Arriving Sarvarnabhumi @ 12 Am To Goto Pattaya?

[harjeev]

Hi

I will be arriving at Bangkok on 15 night/16th morning @ 1200AM with my wife and 1 year old child, and I think that by the time i clear customs and stuff will be around 1 AM.

I have a booking at the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya starting from 16/06/2007.

I am aware that the RRC Bus service from the airport takes about 150 Bhats to pattaya but starts only at 8 AM.

What I want is to take advise on

1. Should I wait for the bus to depart as it is an 7-8 hour long waiting time (thinking that the bus is on time!),

2. If I should wait, are there any good places at the airport in order to kill the time.

3. If i should go is it safe to travel at night (knowing that I am traveling with a woman and a kid at night and that too with an unknown taxi driver)

4. Are any other options available for traveling at night which are safe and without any worries

5. Any kind of suggestion would really help.

Thanks

[jdinasia]

7+ hours in an airport with a baby? are3 you NUTS?

Why not simply arrange to be picked up by your hotel?

[britmaveric]

book a car service like oriental escape. They'll wait with a sign with your name on and you will be on your way.

[bjsanook]

If I was you I would stay in Bangkok for these reasons:

Hardrock is not the most flexible Hotel. If you show up around 3 AM on the 16th, they may not let you check in until 12-1300. Maybe they have the room, maybe not. Even if they do, they will charge you the extra day, they won't let you in free regardless of how you argue it is now the 16th.

It will be another 3 hours with the tired, dirty and grumpy family.

Why not stay local or down on Suk for the night? You would be in bed by 2 and get some sleep. Shower, breakfast and actually view some of the drive down. The taxis outside the airport area can be negotiated with. Look for a newer model meter and tell them 1200 baht. Freeway and the tolls are around 100 baht. Leave at 10AM and you will be arriving at about the right time at Hard Rock.

Check this for close hotels: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=82471

Or just stop at the hotel desk in the departure area before the doors. They actually give you a pretty good price. I've stayed at Hopeland Soi 23 many times for under 2000 baht, beautiful room with breakfast. Ekamai bus is close if you want to save money down to Pats. Buy 3 seats it is only a few hundred baht for that and the extra room will be good with the little one.

Good luck

[mikethevigoman]

Hi

I will be arriving at Bangkok on 15 night/16th morning @ 1200AM with my wife and 1 year old child, and I think that by the time i clear customs and stuff will be around 1 AM.

I have a booking at the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya starting from 16/06/2007.

I am aware that the RRC Bus service from the airport takes about 150 Bhats to pattaya but starts only at 8 AM.

What I want is to take advise on

1. Should I wait for the bus to depart as it is an 7-8 hour long waiting time (thinking that the bus is on time!),

2. If I should wait, are there any good places at the airport in order to kill the time.

3. If i should go is it safe to travel at night (knowing that I am traveling with a woman and a kid at night and that too with an unknown taxi driver)

4. Are any other options available for traveling at night which are safe and without any worries

5. Any kind of suggestion would really help.

Thanks

Blimey is this for real ? you are with your family at that time and want a bus ? get the airport limo,if you can afford tthe Hard Rock you should have enough for the taxi,.You will be tired and lugging luggage, is worth messing about to save a few baht ,.........

[Cuban]

Hard Rock you should have enough for the taxi,.

Agreed, if you are paying HR rates you probably have enough money to dress well, have nice luggage and prefer better things in life. Why risk luggage being ripped off when in transit with the bus, with a child to fuss over you will an easy target.

Get a taxi from the airport to Pattaya on arrival, you will all sleep on the drive down only to be woken a few time with the pot holes in the road. Stay at any of the hotels on soi's 2-5 between Beach and Second Roads, about 1500 Baht on average. Shower and sleep till 10am then get a baht bus to take you enmass to the HR, 50-100 Baht depending on your Thai.

[harjeev]

Thanks a lot guys for the reply

I think after arrival at the airport I will maybe check in at one off the hotels in BKK and take a morning taxi ride to pattaya as I think that it would be much safer and comfortable this way.

Thanks for all the help

[billp]

Stay overnight at the Sananwan Palace, inexpensive but very nice guest house 20 min. from the airport. You can arrange to be picked up by them at the airport. Have a swim in the morning, have them get you a taxi, and you'll be in Pattaya well before noon. Or you can just taxi back to the airport bus terminal and pick up a bus there. The advantage of staying near the airport is that you're already on the right side of Bangkok to get to Pattaya, so you don't have to cross half the city again.

[ThailandTony]

Can't believe nobody has suggested you book the hotel for an extra day and go straight from the hotel, forget messing about in Bangkok, you can use the limo service from the airport, be in your bed by 02:30 (no traffic at night) and have all of the facilities that you want for the rest of your holiday from the moment you arrive. Anything else is just a waste of time and money.....you know it makes sense!

Happy Holidays!!!

[BikeThailand]

Gee, who suckered you into taking your family to Pattaya and staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. Are you trying to get a divorce or just leaving it up to fate? I'm sorry, but downtown Pattaya is not the place to take the family. Next time try Jomtien at least. Fortunately your child is only 1 year old and probably won't get confused as to why some women on walking street look more like men (because they are) than women.

Please don't think of Pattaya as "Thailand", it is far from the reality of Thailand. Think of it as their version of "The Wild West in the 1800's", except Judge Roy Been can be bought. The entertainment is amazing, but most western women will not approve.

Good luck and have a great trip!

[Jimbob1]

Contact these people and they will have a cab waiting for you at the airport to pattaya for 1200 Bt ...

Excellent service ... http://www.bb-lets.com/index.php?id=110

Jim.