grs90

Tha BA e-tickets are magic. If you have one you don't even need to queue to check in as you can use the self service check-in machines in the departure area. You'll need to take the card you booked with - don't worry about the old one having expired, just take the new card. The card is only used for an identity check. The BA website explains how to use the self service machines. You can also check in online through the site, up to 24hours before departure.

Gus Based on everything I've read here & elsewhere I reckon I would need £1000 (70,000baht) a month to have a minimum acceptable standard of living in Pattaya. So I really don't think you have enough money to just quit the UK at the moment. Having said that, you also don't have a lot to live on if you stay in the UK. At the rates you mention you probably only earn enough to cover expenses and when you stop work you will be on the breadline. I'm assuming here that you have no pension other than the state one that will kick in at 65. Plan 1 If you move to Thailand now, live rea

Try the BJ Holiday Lodge near the bottom of Soi 3. Its new, meets your requirements, also has in room safe. Cost for me recently was 1000baht per night. In my view its better than the Sabii Inn and Sunshine Vista which I've stayed at before at that end of town. email is bjpty@loxinfo.co.th

Don'y know how to do a link but the email is mamaison@loxinfo.com

What dates has your mate booked the flights for? If the outbound & return flights are more than 30 days apart then he could have a big problem. The airline should not let him board unless he has an onward/return flight within 30 days OR a visa valid for over 30 days. I've seen this happen before. One way around it is to buy a fully refundable ticket from BKK to somewhere else, say Singapore, before he leaves for Thailand and then cancel the booking and cash it in.

The website works for me. www.bellavillapattaya.com

Bazza Beds - I can only comment on the one in my room, I didn't check out any other rooms. Mine was a king-size and was fairly firm but it was comfortable - much better than the Sabai Inn where I stayed in June which was like sleeping on concrete. A comfy bed is a bit subjective though isn't it so you'll have to trust to luck on that one! Towels - I asked for an extra couple of towels twice during the week because the original ones supplied were well dodgy. These were supplied without any fuss so I don't suppose you'll have a problem if you ask for extra. Suggest you tip the maid t

I've just spent a week in this place. At the discounted rate the big rooms are excellent value for the money. The air-con is metered separately @ 5 baht a unit so this needs to be added on to the price. For me, with the unit running most of the time I was actually in the room, this cost 550baht for a week. Plus points were it was a good size room, mostly neat & tidy although a bit worn around the edges. The owner was a great guy and the staff seemed friendly enough. The room had an electronic safe in the closet which I prefer. There is also a back door which avoids you needi

Millwall FC - I've PM'd you

If you don't mind an indirect flight then you can get a return with ETIHAD for Sept/Oct for £373 with Expedia

I've stayed there twice, most recent stay was last June. Totally guest friendly both times. You do walk through the lobby on the way to your room but no need to stop at the desk unless you've left your room key at reception. I never needed to sign the girls in either.

Good offer on at the moment, available from ebookers and others for June travel.

Lek hotel new wing, as mentioned above, meets your requirements. Email the hotel direct and they will do you a room for 1000baht.

I've done a trip from London with a 3 night stay. Out on a Thursday night with BA, and back at around midnight on the Monday. Arrived at Heathrow on the Tuesday morning. Shower, shit and a shave at the airport; off to Paddington where I collected the suit I'd left from the left luggage. Changed in the bogs and in to the city centre for a 9.30am meeting. All in, I was in Thailand from about 3.30pm on Friday afternoon and back at the airport just before 10.pm on Monday night. The flight was £390 last May (I see its £420 for April/May this year) and spent about £550 while I was there.

Has anybody on the board got any experience of how worthwhile it is collecting miles, as opposed to just going for the cheapest fare each time? I've read that members from the States get some good deals but from what I've looked at the programs avaialble from the UK look a bit stingy. I fly LON-BKK 4 or 5 times each year and normally just go for the cheapest direct flight I can get. The average price I've been getting is around £450, normally on BA or Qantas but a couple of times on EVA. I'm now looking at prices for Feb and March 2005 and the price for BA is up to £520 inc taxes whic

I took a short (3 night) trip to LAOS two years ago. Its possibly not the cheapest way to go but I flew Thai Airways from BKK to Udon Thani, then took a Thai Airways minibus to the border. Visa on arrival was 20 or 30 USD at the bridge, then hired the local baht bus equivalent to a hotel in Vientiane. Repeat the above travel arrangements in reverse order to get back to Bangkok. Vientiane and the immediate surroundings had just enough to do to keep me busy for the two days I was there but if you stay longer you may need to travel further afield. Nightlife was very tame but fortuna

How about the Natural Beach Hotel on Soi 11, accross the road from the beach? 750 baht per night

Sunshine Vista serviced apartments was pretty good when I was there in April. It would meet all your requirements listed. If I want to stay at the north end I will book for there again.

I stayed at the Sandy Spring for a week from 27/6 and, apart from one morning when what sounded like an electric saw was going for about 30 minutes, was not disturbed by the noise at all. However, given the state of the building works for the new condotel and the place just across the road, I may just have been lucky by being there between noisy phases of the works. If you like the place (as I do) then give it a go. You can always check out and move somewhere else if you find that the noise is a problem.

That's wonderful news as I've got a booking there starting 24th June. I'll have to refuse to pay for the full stay in advance so, if its still going on then, it will leave myself free to check out of the place if its a problem. I like the location there though so, assuming everywhere on soi 13 will be affected to at least some extent, what's the nearest place likely to be out of the way of the disruption, at about the same standard as Sandy Spring?

For this sort of thing you ideally need one of the Asian airlines to be offerring deals on an "ASEAN" aipass. This lets you buy a book of coupons, for about $100 per coupon, that you can exchange for flights between the ASEAN countries. I think Cathay Pacific were doing them recently and Garuda were certainly doing it during 2003 when I used it. Sorry I don't know if anyone is doing them at the moment but it might be worth checking the websites of the asian airlines.

It depends on what you want from the hotel. Where you will spend most of your time? What is your attitude to ID checks? How many "guests" do you anticipate having at the same time? I've stayed at both within the last few months and, on balance, the Sandy Spring shades it for me. Its in a bit better location for the places I tend to frequent, the rooms are slightly better and bigger and the pool was great for the down time. On the other hand the shower is better (for a group!!!) at the Sunshine Vista, the guest policy is more relaxed, (no ID check and bring back as many as you want,

So how does this work then? I've booked, and paid in full, flights for a very short trip in May and again for week in June, both with BA. Will I get hit with the surcharge or does it only apply to new bookings?

I've just spent ten days at the Sunshine Vista. If you use the R24 internet booking you can get a room for 6600 baht peer week which includes daily breakfast for 2 people. IMHO the place is not quite as good as the Sandy Spring. I would put on a par with the AA Residence which is also in Soi 13. Its OK though and I would stay there again if I wanted to spend most of my time in the north pattaya area - (some great bars in Soi 2).