Bangkok Hotels With Smoking rooms

[menzies233]

Wonder if anyone has stayed at the Royal President on Soi 15 off Sukhumwit lately? I just booked a "Smoking Room" at last as I need to go down to renew my passport.

Is the hotel OK? is it walking distance to the UK VFS Office at Trendy? There are about 3 different Trendy offices listed on Google Earth... I take it The VFS is on the left hand side walking up Soi 13 towards Sukhumwit?

Anything interesting down those sois these days? Must be 10 years since I spent a night in Bangkok, I noticed it isn't that far from Nana (Is Nana Disco still open at Nana Hotel? Is Thermae still open? - I was wondering if it is walking distance to Dr. BJ's? as I have heard that the food is really good there...cough cough!)

What does a taxi cost nowadays from Don Muang to Soi 15?

Been a long time, last time I was there I was taken to "Bangkok Studio" on the outskirts and was part of the audience in a Thai "Comedy" with that little fat midget Thai with the pony tail, they gave me a hard time for filming with my video camera, but it was a great experience. Might be nice to meet some old friends.

So much seems to have changed, I was looking for that great restaurant opposite Amari Boulevard on the first floor - GONE!

Edited September 15, 2015 by menzies233

[mca]

There's a little alley between the RP and the 7 11 next door which will bring you out onto Soi 13. Just turn left at the end of the alley Trendy is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

[blackcab]

Yes, VFS is on the left hand side walking up Soi 13 towards Sukhumwit.

[SunLover2]

No - the Nana Disco at the Nana Hotel has been closed for quite some time.

Yes - it is about a 5 to 10 minute walk to the naughty shops on Soi 7/1.

SL

Edited September 16, 2015 by SunLover2

[SantiSuk]

Taxi DM to lower Sukhumvit. About 250-300 baht if traffic not bad and no highway necessary until Din Daeng. 350-450 baht if traffic bad and highway is necessary all the way (ie including tolls).

If it's not raining and it's outside the time frames of 7am to 10:00am and 4:00pm to 9:00pm then say no if the cabbie asks highway? Otherwise take the highway and pay the cost. Too much and travelling reasonably light? Get a cab to the BTS at Chatuchak. Cheap Charlie or public transport geek? Get an A1 bus (reputedly every 12 minutes) for 30baht to Chatuchak Park (for Mochit BTS). Stop is immediately outside exit 5 or 6 (can't remember which).

Edited September 17, 2015 by SantiSuk

[menzies233]

Thanks guys! Appreciated.

[menzies233]

Yes, VFS is on the left hand side walking up Soi 13 towards Sukhumwit.

Cheers for that! Is Thermae still going these days or has that gone too?

[steven100]

just head down Nana Soi 4 like all the rest and you'll be fine...

[menzies233]

Taxi DM to lower Sukhumvit. About 250-300 baht if traffic not bad and no highway necessary until Din Daeng. 350-450 baht if traffic bad and highway is necessary all the way (ie including tolls).

If it's not raining and it's outside the time frames of 7am to 10:00am and 4:00pm to 9:00pm then say no if the cabbie asks highway? Otherwise take the highway and pay the cost. Too much and travelling reasonably light? Get a cab to the BTS at Chatuchak. Cheap Charlie or public transport geek? Get an A1 bus (reputedly every 12 minutes) for 30baht to Chatuchak Park (for Mochit BTS). Stop is immediately outside exit 5 or 6 (can't remember which).

IMG_3937.jpg

Thanks for the info!

I was one of the idiots that was so pleased to get to Bangkok after spending most of the Winter freezing to death in Shanghai working that I thought it was great value to ignore the taxis at DM and go with a tout and ended up paying 1200 Baht from the old airport to the Hotel Asia! I may as well have had IDIOT tattooed on my forehead.

You live and learn eh?

Cheers.

[menzies233]

There's a little alley between the RP and the 7 11 next door which will bring you out onto Soi 13. Just turn left at the end of the alley Trendy is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Thanks MCA, you ever stayed in the RP? I have heard so many varying reports from it be a doss house dump to being a luxury hotel? What do you reckon?

[SantiSuk]

Never mind - still a lot cheaper at 1,200 baht than equivalent length airport rides in Europe and North America.

Another tip. If you arrive and find that the official taxi queue is horrendous (like a 20 minute queue - happens once every 10 times) then go back up to departures, on the back wall airside is a small exit - in the middle of the terminal - directing people to the Amari Airport Hotel. Take the lift down to the floor indicated for the Amari and follow the corridor,doing a dog-leg right to follow signs to the station. First exit on the right is the top of the stairs down to the main road running outside the airport (make sure it's the lane with cars coming towards you as you descend the stairs. You can usually pick up taxis much quicker than queuing that way.

I guess though that you would need the confidence to talk to the taxi driver whose English will be limited. "Tha-non Sukum-wit, soy see sip haargh, loarng lemm Loyale Plezeedent" is close phoenetically!

"Pie hi-way" for 'take the toll road'.

[menzies233]

Never mind - still a lot cheaper at 1,200 baht than equivalent length airport rides in Europe and North America.

Another tip. If you arrive and find that the official taxi queue is horrendous (like a 20 minute queue - happens once every 10 times) then go back up to departures, on the back wall airside is a small exit - in the middle of the terminal - directing people to the Amari Airport Hotel. Take the lift down to the floor indicated for the Amari and follow the corridor,doing a dog-leg right to follow signs to the station. First exit on the right is the top of the stairs down to the main road running outside the airport (make sure it's the lane with cars coming towards you as you descend the stairs. You can usually pick up taxis much quicker than queuing that way.

I guess though that you would need the confidence to talk to the taxi driver whose English will be limited. "Tha-non Sukum-wit, soy see sip haargh, loarng lemm Loyale Plezeedent" is close phoenetically!

"Pie hi-way" for 'take the toll road'.

Always nice to get a bit of inside info, thanks! Normally queues don't bother me unless I need the bog! I just really want to get from A to B without getting ripped off, and your post regarding pricing is a big help!

As for queues, last year we were in a 3 hour queue at Beijing international, not even a bribe would get you out of sheer stupidity, it was just a mess. no way around it.

Thanks for your help!

[mca]

There's a little alley between the RP and the 7 11 next door which will bring you out onto Soi 13. Just turn left at the end of the alley Trendy is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Thanks MCA, you ever stayed in the RP? I have heard so many varying reports from it be a doss house dump to being a luxury hotel? What do you reckon?

No sorry mate I havent. My pal lives on Soi 15 so I'm down that way quite often.