game4shame

whilst I have experienced good customer service at hotels, I can’t really think of anything that stands out; I can think of some poor examples though:

eg

majestic suites has a good reputation and was my hotel of choice for years. if I ever chose to upgrade a hotel star or 2, I’d choose it’s big sister the majestic grande on soi 2.

however, I remember a particular occasion which left me disappointed with majestic suites.

my gf was applying some slap pre-night out and she got some mascara on the bed sheets – it was the odd drop here and there, barely visible.

anyway, when I came to check-out I was handed the bill which included a charge of 1200THB for bed sheets. 1200THB!!!

I queried the charge with the receptionist (who knew me reasonably well as a returning customer). she was obviously in a foul mood and gave me a grunt before storming off to get the aforementioned sheets.

the sheets were shown to me and, as expected, the odd spot of mascara was there.

I was laughing at their cheek by this point and told the receptionist that A. mascara would surely wash out and B. if it didn’t, I’d be absolutely stunned if a single bed sheet would cost 1200THB.

I could not believe they were trying to charge me for this so I asked to speak to the manager. I was told the manager was unavailable and I had to catch a long-haul flight, so I reluctantly paid up.

I e-mailed the manager afterwards and he claimed that expensive fabric was used for the bed sheets. he upgraded me for my next stay but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.

anyway, I don’t bother with majestic suites these days – they have sneaked their prices up and I just don’t think they’re worth it anymore. little things like installing plasma TV’s has been over-looked too. the bed sheet episode was the final straw

boss suites on soi 4 is brand new, roughly the same price and much, much better value.

MK Gold in Ekkamai is the place to go. nice setting and location. It has all the MK favourites but is not too casual.

Its a place thatll drop her panties.

And there is often a brownish yuk floating on the surface. I have no idea what the brown stuff is but it could be an algea or sewage.

mmm, lovely.

I used to swim the length of lamai beach every day a few years back - wouldn't go near the water these days.

thanks for the link.

so peaceful looking......

....exact opposite of the likes of present-day lower suk!!

even if they are a rip off it's only £8 <deleted>!!

Just get a taxi mate

It's unreal, it really is...

yes it's only £8 - but your £8 is lining mafia pockets. it certainly doesn't cost 400THB to run a car from lamai to USM.

taxis are a rip-off - you're looking at 400THB+ from lamai to airport iirc.

a mate of mine books through netflights call centre if leaving the next day (Netflights). I believe bookings departing within 72 hours must be booked through the call centre as opposed to the website.

anyway, I guess this post is too late....

and of course you would need a credit card which the OP said he didn't have, maybe he has a debit card.

I'd imagine so. well, I'd be very surprised if he didn't.

a mate of mine books through netflights call centre if leaving the next day (Netflights). I believe bookings departing within 72 hours must be booked through the call centre as opposed to the website.

anyway, I guess this post is too late....

.....what we all want to know, dmax, is - why the rush?

I don't want it to have an arrogant, hi-so feel to it.

erm........

Red Sky at the Centara sounds like a good choice- nice food, great view of the city and a good romantic ambience. Plus a good selection of cocktails etc.

http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/cgcw/restaurant.asp

maybe not rumblecat. I've had experience of these rooftop joints, state tower etc - pretentious <deleted> springs to mind.

For great Italian food in a very cozy and romantic settings, go for the Enoteca Italiana in Sukhumvit Soi 31 www.enotecabangkok.com

And the list can go on and on...

if this is the place I'm thinking of then I recommend it - small authentic italian restaurant. been twice and wasn't as expensive as I was expecting.

good grief - some unbelievable bkk air ar5e-licking in this thread: ''oooh, big bad bangkok airways can charge us what they want and we just have to accept it''.

probably the same people who think a 200THB singha in the soo-wanna-poom skyloft is good value.

what's failed to realise is that bkk air and any big-boy business are laughing at all the fools who fork out over the odds for a service.

as I said previously, I love bangkok airways and they're the best domestic airline by far, but that doesn't mean I'm happy to be butt-raped for using USM.

I heard a friend of a friend just paid approx 9000THB USM-BKK o/w for him and his g/f. disgusting. I feel for families who are forking out for these fares....especially in today's economic climate.

anyway, this thread has just developed into tit for tat so I'm outta here. good on anyone who has told USM to kiss their backside, and for the rest of you, I hope you enjoy your boutiques & butt-raping at USM.

Who's bitching and whinging??? What guy was an entrepreneur? Where did the lolly come from??? I'm sure you can't say where the dosh came from and how it was made before it arrived in Samui.... Give me 150 billion Baht (from dubious sources, maybe) and I'll make a successful business. It's not difficult. For goodness sake. Thailand is a prime example of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Now they have the monopoly, they're milking it to the max. What don't you understand in that? BTW I don't have a couch.

well said.

some hotels provide motorbikes for rent - eg the hotel I suggested to you in the other thread: Holiday Park

I don't need to give them my passport as I've stayed there loads of times but if you do it's probably safer giving your passport to a hotel than a random bike rental shop, although I've never experienced problems with either.

all this talk of the whingers on this thread being cheapskates/cheap charlies etc etc.....??? not cheapskates - just want value for money.

o/w phuket 1000THB+............o/w samui 3000THB+. similar distance. it's <deleted>.

it's been mentioned that bangkok airways hike the price up to recuperate the initial investment in the airport. fair enough - a couple of hundred THB per fare is fine......a couple of thousand THB per fare is a joke.

tbh, I preferred the old style airport with the rickety baggage belt - all these fancy open-air lounges and boutiques are pointless. that's where our extortionate fares are going.

If you've been upgraded on the Airbus A380-800 (EK 372) then you're in for a real treat!

it is indeed the A380-800 EK372. looking forward to it.

I hope I don't sleep the whole way - need to savour the business class quality. it'll be back to cattle class on the way home.

sterling is practically worthless these days anyway.

2 similar topics running from the same member....

Have you considered using an airport lounge? They're good value with fine wines and choice of hot meals.

funny you mention that - I've just wangled business class for my DXB-BKK leg so I'll have access to the emirates lounge. should come in handy.

I had a bit of a problem involving a cancelled emirates flight last year and after a few whinging emails I managed to get an upgrade out of them, albeit only part of the ticket. better than nothing I suppose.

a few hours in the pool, sauna & spa at the g-force health club followed by wining and dining in the emirates lounge......this 9 hour stop business is beginning to look like a doddle......

.....actually, I'm not the luckiest when it comes to airport's (cancelled flights, delays etc) so I wont get too cocky just yet.

We Love Bangkok Airways (that should raise a pulse or two)!!

I love bangkok airways too - but I also hate being ripped off.

bangkok airways are the best domestic carrier by a country mile - professional set-up, good website (well, up until recently), loyalty scheme, nice lounges which allow entry for all passengers (including free refreshments and free internet, which I think is a nice touch), nice aircraft, nice FA's too if you're lucky. they’re just better than the rest in almost every department & they even have good specials sometimes (I got BKK-CNX & BKK-HKT for approx 1400THB o/w recently).

however, I just can’t listen to anyone who tries to defend their USM prices.

I, for one, have had it with USM fares – phuket will probably be my choice of holiday stop or URT+ferry.

face it - bangkok airways have got us where they want us with regards to USM and I can’t see it changing any time soon.

I would suggest a mass boycott of USM but the code-share flights and package holidays (where the USM flights are already included in the deal) mean any action by regular punters probably wouldn’t make much of an impact.

They are expensive compared to Nok Air, Air Asia etc.. However the 700 baht mentioned price for comparison was a limited PR promo, the regularly available fares are 2k+, compare the availability of BKK air Web-* (which are quite good given 5+ days) when looking at prices. Also factor in ferry costs, time waiting in Nathon, the same again on the way back etc.. All in it gets nearer to parity with BKK, I dont need a breakdown to prove its not, I said "nearer"...

rubbish. yes the 700THB flights were a limited promotion but flights for a little over 1000THB are common to/from URT.

I believe the first airasia flight leaves in the afternoon to bkk which allows ample time to get to URT from samui.

the taxi costs to/from USM are another factor which must be considered - most bus/ferry tickets include pick-up from hotel.

Free Entry for all.

just noticed above from original post - I'd be shocked if they scrapped the entrance fee altogether. actually, they probably have scrapped it..........but all beer is now 500THB a bottle.

well, anyone take a look? is it still as 5hit as before?

prices to and from USM are ridiculous - especially with the current exchange rate - and by the looks of it, they're getting worse.

I think airasia etc will see their business rise dramatically to/from URT. enough is enough with the butt-raping USM airfares. I think airasia were doing prices BKK-URT for as little as 700THB recently.

look at phuket - there's enough competition and I've never paid more than 2500THB HKT-BKK or vice versa, normally under 2K.

btw what's with the new bangkok airways website layout??? I hope it's only teething problems but I searched for a flight USM-BKK just to see what prices were coming in and the search brought up random flights for other routes eg HKT-BKK mixed in with USM-BKK flights.

Holiday Park

ask for a deluxe room - I think you can get it for approx 1000THB if you ask nicely.

OK! FREE BAR FINE.

yeah, no bar fine......but they'll charge you 400THB (iirc) entrance fee and 150THB a beer.

nana disco used to be a laugh sometimes, eg it was good to see when I was new to thailand - cheesy as <deleted> but funny.

it went seriously downhill as the world economy slumped and the entrance fees/drinks prices soared. eg brits aren't going to pay £8 entrance and £3 a singha for some corny freelance joint on a regular basis.

the place was like a morgue the last time I went in.

it's all about BiB presence - in lamai, they're as rare as a good looking BG.

personally, I adhere to the one-way system in both areas (lamai and chaweng) and detest the ar5seholes who come the wrong way in lamai - what makes them so special?

IMO both beaches should be one way for anything larger than a motorbike (eg cars, trucks, songthaews) but the bikes should have freedom to drive both ways. that would tackle congestion and still allow the easy access that motorbikes should provide.

I've not travelled by train from bangkok-chiang mai but I have the other way (chiang mai-bangkok).

tbh, I wouldn't recommend it.

I paid for 'first class' sleeper which was - iirc - approx 1200THB. I thought it was a bit expensive but imagined the cost must include food/drinks etc.....schoolboy error.....I should've checked that.

got on the train late afternoon in chiang mai, was shown to my cabin then offered cartons of orange juice - great, I thought, until I realised they were charging for them!! was 40THB each iirc for something that would've been approx 10THB in 7/11.

not too long after that I was handed a menu - I hadn't ate too much as I thought for 1200THB I would be well fed on the train. wrong again - charged for what can only be described as 5hite food.

on top of that, the aircon was on full blast and the attendant advised that it could not be controlled.

I had my own cabin which was clean enough but not exactly what I had in mind for 'first class'.

all in all, not something I would be hurrying to do again. flights to/from chiang mai can be bought for the price I paid for that train.

other than that, chiang mai itself would probably be good for a family. the food/drinks/accom etc was very reasonable iirc. not quite my cup of tea - I prefer a bit of action - but seems very relaxing if that's your thing.

Dunno just over 3K per person to Saigon r/t is cheap as chips. Honestly I do not know how they do it.

I checked a price from phuket to hong kong for around the end of june and that was coming in at approx 3000THB return too.

airasia are by no means my friend but some of those prices are just too good to ignore.