however, air pollution in Bangkok has actually declined by 47% in the past decade thanks to more stringent emissions laws, the MRT and BTS rail systems and the use of natural gas to fuel cars.
Yes, there are more negatives, but I don’t believe they are restricted to Bangkok. There are just some negatives you’ll find in many Thailand locations so I won’t stress them specifically for Bangkok. With the top two negatives out of the way I’ll focus now on the positives.
The biggest positive for many Westerners is the availability of western products in Bangkok. No they won’t always be easy to find, but if you’re looking for specific foods or larger sized shoes and clothing you’ll have a much easier time getting them in Bangkok than you would in Phitsaulok for example. There is a large number of expats based in Bangkok and there are places that cater to their needs.
The fact the there are a large number of Western expats in Bangkok is another positive for many potential retirees. Finding friends and acquaintances in Bangkok isn’t all that difficult even for the least social people. In addition, there are many expat clubs and programs (art, cooking and language type) geared towards the Western expat.
If you still love going out then the nightlife in Bangkok is legendary and unrivaled and you won’t have any problems there. Even if it’s just for a nice dinner with your family and friends you’ll be able to find a host of upscale restaurants and clubs in Bangkok to ‘discover’ for the first time.
You may or may not be interested in learning the local language (I would definitely recommend it), but I can assure you it won’t be quick or easy. In Bangkok you’ll have less trouble with the language barrier as there are many more Thai’s speaking English in Bangkok than in other areas of the country. No, it’s still not even close to perfect, but it sure beats what you’ll find in more remote areas and even at some of the tourist beach areas.
One big plus for retirees are the top notch international hospitals to be found in Bangkok. Naturally as we get older healthcare becomes more important. Bangkok has some really good hospitals catering to international patients. The doctors and staff are all highly trained and the costs are inexpensive (compared to the west). You’ll be hard pressed to find comparable healthcare outside of Bangkok.
Overall, Bangkok is a great place to retire if you like the hustle of a big city. As you might expect it has the greatest amount of convenience and infrastructure combined with the normal big city frustrations. Personally I think that a few years there would be great, but I don’t know if I could stay longer than that as I’m not really a big city guy. Nice to visit in my opinion, but not to live. Really, if you need Western conveniences and healthcare occasionally it might be better to live outside Bangkok and visit from time to time.
You can find all of the articles in the Retirement in Thailand series here
Popularity: 11% [?]
Bangkok This Weekend
March 26, 2008
If you love a party then take a look at what’s on tap at some of the hottest nightspots in
Thursday March 27th, 2008
Also, if you would like to get wet for us, feel free to use the new swimming pool! If you would like to come early, from 8pm we will be showing the new Joy Division movie on the roof. Food is available from the restaurant, with cheap drinks all night. Entrance 150 Baht with one free beer. 20 + I.D. Required.
Friday March 28th, 2008
Soul Central at Club Culture – Soul Central began their production career in 2000, putting out a number of releases on labels such as Soundmen On Wax, Henry Street Records and Kenlou as well and their own Clean Cut imprint. In addition to their world-beating production, Soul Central is continuing to travel the world as one of the world’s most dynamic DJ teams. Never afraid to drop peak-time anthems or soulful vocals, Soul Central are unique in their understanding of how to combine a true, underground house sound with a big room party vibe. With an adventurous sound that can be both tough and dynamic and smooth and soulful, they purvey a diversity that puts them in a league of their own. 20 + I.D. Required. Club Culture – Sri Ayudthaya Rd. (Phaya Thai BTS)
Friday March 28th, 2008
Olmeca Gold Tequila Party – GLOW AND OLMECA GOLD TEQUILA PRESENT Olmeca Gold Tequila Party “Tequila Gals are Back!!!” with DJ Gaz Mel, Sexy Drinks! Sexy Girls! Sexy Music! Come prepared for a night of great music and good times and a whole lotta TEQUILA!! Come and join OLMECA GOLD and GLOW NIGHTCLUB along side Canadian DJ GazMel presents as they present to you “Tequila Girls are Back!!”. What to expect aside from a club full of sexy people: Music: Minimal, Electro and Tech House courtesy of DJ GazMel. Live Performances: Professional Dancers for your viewing pleasure. SPECIAL GAME: A CHANCE TO WIN A BOTTLE OF OLMECA.
SPECIAL PROMOTIONS:
Tequila Promotion : Olmeca Gold only 1,800 baht/ a bottle (normally 2,300 baht)
Tequila shot : 160 baht / a shot (normally 200 baht)
Tequila cocktails : 180/ a drink (normally 220 baht)
Magarita, Tequila sunrise, Tequila sunset, Maxican surfer, Tequila slammer girl (Glow’s special cocktail)
Entrance 200 baht and 1 drink (Tequila shot or Tequila cocktails only). Start 9pm till late. 20 + I.D. Required. Glow – Sukhumvit Soi 23
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Magic of Minimal at Glow – “MAGIC OF MINIMAL” with DJ E.K., DJ MAGIC MUFFIN AND DJ PLAN B. Music is minimal elecro and more electronic beats. Dancers on stage. Entrance: 200 baht + 1 drink. Start 9pm-late. 20 + I.D. Required. Glow – Sukhumvit Soi 23
Saturday, 29th March 2008
Deeper, Speed and
Popularity: 12% [?]
