CheshireTom

Sam, I've stayed there a couple of times a month for the last four years or so and, for me, it's one of the best value hotels in the lower Sukhumvit area. The only negative is the location on Suk 16 but they have a tuk-tuk service that drops you off at either Exchange Tower at Asoke, with direct bridge access to Asoke skytrain station (or Sukhumvit subway station), or Emporium, with direct access to Phrom Phong station. The difference between the two towers is that Tower A has been recently refurbished (it was several years older than tower B ), however, I prefer the rooms/furnishings in Tower B. All the facilities are accessible for residents of both towers. There is a Foodland 100m away and I normally stock up my fridge from there when I arrive. I've got a ton of pics of the place that I'll add when I get home tomorrow. Tom

Isn't the 28th a Buddhist holiday? It's assuming a lot that the bar will be open, no matter playing live music and partying.

Mick, The place has only been open for 5-6 months and the one review on Asia rooms relates to the first couple of weeks during its soft opening. Agoda probably has the best selection of up-to-date reviews .... http://www.agoda.co.uk/asia/thailand/chian...ai/reviews.html The Imperial Mae Ping specialises in package tours.

The Small Hotel is located adjacent to the day market and within walking distance of most attractions within the walls. Rates are 1,900 Baht on their website for but can be had for 1,300 Baht (plus 480 Baht if you want an extra bed) through www.latestays.com. The Small Hotel Chiang Mai

Especially after slaying a few vampires.

Or you could hire an extra Honda Wave and ........... Seriously, my mother done Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son on SGA's Cessna a while back. She reckoned it was one of the great journeys in Thailand and it only cost something like 30 quid return at the time.

C'mon, Mick, get real. The flights from BKK are on Noks 737s, the one's from Khon Kaen are on SGA's (or mini-nok as they now like to be called) 12-seater Cessna. The price differential would exist anywhere else, not just Thailand. Fork out the extra cash and give the missus a treat.

You can't transfer onto Air Asia from any airline (even AirAsiaX) at BKK, or any other airport. Same, same Nok and One-to-Go.

That is not the case at all. If you are ticketed through to your final destination in Thailand (there are 4 or 5 airports that it applies to, Phuket being one of them - Samui, Chiang Mai, Had Yai are three of the others), your bags will be tagged and transferred as part of the airlines' interline agreements. Boarding passes for the connecting flight can be issued when you check-in for your initial flight or at the domestic connections desk at BKK, at which point you also complete immigration formalities. Just follow the signs ...... None of the above applies if your connecting flight is on a separate ticket, no interline agreement exists or your onward flight is to an airport other than one of the designated airports. The exact same system works in reverse returning to the UK - you clear immigration at Heathrow but your bags are tagged through to, for example, Manchester or Edinburgh.

Duh! Possibly because they have a separate offer for Thailand that's running concurrently.

Brown, It was originally my mistake - sorry. It should have read new A330-300s. http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/the-...rst,-business-a

Tim Berners-Lee was a decent enough keeper in his early days. It's said that the ball carrying nets was what gave him the idea for the www.

Shakespeare enjoyed a bit of a kick-around in his day - apparently.

Qatar has flat bed biz class seats on its 777s, and lie-flat seats on its A330s. A big difference if you're looking to have a good kip.

Mick, The Uni in Khon Kaen has a very reputable Dental Hospital that you can use. If it works the same as our place at Prince of Songkla Uni, there are two price levels for farangs who are outside of the social security fund- one for those who have a work permit but don't pay into the social security fund and one for all others. It might be worth checking out the next time you are in town.

Last year when the A340 replaced one of the 747s for a couple of months. I'm sure there was a thread dedicated to the occasion.

They're the dog's bollocks compared to what the were a year ago. If you book, make sure you choose the days with 777-300 aircraft scheduled on both legs of the route. Muscat airport is OK - obviously less crowded than Dubai or Doha, and it has a decent enough duty free and a bar. There are definitely worse places to spend a couple of hours. Book direct on their website - no CC charges, SAFI and a bit of a discount.

I read your original post. There is no indication that BKK and/or Toronto will be dropped as a result of JFK being reinstated - the arrival of new A380s throughout the year will enable JFK to be upgraded to A380. Exactly. Look out for EK384/5 (DXB/BKK/HKG/BKK/DXB) being upgraded to A380 in either Q2 or Q3 of this year.

What gives you that idea?

If, and that is debatable, the farang owner succeeding in securing a work permit, there is a minimum salary that must be paid by law. Currently, that figure would wipe out your entire profits. Salary/wages are a cost. They come before profit on the P&L. It's pointless using the profit figure to calculate ROI if the guy still has to be paid for his work. That said, the place looks decent enough for 600 Baht a night.

The staff costs seem to be the minimum operating staff costs. The place would need managed, or is it assumed that the buyer would be contributing his efforts for free.

I agree. It gets the balance just right and the Nirvana Place, where it's located, has great accommodation at decent rates.

It's a 15 day visa exemption stamp. A visa on arrival is totally different.

We'd just explain it to them in Thai.

I'm not into sharing the cheap rooms scenario, but eating at street vendors is how 99% of the population get by.