knowntender

For info, most BKK taxi drivers work 12-hour shift, changover around 4 am and 4 pm. In your case, I would suggest to stay overnight in BKK. If staying in BKK, you can look for girls on the odd number side of lower Suk, in the stretch between soi 5 to soi 17. I walked around that area a few times at 3-4 am. Yes there are still girls available and ready to go with you.

My impression is Koh Samet hotels are very much overpriced. Don't expect same sort of rate as Pattaya. I stayed in Ao Prao Resort not long ago. The room, service, and breakfast are merely 3.5*. However, its price is on par with 5* hotels. Adjacent to Ao Prao is a resort hotel called Lima Coco. Look OK, but not cheap either.

I stayed in Hua Hin Hilton in the low season last year. Room is nice ; service is OK ; pool is superb ; Location is very central. This hotel got a nightclub with lots of FL ( mostly 6.5-8 out of 10 ) hanging around. Overall a nice 5* hotel. In Asiarooms website, you can book at a rate of US$ 70+ during low season.

Agree with the above that Thai business class is just not good enough.

For your budget and your requirement, a suite/room in a service apartment in Sukumvit is your best bet. Comparing to a hotel, a service apartment has relatively lower number of staff and less amenites, however there is a trade off that there is a lot more space inside the suite/room and may include a little cooking facilities ( useful for your tilac to pamper you to the max ), i.e you get a bigger room. Yoiu can check out these websites for Royal President on Sukhumvit soi 15 and Grand President on Sukhumvit soi 11. www.royalpresident.com www.grandpresident.com I stayed

I've done business shirts both in BKK and Pattaya. Consider them same same ..... no preference in one location or the other.

Tahoe Bill, 1 SQ has a policy to close the gate very early... much earlier than other airlines. Make sure you allow extra time. 2 SQ 'Silver Kris' lounge in Singapore Changi International is excellent...better than UA 'Red Carpet' lounge in Tokyo Narita. 3 SQ business class is always superb. 4 I had mixed experience with TG. In my opinion, TG economy is above average. My experience with TG business class was not good. I flew TG 'BKK-KIX-LAX' business class 1.5 year ago and remembered the seat on the upper deck of the 747-200 was uncomf

For your size, ask for XXL or at least XL. December is the only month of the year that is not hot and humid and weather in December is indeed quite comfortable. No idea about November though.

Jamozz Just in case that you stopover in Bangkok before heading to Pattaya and need some guidance upon arrival, you can send me a message amd I don't mind to show a first timer around for a day. I will be in Bangkok for several days in Sept. Knowntender

Jimmy: I am also shopping for hotel accommodation in BKK and I will go in September too. In the past few years, room rate in BKK seems to go up about 5-10 % every year. Apparently 2004 was a very good year for hotel busines in BKK, and I notice that many of them have raised the price this year by about 10-15 % from a year ago. In particular, the whole President Group seems to lead the pack in the rate hike. I never stayed in President Solitaire, but I have stayed in Grand President in 2002, paid 1400B at the time, now is about 1900B for the same room. Knowntender

Tell your honeymooner friends to fly to Phuket. There are lots of excellent resorts there. Since you are asking for 5* facilities, I assume the higher cost in Phuket is not an issue. BKK of course has world class hotels. In a honeymoon trip, a short stay in BKK is fine, then head to Phuket which is very relaxing. Pattaya is absolutely the wrong place for a honeymoon. Upon arrival, they would surely head over to Walking Street for seafood dinner in the evenig. Needless to say, they would regret choosing this destination.

Try this website for Grand President. www.grandpresident.com You will find pictures, e-mail address, reservation ..etc Grand President is a service apartment and Landmark is a 4-1/2 star hotel. I suppose you know the subtle difference between service apartment and hotel. I've stayed in both Grand President and Landmark before. Junior suite in Landmark is very nice. Standard room ( called superior room ) in Landmark seems a bit small in size. Grand President is decent.

Appreciate the info from you guys. Dave, ST bar is indeed a strange term.

Dabozman : Walking from Omni Tower to NEP/Suk is about 5-8 minutes. Definitely not a long walk. Knowntender

Can't help you on hotel. For a newbie going for 5 days, taxi should be the best choice to get you there. It costs approximately 1000B depending on your bargaining skill.

Gentlemen : Is Conrad near Wireless Road ? Is this a convenient location ? Knowntender

For first time newbie in BKK looking for 1000-2000 B a night accommodation, I recommend Grand President at suk soi 11. Excellent location. No problem with overnight guest. Large bed. Room size and facility is decent. This place is not the best bargain in town, but a newbie should feel comfortable staying there.

I stayed in Baiyoke Sky once. They gave me an outstanding suite at a ridiculously low price. This is becaue my Thai friend knew some management staff there. She arrranged everything and I just paid the bill. The hotel was very nice and the view was superb. However, there were two serious issue. I noticed that the management had placed two men nearby the elevators after 7 pm. Their job was of course watching and 'helping out' your invited guest(s). The other negative was big traffic jam around this hotel. It is very dificult for taxi to come close to the door.

In my recent trip in Christmas 2003, I had soapy in Sabai Dee, Sabailand and Sabai Room. All three places charged about the same price 1500-1600 B. Sabai Dee had the best room. However, management staff in Sabai Dee was also the worst. Among these three places, it is hard to compare the girls from one soapy to another. Mostly depend on personal taste, timing, luck ..... etc. If really forced to make a choice, I will pick Sabai Room. Not a problem if you can't decide which one to go. Go in to take a quick look at the fishbowl, and just walk out if you want. I did such

As soon as I finish my work here today, I will head over to the airport, and of course Bangkok bound. Hard to believe that within just a couple of days I will be in the opposite side of the globe. That seems like a different world altogether. Barring unforseen circumstances, I will meet you gents there. I have never met any memeber of the board. Imagine that each will have a long sanuk story to tell. In this part of the world, guys who never venture out can't even understand or participate in a conversation related on any Thai subject. By the way, any body has idea of a g

I will meet you gentlemen at Golden Beer Bar at 1800 hour on Dec 22. Seems quite a gang there to scare off the ladyboys. I still plan to go to Pattaya on Dec 23. 1200-1300 hour departure is fine with me. Regards, Knowntender

Archie and Sunny Do you guys have room for one more passenger ? I will leave for Pattaya in the morning of Dec 23, 2003 too. I plan to stay in Suk soi 4, Omni Tower Service Apart. Taxi or hotel car is mai pen roi. VoxVader I will stay in BKK on Dec 22, 2003. Bar hopping is fine. Please let me know when and where to start. Merry Christmas to you all. I already felt good about upcoming holiday season. Regards, Knowntender

Doug : I have never stayed in this hotel. Only walked past it a few times while staying elsewhere on sol 11. Looking from outside, this hotel did not look good. This is just an opinion. Knowntender

Pug : I am with you on this one. This is what I plan to do in my next trip. To solve the dilemma that you mentioned, stay in J.W. Marriott in either first or last segment of the trip Due to flying in and out from BKK, hotel reservation for BKK may fall into two segments. So in the same trip, sample and compare "true Thailand experience" in mid-level hotel and 5-star comfort. In the past, I paid 1000-2000 Baht a night for BKK hotels. Actually, I dare not use pricy hotel in BKK fearing of the guest policy. I think Marriott's rate is approximately $120 US via internet

Tangent : Hello to you from Toronto. I did not meet all our criteria, nevertheless I can provide some information as a starter. My last trip was in Christmas 2002, flying UAL, Toronto-Chicago-Tokyo-BKK, back through same route in January 2003. Missed Pattaya in this trip. In another trip two years ago, I went directly to Pattaya. Routing was Toronto-Vancouver-Hong Kong-BKK by Air Canda/Thai Airway, then took a shuttle Bus (about 200 Bahts ) at Don Muang Airport and arrived Pattaya about 29 hours after take-off from Toronto Pearson Airport. What specific