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I stayed at this hotel in late March of this year for three nights and went with my 10 year old son plus a friend of mine who was over from the U.S. We got a double suite with two large bedrooms one with a large double bed and the other two large singles. There was a spacious lounge with dining table, kitchen and guest w.c. Both bedrooms had en-suite bathrooms with bath and a shower. There was a balcony overlooking the river although the mosquitos rather put you off spending too much time on the balcony. All 3 rooms had a television plus here was a music system and DVD player in the lounge and free DVD of the week. Access into the town was a walk along the railway track which the hotel has a golf buggy to take you up to if you do not want the 5 minute walk. The open lounge/bar area was comfortable with a goodish wine selection (my mate is something of a wine buff) although the live band were dreadful and forced us to move into the more secluded, albeit empty, hotel bar. there is also a coffee shop and an internet area. The restaurant we only dined in for breakfast - very standard buffet fare which is not my preference but it was OK. We ordered dinner via room service from the restaurant one night and had a variety of Thai and Western food - all very good. We also booked one of the tours - we had a 10 year old to keep occupied remember - through the tour desk at the hotel and I have to say it was the best tour I have ever had. There was just the three of us with guides. We were driven around by jeep and they even changed the schedule when we declined to stand for 1 hour on a non air conditioned train! The hotel also has a couple of pools and a few small shops. The decor is a little dated but they were doing various buildings up when we were there. Overall I enjoyed out time at the resort and in Kanchanaburi - which is now one of my favourite places in Thailand. We took a mini bus from Pattaya which if I recall cost B4000 one way. We returned to bangkok and the price was a little less but not much! We booked directly via the phone number on the hotel web site which is a Bangkok number and all went smoothly. If you fo i am sure you will enjoy the hotel and the area - it is also a wonderful change from Pattaya. One tip though is if you go into town for a meal DO NOT use the restaurants on the river/rivers edge. the service is poor, the food is distictly average, they are very expensive and they are merely tourist traps.

Is there an e-mail address where I can send a thumbnail picture to be used on the Hotel Review section for my hotel - Jasmine Mansion, on Soi Baukaow? thanks, Kevin

Soi Baukaow is changing every day - the cheap charlie places are closing down and this past week has seen Nicon Court (a well known place for long stay residents at around B5000 per month) issue a 'please leave' notice to all of its guests as it is being refurbished and made into a "proper" hotel. Rents are undoubtedly increasing and significantly so - just ask the bar owners and shop-keepers who are at the end of their leases and in discussions with landlords!!

Jsmine Mansion in Soi Baukaow - personal safe in all rooms with rates from around B500 a night at this time of year. Very clean, very friendly, very security conscious. Reviewed on this site.

I have been visiting thailand for 10 years and lived in Pattaya for the past 18 months. The reality is the only trouble you will find is the type you have gone looking for. most farangs killed or hurt out here have put themselves in harms way due to the stupidity of their actions. DO NOT ever get invloved in an argument between a Thai man and his girl. DO NOT make yourself a target by wearing expensive jewellery and splashing cash around like you are the King - remember there are some very very poor people here who may just want to redistribute your wealth. DO NOT get so drunk you do not know where you are if you are on your own DO NOT trust people until you have taken the time to get to know them. DO NOT believe everything you are told - e.g. just because after 2 minutes she says she loves you doesn't mean its true! DO NOT get involved with drugs and dealers Now all of these rules you would apply at home so why on earth would you not follow them here? You will now have a great time in Asias adult playground and go home desparate to book for another visit!

Soi Baukaow in 2003 was nothing, in 2004 it was a building site with the new Leng kee development between Soi Honey and Soi diana, in 2005 it started to come alive, 2006 is now seeing many of the smaller and less palatial places go with new hotels, bars, restaurants opening on a daily basis. As its populairty increases so will the overall quality of the establishments - landlords will want higher rents (doubled in past 2 years) and the cheaper places will not be able to pay them. As the bar and go-go emphasis switches away from Beach Road to more inland Soi Baukoaw is set to be THE main street for Pattaya nightlife. Worth a visit now and then keep comming back to see how it is evolving. You will find some good bars and hotels and there are now two or three go-go's in Soi Leng Kee Metro.

The reason for the relative strength of the Thai baht over the past few months has been the high level of foreign investment into the country. There are many investors from Singapore, China and other asian countries that see Thailand as a good place to invest due to growth potential and a strong stock market. The Baht will always be strong over December and January due to the particularly high levels of toursits at these times - again it is investment into the country. We are now seeing the Baht fall against the GBP, which has become very strong over recent weeks, and now back to B70 to 1GBP. It is likely that continuing oil price rises will take their toll on the Baht over the next few months as Thailand is the largest per capita SE Asian consumer of oil as well as being the least energy effecient. I would expect to see the Baht weaken against all major currencies over the next three months and be at around B74/B75 to the GBP in July. The present political situation appears to be having little or no effect on the currency although that could change very quickly depending on what happens at the "next" election - it does seem like they have one every week!! Advice for anyone holidaying in Thailand between November to March of any year is to get at least 50% of your spending money in Thai Baht during the middle of the year when you will be assured of a far better rate - as much as a 15% differnetial between mid 2005 and early 2006 - that is a lot of beers!!