CheshireTom

Floyd, I stayed there a couple of weeks ago ..... it's a nice place. See my report ..... Majestic Grande Report Tom

neil, If you are travelling from the provinces, e.g. Manchester or Scotland, all of the above would also apply equally to Eva and Evergreen Deluxe. Tom

I particularly like the way the girls in the lounges come to advise you personally that your flight is about to depart allowing youi to breeze straight through the gate and onto the bus. None of this hanging around, checking monitors crap. Tom

Ste, I agree wholeheartedly with you. Qatar has simply the best FF programme of any that I have been a member of. I always travel in business class with them and whilst they don't sell first class seats to Bangkok the aircraft, more often than not, are fitted in a three class configuration which means an automatic seat allocation in the first class cabin. It is worth noting that Thai will start flying its brand new A340-600s on the Zurich route from this winter (1 November I think). If you are flying from Manchester you can take advantage of the codeshare and book on a Swiss ticket (at Swiss prices) and travel on the Thai aircraft. The poor standard of Thai's business class and the question of airmiles previously made this an unattractive option but with Thai's new aircraft and Swiss joining the Star Alliance it now appears to be a very attractive option for those guys in the north. It will be interesting to see what deals become available after the August Bank Holiday. Tom

Fr Lust, Last week they were near completing an outlet place for OTOP (One Tambon, One Product) goods on the by-pass between Banglamung and Chonburi. I went to the OTOP exhibition and fair at the Impact Arena in November and the goods were of a high quality and incredibly well-priced. If you are just after trinkets, try the Lukdod shop on the soi opposite the bus terminus on Pattaya Nua. Tom

The best places to get a feel of the real atmosphere are in the likes of Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai. In Bangkok try and get yourself down on the river opposite Wat Arun - it provides a great backdrop to the celebrations and some fantastic photo opportunities.

A guy over on the Thaivisa site has an excellent guide to Narita layovers - I hope it helps .......... Narita Layovers Tom

They should fly pretty much the same route as SQ does from EWR. The pic below shows the actual route taken by SQ1 although it would normally cross the Atlantic a good deal further north and enter European airspace over southern Scandanavia. Tom

There are different conditions applicable to the different priced tickets e.g. validity (3, 6, 12 months), payment due date, changes allowed/not allowed, stopovers allowed/not allowed. The more expensive the ticket, the less onerous the conditions - generally speaking. Tom

I spoke with a lady connected to Phuket Air in Bangkok on Sunday. The last flight ex BKK will be on the 20 Apr and the last flight ex LGW on the 21st. She also indicated that the final nail in the coffin was the competition from Gatwick in the form of Qatar and Etihad. As neil said, not really a surprise to anyone. Tom

I stayed at the Magestic Grande on Sun 20 March. As I said, I wanted to compare the place to the JWM down the Soi since that was the only hotel in Sukhumvit that appeared to be coming up on Priceline over the last few months. I booked directly with the hotel by phone from my hotel in Pattaya and was quoted 2,900 Baht per night incl 2 breakfasts. All I knew when I booked was that it was on Soi 2, looked good in the photos and seemed a decent price. A pleasant surprise was that the price already included tax and service which, pricewise, made the place a much better deal than both the JWM and the Landmark (my other hotel of choice in that area). The check in staff were very friendly and efficient and went out of their way to make sure that I was happy with everything. The rooms themselves are smaller than the JWM but the furnishings and fittings are of a much higher quality (probably on par with the Westin and Sheraton) and had obviously been well-designed whereas the JWM seems to have just been thrown together without too much thought. The hotel is actually located on the right hand side of the Soi about 100 metres on from the entrance to JWM which, initially, seemed to indicate that I would have a fair bit of walking to do to reach the P4P areas. However, the entrance is directly opposite Annie's Massage and a stroll past that and the Rajah brings you straight into the action on Soi 4 (Nana Nua). For getting around further afield it is about a 10 minute walk to both Nana and Ploenchit Skytrain stations. Early in the evening I had three female friends (non P4P) visit me and they were all treated with the utmost courtesy by all the staff and I am sure there would not have been any issue had we all disappeared to my room. Later in the evening I brought back a Riva's girl and had no problem whatsoever from any of the staff so the place seems to be guest friendly in a discreet way - pretty much in line with the other 4/5 Star properties in the area. All in all, on the basis of price, quality and convenience I would rate the place just behind the Landmark (purely because of the free upgrade deals available there) but ahead of the JWM due to the better price and included breakfasts. Whatever your taste, it is a welcome addition and alternative to the established Sukhumvit 4/5 Star hotels.

I'm staying at the Majestic Grande tonight - I wanted to compare it against the nearby JW Marriot which, IMO, has gained a bit of a false reputation as being a bit special. I'll do a quick run-down on the place in the next couple of days. Tom

BigD, This should be posted in the Member's Area. As the board's unofficial moderator you should realise this is the open forum which specifically prohibits any bar or bar girl talk. Hope she was worth it though! Tom

bigswede, Singapore Airlines already flies EWR-SIN with no economy seats - they only have premium economy and full business class. Airlines are pretty good at monitoring and predicting their loads on a flight-by-flight basis and I am sure if there was a more profitable configuration than that in use then they would adopt it - BA for example with World Traveller Plus. Unfortunately, bearing in mind how airlines release their seats at different price levels according to demand, any airline that was always full would simply increase its prices. The simple laws of supply and demand. Tom

makavelli, You asked the same question about a month ago. Emirates I doubt if much has changed since. Tom

torre, Don't forget another 50 Quid saved by getting 1,000 ciggies in the poxy middle east instead of London - not to mention any booze you might pick up. Travelling from Manchester, I would always choose Doha over London for my stopover. It's nice to go through an airport where they speak English! Tom p.s. Are you back in Pattaya now?

An extract from the Bangkok Post: "Siam Future Development Plc, the SET-listed developer of shopping malls, will spend 400 million baht developing two new lifestyle shopping centres this year. The first project, costing 250 million baht, will be developed in Pattaya. The other, at a cost of 150 million baht, will be on Soi Aree off Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok. Managing director Somnuk Pojkasemsin said the 20,000-square-metre Pattaya project would be developed as a lifestyle shopping and entertainment centre. Major tenants will include a 10-screen Major Cineplex and bowling lanes, a high-end supermarket, indoor and outdoor restaurants and a food centre." I must admit that although the new place will be a welcome addition I always found the Vientiane to be a "safe bet" when taking a TG for dinner. Tom

The fare comes out at 299 Quid incl taxes. Etihad/Qatar Deals

Travelmood currently has an offer with Etihad for 299 Quid incl tax. Flights are from either Heathrow or Gatwick. A good airline that has quickly gained a decent reputation on the Bangkok route. They also have a good business class deal on a companion fare with Qatar for less than 1,100 Quid a head which is a bit of a bargain if biz class is your thing. See the link ....... Travelmood Deals - Asia

Seafood - Sud Tang Rak (Na Jomtien)/Food Fair (Walking Street) Italian - Pan Pan (Jomtien - just after Bruno's on the opposite side) Thai - Green Tree (Beach Road/Soi 1) and PIC (Soi 4/5)

bergerac, A combined transport and accommodation booking comes under the Package Tour Regulations 1992, part of EU-wide legislation. In the case of "significant change", you are entitled to, either: Accept alternative arrangements Accept alternative arranagements and pay/receive the difference in cost. Cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all monies paid. The choice is yours, not the agents. BTW it is the agent who is liable, not the airline. The agent should have appropriate insurance in place to cover such eventualities. Tom

TopDog, Ignore BigD Tom

fatboyfat, Got to agree with you re EVA first class. I flew with them last year and the only real positive thing that can be said is that it is spacious and I couldn't see a huge amount of difference between biz class and Evergreen Deluxe. Anybody considering going biz class or above with EVA at the moment would be best advised to put their cash and miles to one side and use them to upgrade when the 777s come online later this year. Tom

The 767's are ex Lauda Air aircraft but are all less than 4 years old. They have been refurbished recently in Austrian's new colourscheme and have PTV in economy. The seating is in a 2-3-2 configuration and seems reasonably spacious but I would have thought that there would be many better options on better aircraft for 460 quid - both Lufthansa and Swiss operate brand new A340s on similar BKK routes for similar money.

I also use khrong-fa and have never had any problems with them. Normally I get them from my Bangkok hotel to and from Pattaya but when I have used them from the airport, normally after a side-trip, they have been waiting for me, ready to go. I normally phone them when I arrive in Bangkok just to make sure everything is OK. Tom