Hotel for Songkran in Silom

[colmx]

Hi All
BF and I have decided to spend the first few days of Songkran in Silom area this year
Having some difficulty finding suitable hotel at this late stage (April 11-14)

We are looking for a hotel "smack bang" in the midle of all the action... Last time we stayed in the Pinnacle - but it was just too far of a walk (for BF!) when wet at night and every taxi refused to take us!
BF lives only 20 mins away by taxi, but we are looking for somethig more central...

The following are sold out:
-Nantra Silom
-Glitz
-Ballys (D Varee)
-Silom Serene
-Om Yim
-Swiss Lodge

The followng are ruled out due to us (read:BF) not liking them:
-Tarntawan (nosey)
-Rose (poor A/C)

The following are ruled out as being too far away:
-Sathorn: Pinnacle, Malaysia, Ibis Sathorn etc
-Riverside: Novotel Fenix, Holiday Inns etc Althoigh teg Novotel does have an interesting 3 nights for the price of 2 deal on at the moment

I can find the Dusit thani on Hotwire secret deal @2600B per night - which seems quite good
Any recent experiences as to how easy it might be to have a guest to join us in the Dusit
Or as to how they might not appreciate us coming back covered in powder and soaked head-to-toe?

Anybody have any suggestions?

[newalaan2]

Anybody have any suggestions?
You've covered most of the possibilities in your rejection list, only suggestion is 'Baan Saladaeng' because of it's location 200 or so metres down Soi Saladaeng which is right on Saladaeng BTS at the opposite side of silom from Soi 2. We stay there from time to time, their suites are simply large rooms and always show at Bt2300 as standard rate but are on permanent 'special offer' every month of the year Bt1650-Bt1700 and ok at that. Even though they show all rooms booked for most of your dates on the online room charts, I have in the past sent an email request to find that there was still availability even when the room charts showing full. (A bit like Mosaik at times)

Might just be worth an email (direct to- info@baansaladaeng.com rather than using their online form) to ask if any suites available for your specific dates.

[Mancs]

Bandara? My memory is that taxis put a blanket on the back seat and were ok but tended to charge a non meter fare.

[colmx]

Bandara? My memory is that taxis put a blanket on the back seat and were ok but tended to charge a non meter fare.
Bandara is showing as тВм110-120 per night on the booking sites... that means its the the same price as i am paying for 15 subsequent nights in Pattaya... so def out of by budget


Might just be worth an email (direct to- info@baansaladaeng.com rather than using their online form) to ask if any suites available for your specific dates
Thanks NewAlaan, I have sent them an e-mail and see what they will say...
Unfortunately its 2 rooms that i need (2nd is for farang travelling companion) so i think our chances are pretty slim...

[githailand]

The Dusit would not be a bad option if you don't mind splurging. They are fine with you coming back with whoever, but they check everyone coming in the door during Son Kran for a room key card. They don't do this to be nosey, but they only hotel guests to come in during the height of Son Kran - for obvious (wet and powdery) reasons - this is the way it was a few years ago anyway. You really can't beat the location - however - my bf and I used to live on Silom Soi 3 (phi pat) - one would think that is close enough to the action - but alas - it once took us one hour to walk from Thaniya plaza to our condo - a normal five minute walk - talk about the world's most intense human traffic jam!



I can find the Dusit thani on Hotwire secret deal @2600B per night - which seems quite good
Any recent experiences as to how easy it might be to have a guest to join us in the Dusit
Or as to how they might not appreciate us coming back covered in powder and soaked head-to-toe?

Anybody have any suggestions?[/quote]

[Brad the Impala]

Bandara? My memory is that taxis put a blanket on the back seat and were ok but tended to charge a non meter fare.
Bandara is showing as тВм110-120 per night on the booking sites... that means its the the same price as i am paying for 15 subsequent nights in Pattaya... so def out of by budget

Unfortunately its 2 rooms that i need (2nd is for farang travelling companion) so i think our chances are pretty slim...

I think that you will find that the Bandara price quoted is for a two bedroomed apartment, which might suit your circumstances?

[LoveThailand]

Look at Furama Silom and FuramaXlusive Sathorn. Both are nice as far as I am concerned and close to the Silom/Suriwong - walking distance for me. Not sure if it will be for your BF.

[bucknaway]

There is also the regent in silom
The last time I stayed there thy were charging a joiners fee after 9pm and some rooms are not so comfortable and may not have a window.

[scottish-guy]

...so at least he'll know where to avoid?

Reminds me of a time I stayed in the Suriwongse.

I paid for one of the suites because I had a boy travelling with me - but my m8 was determined to pay only for a standard room.

However, I persuaded him to splurge an extra 100B or so for the "superior" room which, according to the tariff list, featured a window.

It was not a good investment - when he opened the curtain to look out of the window, all that could be seen was a brick wall.

It was not a good investment - when he opened the curtain to look out of the window, all that could be seen was a brick wall.Goodness me some people expect a lot. No-one said there'd be a view as well did they?

[Jellybean]

It was not a good investment - when he opened the curtain to look out of the window, all that could be seen was a brick wall.Goodness me some people expect a lot. No-one said there'd be a view as well did they?
The request for a room with a view reminded me of an episode of the British TV series Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese as Basil Fawlty, the one where a very demanding old lady complained to Basil about the lack of a view from her window.

The dialogue went as follows:

Mrs. Richards: I asked for a room with a bath.
Basil Fawlty: [indicating] You've got a bath!
Mrs. Richards: I am not paying seven pounds, twenty pence per night, plus VAT, for a room without a bath.
Basil Fawlty: There is your bath!
Mrs. Richards: [looking at it] You call that a bath? That's not big enough to drown a mouse. It's disgraceful.
Basil Fawlty: I wish you were a mouse.
Mrs. Richards: What? And another thing. I asked for a room with a view.
Basil Fawlty: [going to window, indicating] That is Torquay, ma'am.
Mrs. Richards: That is not good enough.
Basil Fawlty: Well, may I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeests swinging majestically . . .
Mrs. Richards: Don't be silly. I expect to be able to see the sea.
Basil Fawlty: You can see the sea. It's over there, between the land and the sky.
Mrs. Richards: I'd need a telescope to see that!
Basil Fawlty: Well, may I suggest that you move to a hotel closer to the sea . . . [sotto] or preferably in it?

[colmx]

Thanks to all for their comments so far
I thought i had secured 2 rooms in one of the suggestions above, but they have gone quiet and not responding to my e-mails, since i politely declined to supply them with my Credit Card details by e-mail to a generic hotel address...

So once again its time to start a new hunt... especially as other open options have since closed out..
We have decided to stay in Ladprao area on the 11th so we can hit Ratchada clubs that night, so are now looking or April 12+13 only

Both Furama's and Bandara are both way over budget at this stage and costing in excess of 4000B per night..

Any comments as to the guest friendliness of the Tawanna?

[Jellybean]

Since time is running out colmx, how about the Evergreen Laurel Hotel at 88 North Sathorn Road? ItтАЩs an excellent location for what you require. It is round the corner from Soi Convent and a few minutesтАЩ walk from Silom Road. Agoda shows 3 superior rooms left on the dates you require. Hopefully the cost is not impossibly expensive at USD120.35 (3909 baht/ тВм111.73) and maybe just within your budget.

IтАЩve walked past the hotel many times on the way to Soi Convent and Silom Soi 4. IтАЩve never stayed at the hotel so I'm afraid I donтАЩt know their policy on joinersтАЩ fees.

[christianpfc]

I thought i had secured 2 rooms in one of the suggestions above, but they have gone quiet and not responding to my e-mails, since i politely declined to supply them with my Credit Card details by e-mail to a generic hotel address...
That's not the first time I read about poor communication by email. Why didn't have your boyfriend phone them?

[colmx]

Thanks again for all the suggestions above
Happy to report that i have managed to secure 2 suites in Baan Saladaengs "new wing" for the dates i was looking for
Thanks to NewAlaan for the suggestion to correct them directly above...

No pics available of the new suites so I have a feeling that the paint may be still wet when we get there... but at least we have rooms in a central area

BTW one room is called the "Brick Suite" the other is the "Third Suite"... I am looking forward to seeing what their themes will be!

[colmx]

Why didn't have your boyfriend phone them?
If i had to wait for him to do it, it would be the day before we arrive... BF is a big proponent of Thai JIT (Just In Time) Logic!

[newalaan2]

one room is called the "Brick Suite" the other is the "Third Suite"...
Glad you finally got fixed up with BaanSaladaeng Colmx, but intrigued (if not concerned) what these 'suddenly found' vacant suites will be like. haha. Feedback a necessity now! Hope you have a great Songkran.

[colmx]

intrigued (if not concerned) what these 'suddenly found' vacant suites will be like.
As am I!
Hopefully the "brick suite" isn't named after the fact that they haven't yet had time to put plaster on the bare brick walls!

[colmx]

Quick update on this thread
Well the rooms were indeed new and ready by the time we checked in, and we were informed that we were the first guests to stay there...
Rooms were clean and modern and in a nice quiet location

Would i stay in Baan Saladaeng again?
No. Why?

1. BF said it was too far away from Silom (he prefers rose). Whilst its a relatively short walk for farang, it is not so short for Thai!

2. We had to hand in the key/Keycard every time we went out, this led to huge confusion every time we returned as staff scrambled to find the keys. Some may find the fawlty towers like confusion at reception charming, personally i dound it irritating

3. One night i returned home alone, had to wake night porter to let me in
-20 mins later i "pulled" on grindr and went out to meet my new Vietnamese friend, again had to disturb the porter to be allowed out and back in again 10 mins later
-As soon as we got to room myself and Viet guy realised that we were not so compatible (he was too pudgy and suddenly went from non MB to needing money)
-So had to disturb porter again to let Viet guy out

Of course that left me feeling very horny, but i was embarrassed about waking the porter again to bring in another guest, which left me very frustrated

In summary Baan Saladaeng is perfectly suitable for someone who is staying with their BF or who wants to off someone from a gogo bar and keep them overnight or for short time

However for a night owl like myself, or someone like NIrish that likes to have multiple partners per day... i feel its unsuitable

[Nirish guy]

However for a night owl like myself, or someone like NIrish that likes to have multiple partners per day... i feel its unsuitable

A) I only wish that was true (still) :-)
and
b) just in case you WERE right, thanks for the tip as you're right that set up would indeed be a pain and or inconvenience. Although I am thankfully long since past worrying about how hotel feel and their opinions as to "how it looks" if and when gentlemen callers maybe pop round to visit me for a cup of tea and perhaps a few slices of cake......followed by a light spot of oral pummelling, anal rogering and overall general debauchery.

[christianpfc]

2. We had to hand in the key/Keycard every time we went out, this led to huge confusion every time we returned as staff scrambled to find the keys. Some may find the fawlty towers like confusion at reception charming, personally I found it irritating.
I prefer to keep my key with me, but some hotels have such large key tags that it doesn't fit in my pocket, so I leave it at reception. Never had any problems, they usually remember my room number when I walk in (how do they do that, with changing staff?) and immediately find the key.