Samsonite

Can you get a good room at the Sunshine for 1,000 Baht or less? I wouldn't stay in the old hotel wing, but the newer "residence wing" is OK.

What will happen to Hammer and The Cherry Bar? Any plans, Adam? You can get a good view of the Prince Hotel complex from the Sunhine Residence Hotel and The Prince Hotel is a nice looking building with a large, but empty, swimming pool. I've often wonder why it was never (?) used or if it was, why was it allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair? I noticed the lobby was open, but I never saw anyone in the hotel.

That would have to be The Diamond Beach Hotel. Smack-dab in the middle of the Walking Street circus. http://www.sawadee.com/hotel/pattaya/diamondbeachhotel/ I know nothing about this hotel other than its location. Maybe some other board members can offer their opinions.

You are welcome.

They must have different requirements for different markets. However, here is their e-mail dated, 24 April of last year: Summary for Dynasty Flyer Program 2006 Rule Revisions Date: April. 24, 2006 Dear Members, We first want to express our sincere thanks for your constant patronage. With soaring fuel price in the past year, it goes without saying that airline industry has been heavily impacted. China Airlines has no choice but to adapt new marketing strategies for Dynasty Flyer Program. Under the guidelines of maintaining member benefits, the award levels remain unchanged. Following adjustments and measures will be implemented in quick succession: A. Adjustment for Mileage Crediting Percentage Effective from Jun. 01, 2006 (based on travel date), mileage will be credited according to the percentage of TPM for each booking class listed below: Cabin Class Booking Class Percentage Credited F F 150% x TPM A 130% x TPM U 125% x TPM *************edit in: ^ is first class. C J 130% x TPM C 125% x TPM D/R/I 100% x TPM ************edit in: ^ is business/dynasty class. Y Y/B/T/M 100% x TPM K/Q 80% x TPM H/N/Z (NOTE 2) 60% x TPM X/L (NOTE 2) No mileage and not valid for upgrade award ************ edit in: ^ economy/tourist class. Note 1: TPM refers to mileage between departure point and arrival point of a flight. Note 2: Exception: Flights between Taiwan and Hong Kong will be credited 80% of TPM for "H" booking class while 60% for "L" and "X". Upgrade award will be valid as well. Note 3: "L" booking class will be credited 60% of TPM during the period of June to Sept. 2006. B. Adjusted Dynasty Package Privileges Starting from Apr. 01, 2006 to Mar. 31 2007, members may enjoy extra 1,500 miles and 500 miles by using Dynasty Package long haul and short haul travel respectively. In addition, NT$1,000 discount will apply to any Dynasty Package long haul itinerary commencing from Taiwan, while NT$500 for short haul. C. Mileage Redemption for VIP Room Usage offered to elite members Starting June, 01, 2006, Gold, Emerald and Paragon members may redeem their mileage to invite extra guests, other than the allowable number of their membership, to enter our airport VIP room together. Required mileage are as follows: Required Mileage Per Person Qualification of Host Member C Class Zone 5,000 miles Gold, Emerald and Paragon card members F Class Zone 10,000 miles Emerald, Paragon card members and Gold card members traveling on F class. Note 1: Both the host member and guest must take China Airlines flights (including host member/guest taking AE's KHH-HKG flights or any CI flights followed by an onward flight to Mainland China and using Hong Kong as transit spot). Redemption application can only be accepted at our airport counters. This practice does not apply to guest's accompanying infant under age of 2. Note 2: This practice is limited to China Airlines airport VIP rooms (excluding co-sharing destinations) and subject to availability. D. Part of Extra Mileage Practices will be ceased Starting June 01, 2006, following extra mileage offer will be discontinued : 1. 2,000 miles for a Junior member who reach age of 12, as a result of Junior Membership to be integrated into Dynasty Membership. 2. 6,000 miles Upgrade Mileage for Gold Membership advancement. 3. 2,000 miles birthday mileage credited to a Dynasty Card Member. E. Adjustment for Membership Advancement and Renewal To response the adjustment of mileage percentage, effective from August 01, 2006, requirements of membership upgrade and renewal will be adjusted as follows: Gold Emerald Paragon Upgrade Within 12 consecutive months, 1. Accumulate 40,000 flight miles; or 2. log a record of 10 full fare flights on business class or higher. Within 12 consecutive months, 1. Accumulate 110,000 flight miles, including up to 4 full fare flights on business class or higher; or 2. log a record of 40 full fare flights on business class or higher. Within 12 consecutive months, 1. Accumulate 180,000 flight miles, including up to 6 full fare flights on business class or higher; or 2. log a record of 60 full fare flights on business class or higher. Renewal 1. Accumulating 55,000 miles; or 2. logging a record of 20 full fare flights on business class or higher, within the 24- months Gold membership validity Reaching the same upgrade requirements above within the 24- month Emerald Membership validity Reaching the same upgrade requirements above within the 24-month Paragon Membership validity Note: Flights less than 500 miles will be counted as half a trip. F. Mileage Deductions for Manual-Handling Services Effective from August 01, 2006, following manual-handling services will deduct mileage as process cost : 1. A charge of 4% mileage on an award will be deducted from account of the member requesting the award transfer or cancellation of a transferred award. 2. In case of award ticket refund, a charge of 4% mileage on an award will be deducted from the account of the member holding the award ticket. 3. 500 miles will be deducted from account of the member (excluding Emerald and paragon card members) asking for replacement of membership card or Membership Guide. Note: The above deductions can be replaced by money payment only if there is no sufficient miles in the member's account. Please contact our service counters for details. (In case any discrepancy occurs between above information and actual practice, the later should prevail. ) Latest News | DFP Service Hotline | Personal Profile | This letter is mailed through an auto-mailing system, please do not reply.

Check their web site. This policy went into effect on 1 June 2006. Even if you buy the ticket from them directly on their web site you will only get 60-80% of the actual mileage depending on the cost of the ticket.

Had you used the search function you would have found this 2 page thread on the same subject, http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29571 and another, http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29181

For that you will have to pay more than 1,500 a night, even in Pattaya. At 450-700 a night and to be happy with it, one either has low expectations, a tight budget, or is a little too close to the dollar. A former colleague of mine who can afford to fly first class and stay at the Oriental (based on annual income, not what he has managed to save), won't stay anywhere but the old Federal Hotel in Bangkok and even then negotiates with them for their cheapest room, one few others would want. It took me a long time to finally realize the guy's entire life revolves around money. I find the whole thing very sad as every conversion ends up being about how much this and that costs and how much he can or did save, etc., etc., etc. It is one thing if you are on a budget, but in his case it is just plain pathetic. Whatever floats your boat.

Apples and oranges. We are not talking about your home country, but Thailand and in particular, Pattaya. People seem to only hear, in this case read, what they want to hear and I've stated before that what one finds to be a good hotel is as personal a choice as to what one things is a beautiful lady. Each to their own. If you don't like my opinion, fine, state your own, as some of you have, but some of you guys must have very low expectations. That would also explain some of the absolute dogs that have been posted to the stunners thread. As I said, one man's dog is another man's stunner or beauty is in the thighs.....er......eyes of the beholder.

Who are you?! How dare you use my name! If I wanted to use my name I would do so. That decision is not yours. I tried to send you a PM before writing this post, but you are such a COWARD you have turned off PMs. A real class act you are! We all have are opinions and in my opinion the Lord Nelson is a dump, dive, of the first order. Therefore, it is hard to image anyone giving a glowing review of such an establishment unless they have a financial interest in the business. Slag off "most" popular locations? In whose mind? Yours? There is only one other hotel I can think of that I don't like, not because it is a dump, which it is not, but because it is not a good value for the money, regardless of its location. There is one restaurant with tasteless food. Oh, and the hotel whose maintenance staff tried to open my suitcase when they were suppose to be fixing the air conditioning. Pictures available. The main purpose of these boards is to share information and that evolves sharing one's personal opinions. If you don't like mine, fine, go stay or eat at the businesses in question and form your own opinions. That is, IF you are capable of forming your own opinions.

Well, the difference is that between night and day. The Residence Garden, for 1,400 THB, offers a one bedroom suite. Each has a large, well furnished living room with a kitchenette, a bathroom with a shower large enough for you and 2 or 3 of your favorite Thai girls, a balcony large enough to use for dining, a electronic safe in the bedroom closet, an entrance way and a few other things I've forgotten. Oh, yes, an elevator, two swimming pools, a restaurant, room service, and maid service that changes both the bottom and top sheets. As I said, the best value I've seen in Pattaya.

Believe it or not, BigD, there are somethings more important than money.

It would seem that what one person thinks is a good hotel is as personal a decision as their taste in women. One man's dog is a another man's stunner or one man's junk is another man's treasure, etc., etc., etc. We obviously have very different taste. The Lord Nelson is the worst hotel I've ever personally used, but, as I said, you get what you pay for. I didn't expect much and it was just that, not much. Your glowing review of the Lord Nelson, a hotel I know from personal experience to be an out and out dump, makes me suspicious as to your motivation. Perhaps you or a friend have a financial interest in that hovel? Maybe you just have very low expectations? A one bedroom suite at Residence Garden at 1,400 a night is the best value (bang for the buck), I've seen in a hotel in Pattaya. Certainly better, IMHO, than the Sandy Spring, The Bella Villa Prima, the Sunshine Residences or the Sabai Lodge.

Cute, but misses the whole point.

Seems they can't make up their minds. While the Boeing 777-200LR will carry more passengers and fly farther while using less fuel than an Airbus 340-500, I don't believe Thai Air has ordered the B777-200LR, let alone taken delivery of the same. If they are using the B777-200LR, they must have leased them.

Just stayed at the Residence Garden and there is nothing ran down about the place that I saw. Best value I've seen to date in Pattaya, but, as you pointed out, not the best location.

China Air out of Taiwan?If you use the search engine in this section and tell it to go back "any date," which is the default, and tell it to display what it finds as "posts," you will get 12 pages of hits on the two words, China Airlines or China Air. The best way, IMHO, to deal with such a long flight is to sleep and if you sleep most of the flight it doesn't matter what airline you use. Will you be traveling First class, Business class, or Tourist class? I've flown most of the asian airlines out of the San Francisco and it is hard to tell the difference from one to the other. China Air's tourist is better than Cathay Pacific's, and Cathay is one of, if not the best ran airline in the business. China Air's Business Class is as good as anyone, except Singapore Air, but no one is as good as Singapore Air. Too bad you can't get to BKK from SFO without being routed through Singapore. As I said, use the search and you will find a great deal of information. Some people like China Air. Some don't. Just like with anything else.

It would appear you want to stay in Soi 6/Second Road area, but if not, the Residence Gardens is the best bang for the buck I've seen in Pattaya.

The first composite front section of the new Boeing 787. Notice the men working underneath the nose section. The aircraft is much larger than I thought. Story here:

If they replaced those A340s with B777-200LRs (as it carries more passengers and burns less fuel per passenger), they might make some money on that route.

"Fuel prices force Thai to drop A340-500 non-stops to USA By Leithen Francis Airline axes New York and Los Angeles direct services but agrees A380 reparations Thai Airways International is abandoning its non-stop services to Los Angeles and New York, which it operates with Airbus A340-500s, due to high fuel costs. Meanwhile, the airline has reached a deal with Airbus to acquire eight A330-300s at a discounted price as part of compensation for the delay to its A380 order. Thai confirms that it will revamp its five-times weekly non-stop services from Bangkok to Los Angeles and New York Kennedy into one-stop services, and is considering either Seoul or Shanghai for the stopover point, although it gives no timeframe for the move. The confirmation comes in response to public remarks made by the airline's president Apin Sumanaseni......." Rest of story here, http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/...n-stops-to.html

Today's latest news (more T.I.T.): February 16, 2007 : Home > Breakingnews > Don Muang may not be reopened: offiical Don Muang may not be reopened: offiical Don Muang International Airport may not be reopened due to lower-than-expected number of airlines that have shown the intention of moving their operations to the old airport, said an executive of Airports of Thailand. Pinit Saraithong, Don Maung director, said the old airport may not be reopened as only three airlines are interested in moving to Don Muang. The airlines operate a number of flights which account for a tiny part of the flights operated at Suvarnabhumi. "How could we survive with the few number of clients," he said. AOT earlier expected at least 30 per cent flights from Suvarnabhumi would be moved to Don Muang. Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen said after the meeting with over 60 airlines today that most of them insist on staying at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The issue would be finalised by the a panel, chaired by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, which will hold a meeting Friday, he said. The Nation" http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...newsid=30026966

When was this? It is counter to everything I've read on the situation to date. Last I heard, in the last 48 hours, was the government, in order to avoiding having to pay the relocation cost, has decided to let each airline decide if they want to move back or not and then pay their own cost to do so. Also, those airlines that stay at The King Power Shopping Mall (and airport) will still be charged the higher fees during the "reconstruction." T.I.T.