My (brief) stay at the Bondi
OK, listen up... I usually tend to be too "wordy" -- so for those who don't read posts thoroughly and might mistake the intent here: this is not a slam about the Bondi. If you make it to the end, you'll see I liked the place, overall.
I checked into the Bondi but didnтАЩt stay the night, so I canтАЩt comment on the karaoke.
Having read complimentary things about the place from other members IтАЩd emailed Geoff at the beginning of the month regarding a room for the middle of February, not really expecting to find a vacancy there during тАЬhigh seasonтАЭ. He replied within 24 hours to confirm there was a vacancy at Bt1050 a night (excluding breakfast) тАУ even forgoing the deposit, saying I could settle that up when I got there. In all of my dealings with him (email and in person) Geoff was a very accommodating and gracious host.
Upon arrival, the check-in process was far simpler than many other places, and took only a couple of minutes. One of the guys helped carry my baggage up to the second-floor room, the brave soul. No elevators here, so pack lightly!
The location is excellent - not even a five minute walk to Dongtan beach, within two blocks of several good places to eat; as well as Monty's, an internet cafe, ATMs, the Thai Blind Massage Insitute, several clubs that have already been extensively reviewed on the board here and the oft-maligned Duo House massage place.
The room itself had a huge fan-cooled тАЬliving roomтАЭ area, most of which was empty, which gave the place a very spacious feel. The bedroom could be closed off with sliding doors, and thatтАЩs where the aircon unit was. The mattress/pedestal bed was -- as others have said before me тАУ very firm. There was a view of a vacant lot with sundry wild growth and a very small safe in the wardrobe cabinet.
Size-wise the bathroom reminded me of what youтАЩd find on a cruise ship. There was room enough to open the door without hitting the commode, but no extra, and you had to close the door to get to the shower. I didnтАЩt explore it fully but IтАЩm not sure if there was more than cold water in the sink, and the fixtures/plumbing all showed definite signs of age. It wasnтАЩt тАЬratty,тАЭ but nothing along the lines of a hotel like the Pinnacle, for example. You wonтАЩt find the usual little shampoos and things, and there was only one thin towel, total.
The biggest drawback for me was the lack of an in-room phone. I didnтАЩt have a cell phone this trip but needed to be reachable, so I was in a quandary. I was told the closest тАЬpay phoneтАЭ was at an internet shop a block away, where, it turned out, you could use the phone on their fax machine at a rate of Bt30 per local call.
I walked a few doors down to the Poseidon, held a room, went back to the Bondi, checked out and moved. Since it was nearly 4pm by then I paid for that night, just to be fair, and they were fine with that.
Overall it seemed like a nice placeтАж basic, but clean and friendly. IтАЩd actually stay there a different time, but IтАЩd need to be prepared to тАЬrough itтАЭ a bit more than I usually do while on vacation. If you're looking for simplicity, it seemed like it would be a great place. PM me if I can add anything else for you.
http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com...mpics/2448.jpg
