Pathumwan Princess Hotel

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.

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

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.

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% [?]

Swiss Lodge Bangkok Boutique Hotel

With hundreds of hotels in Bangkok choosing the right one can be a daunting task. If you are planning on staying in the Silom Road area I can personally recommend at least one – Swiss Lodge on Convent Road.

Silom Road is one of the tourist and business centers of Bangkok so it is a great place to base yourself while in Bangkok. And the Swiss Lodge is a wonderful hotel. It is a small boutique hotel located on Convent Road so you get very personalized service and you avoid the noise and crowds of Silom Road. I have stayed there numerous times when visiting the Big Mango and I have never been disappointed.

In addition to putting yourself right in the heart of Bangkok’s business district you are also just a short 5 minute walk from the Sala Daeng BTS station, Central Silom shopping mall and the famous Patpong night market. Add to that the close proximity to several very good restaurants and street vendors and a short walk to BNH Hospital and there isn’t much you’ll be missing with this location.

Speaking of BNH hospital, if you are in Bangkok for medical treatment BNH can get you a discounted rate for the Swiss Lodge. Golf worked there as a nurse and she was able to get me rates that were about 40% off the standard rack rate. Even without the discount though, the Swiss Lodge is a great value for your money with rooms starting at just 3800 baht. You’re not likely to find a better deal around Silom when you consider the personal touch you get from a boutique hotel.

I’ve found when staying at the Swiss Lodge that the staff is very polite and helpful, the rooms are clean and neat and the buffet breakfast (included) in their dining room has always been wonderful. I also like the pool on the fourth floor of the Swiss Lodge which is smallish, but very private and inviting. Actually everything about the Swiss Lodge strikes me that way, private and inviting.

If you are planning on bringing guests back to the room I don’t think that is a problem either. I was never questioned about Golf sharing a room with me and there was no extra surcharge added like some other Bangkok hotels. Please keep in mind however that this is a quiet hotel and many of the guests are business people and families so please act accordingly. Like everything else Swiss they seem to be neutral, but using some discretion is likely the best course.

Also like everything Swiss you’ll find and attention to detail, personalized service and efficiency are the norm at the Swiss Lodge. It is truly one of the best experiences I have had at a hotel in this price range anywhere in the world.

If you’re planning on coming to Bangkok and looking for a hotel in the Silom area then check out the Swiss Lodge. I’d also love to hear you comments once you’ve stayed there or if you’ve been fortunate enough to have already found this gem of a boutique hotel in Bangkok.

Popularity: 5% [?]

SD Avenue Hotel Review

Now that it’s just 61 days until the next vacation in Thailand it’s time to start thinking about hotels. Really not much of a problem for us though. We are looking to keep a fairly tight budget this trip so we know we want to stay at a reasonable hotel, yet we still want some level of amenities and cleanliness. Luckily we found a place that satisfies on both levels last time we were in Bangkok.

SD Avenue is a bit out of the way, so if you want to be in the center of the business/tourist areas around Silom/Sukhumvit then keep looking. SD Avenue Hotel is in the Pinklao area of Bangkok which is across the Chao Phraya river from Khao San Road. This is actually kind of nice, because the hotel is not as expensive as comparable hotels from Khao San area and yet we are just 15-20 minutes from Khao San by taxi. And for those times we want to hit Silom or Sukhumvit we are 45-60 minutes away using the ferries and Skytrain.

The SD Avenue Hotel is not one of the more well known places to stay, but in a city with hundreds of hotels that’s no surprise. What SD Avenue is though is a really good place to stay for the money. Just 1800 baht a night and you get a fairly big room, it’s clean and the water pressure is good. There’s also a nice big pool on-site and they have a dining room although I wouldn’t really recommend it, you can get much better food nearby. Central Pinklao is just a few blocks away if you want a regular restaurant or Western food and there is a good outdoor restaurant 2 blocks away outside the 7-Eleven where I had some really good kao moo dang last time we stayed there.

I’ve stayed at other hotels in Bangkok, and some have better location, many have better food (not really a concern in Bangkok), most were more expensive and none had bigger rooms. If you aren’t too concerned about being a little out of the tourist/business areas then I think you’ll be very pleased with SD Avenue Hotel. Those who like to spend time at Khao San Road, but want to have a more quiet hotel to retreat to will also appreciate the SD Avenue hotel.

If anyone else has stayed here or at similar hotels in Bangkok (in the $50 a night range) let’s hear about it.

Popularity: 45% [?]