Bel-air Princess Hotel

[Totster]

Anyone stayed in the Bel-Air Princess ..?

Friends have booked themselves and two young daughters for a couple of nights in this hotel.. the only thing worrying me is where it is. It's on Suk soi 5.

What does everyone think... I just want them all to get a decent first impression of Bangkok

totster

[The Skipper]

A beautifull Hotel.

Just have to walk past the back entrance to the Grace, Past Gullivers and the small Soi leading to the Beer Garden.

Should be safe but expect to get a real eyefull of the goings on in that area.

Maybe the Arnoma in the shopping district is better?

[Totster]

Should be safe but expect to get a real eyefull of the goings on in that area.

Thats what I was worried about..

totster

[Axel]

Depends how young your friend's daughters are. To walk from Sukhumvit down the soi is an experience. Lots of, peaceful, action at the beginning. But safe as there are more hotels, 24 hours Foodland and 7/11 plus Gullivers. Past that the soi is calm, back -exit of Grace with guards, a huge lawyers-office and some private buildings with guards. Next door is as well the large Royal Benja-Hotel with more guards.

Just to walk the soi should be an experience, people of many nations walking. The hotel itself is at the end of the very short soi. No noise, pool on top of the lobby/coffee shop.

I would say is worthwhile to stay there and to see a bit of other cultures in the little soi.

[The Skipper]

I love that neighborhood.

It's a quirky little area, multi cultural, but not much Thai about it.

Hi pervert ratio too.

I think a place on the River will give them a better first impression.

[unbiasbob]

It's an interesting area for certain and representative of all tourist types Thailand has

[Artisan]

Great small hotel in a vibrant and interesting lane. For shopping and cultural trips, use the nearby skytrain. Nightlife abounds.

Take your friends down to the river to dine one evening. Try the Thai restaurant on the riverside right next to Rachawong Pier (on the upstream side).... but it does close early at around 9 p.m. Also, Silom Village always goes down well with first-time tourists to Bangkok. There are plenty shops in Silom Village, although on the expensive side, and the Thai cuisine is plentiful. Silom Village is on the other side of Silom Road to the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza Hotel.

[muse]

Great small hotel in a vibrant and interesting lane. For shopping and cultural trips, use the nearby skytrain. Nightlife abounds.

Take your friends down to the river to dine one evening. Try the Thai restaurant on the riverside right next to Rachawong Pier (on the upstream side).... but it does close early at around 9 p.m. Also, Silom Village always goes down well with first-time tourists to Bangkok. There are plenty shops in Silom Village, although on the expensive side, and the Thai cuisine is plentiful. Silom Village is on the other side of Silom Road to the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza Hotel.

[muse]

We have stayed at The Bel-Aire a couple of times and i am sure you will have a great time, There is nothing to worry about.

Good Luck

[Totster]

We have stayed at The Bel-Aire a couple of times and i am sure you will have a great time, There is nothing to worry about.

Good Luck

I'm sure I will have a great time because I'm not staying there..

Thanks for all you comments.. I shall pass them on to my mate.. he can make a decision based on this.

totster

[alexth]

We have stayed at The Bel-Aire a couple of times and i am sure you will have a great time, There is nothing to worry about.

Good Luck

I'm sure I will have a great time because I'm not staying there..

Thanks for all you comments.. I shall pass them on to my mate.. he can make a decision based on this.

totster

I've stayed there exactly 2 months ago for about a week. Very good service, nice clean rooms, hi-speed internet available and also a pretty good price compared to their neighbours in the Amari Boulevard Hotel, I mean....same service, the rooms look about the same and the price is double. I think your friend made a good decision choosing Bel-air Princess Hotel.

[Totster]

We have stayed at The Bel-Aire a couple of times and i am sure you will have a great time, There is nothing to worry about.

Good Luck

I'm sure I will have a great time because I'm not staying there..

Thanks for all you comments.. I shall pass them on to my mate.. he can make a decision based on this.

totster

I've stayed there exactly 2 months ago for about a week. Very good service, nice clean rooms, hi-speed internet available and also a pretty good price compared to their neighbours in the Amari Boulevard Hotel, I mean....same service, the rooms look about the same and the price is double. I think your friend made a good decision choosing Bel-air Princess Hotel.

Thanks Alexth ...

totster

[markt]

Anyone stayed in the Bel-Air Princess ..?

Friends have booked themselves and two young daughters for a couple of nights in this hotel.. the only thing worrying me is where it is. It's on Suk soi 5.

What does everyone think... I just want them all to get a decent first impression of Bangkok

totster

We've stayed there 5 times with our daughter. The last time, we were walking down Soi 5 and she said, "This street is crazy!"

In fact, a friend of ours was going to Bkk for the first time and i recomended the Bel Aire to him. I would have loved to have seen his face when he first set foot outside.

[taupo67]

Stayed at the Belle Aire twice now. Once with a group of lads and once a couple of months back with the better half.

Lovely hotel, nice lounges/bar area, great breakfast and comfortable rooms.

Very good service and quite handy for getting around (Skytrain etc). ATM just up the road and Gullivers always busy.

The area around it is somewhat eye opening for the first time traveller (my better half) including the obligatory dancing elephant, but it's all good fun. Never felt unsafe and just walked head down as I passed some of the bars I frequented with the lads a year or so back . As a Tommy Tourist, would I be right in saying the area is a mix of Thai, Asian & African?????

Liked the place and if you're a bit unsure about walking the Soi then get the concierge to hail a cab.

[visarunner]

One of the Hotels you can not go wrong.

In fact if friends are in town it's one of my recommendations.

Nice,clean rooms at the end of the Soi and yet in the middle of the peaceful nightlife.

[Totster]

Thanks again everyone ... they have decided to stick with this hotel mainly due to the responses here... they are only booked in for 2 nights anyway, and will only be sleeping there really as we have planned a hectic schedule of sightseeing for them ..

totster

[tutsiwarrior]

does the hotel have a swimming pool? I'll be in town soon with the usual entourage of country girls; wife, stepdaughter, various nieces and etc and need a pool to make things appealing (as if the binge shopping wasn't enough)

I would also like to get a fix of the soi 5 middle eastern food...oh, to be awash in a sea of shwarma, falafel, hoummous and baba ganoush...I even got the stepdaughter to try some in Bahrain when we were there last...

I presume that there are traditional thai food stalls on that side of Sukhumvit...the wife couldn't handle it otherwise...('but , darling, there's a wonderful and free breakfast buffet down stairs in the hotel...')

[tutsiwarrior]

just re-read Axel's post #4 - hotel has a pool, so cool...

shwarma city soi 5, here I come...hopefully, no local hizbollah headquarters thereabouts...the real terrorists have been known to strike wherever at whatever time...with massive air power and ground ordnace with the shameful support/collusion/disinterest of western nations...

[The Skipper]

That Shwarma stand is probably one of the safest spots on the planet.

Evan a Muslim fanatic knows a good thing when he sees it.

Now walking by Nana Plaza on Soi 4 makes me nervous.

That is a prime target.