Unavowed

In the last year I’ve used Nam’s taxis several times and it cost 1500 between Sukhumvit to Pattaya, and 1200 between Suvarnabhumi and Pattaya. I’m pretty sure that on one occasion the cost was slightly higher because they didn’t have a small car available.

Just had confirmation back from Nam's, bargain, especially compared to the now even higher AOT prices:
The price is 1200 bath all tolls included with sedan L. Driver will waiting for you at Meeting point near the Exit 3 (level 2) Please look for her with your name on a card.
We will get back to you on the day evening with name of your driver and her picture. 
 

Waiting to hear back from them @Unavowed, the rate is v reasonable on the website. I'll report how I get on if I book with them.

In the last year I’ve used Nam’s taxis several times and it cost 1500 between Sukhumvit to Pattaya, and 1200 between Suvarnabhumi and Pattaya. I’m pretty sure that on one occasion the cost was slightly higher because they didn’t have a small car available.

Will spare the life story version - and as experienced in a brutal way back in late 2019 in Chengdu; hotel air conditioning units. A hotbed for bacteria, mold and viruses if poorly maintained. The hotel staff in Chengdu -just before this COVID thing became a thing- shared that’s how bird-flu spread at the time in 2013. Room to room through aircon units. God I was ill at the time. Pain in the arse was that I was stopping via Bangkok on the way back to London and was seeing Lizzy regularly at the time. She was in a playful “take vids of me in the bathtub mood’ that night ….and was just lying there sweating myself through a fever. 
Stayed in a shittty Holiday Inn in Delhi last weekend courtesy of Putin block booking the whole ITC Maurya. 3 days later I find myself medicine shopping at Delhi’s domestic terminal before heading off to Chennai. That aircon unit would only work on full blast, and on a freezing setting. Clearly poorly maintained. 
Also, be wary of fruit in certain places, especially oranges etc. I have had some my crew in the past falling ill as the fruit was injected with (dirty) water to make it look more fresh/juicy (Accra, Banjul etc)
 
30 years in aviation and 200+ nights in hotels a year makes me go for a pizza these days (in certain places) without feeling any cultural shame. 
 

I found a little hidden gem right at the end of Soi 1 Suk - Thanaka Myanmar Restaurant. A very basic restaurant quite busy with local Burmese.

This was my first time trying Burmese food and I was blown away with the flavours. And this place is a 'cheap eats'. I just had the Chicken Curry (110B), 20B for rice, comes with a nice chicken soup. Wow. I think it was so different from Thai food. Not close to anything I've eaten before.

The evil looking curry sauce is spicy but not overpowering, so you still get a hit from all the different flavours - garlic, ginger, lemongrass and whatever they put in it.

Best thing about this place is it's only 90 Baht for a large Singha. I'm going back for more!

I have used antibiotics both times previously as 2 days and imodium were just not doing the job, what I hope to be able to do is avoid the symptoms from day 1

I had a Thai doctor prescribe Norfloxacin 400 some years ago and when I asked a pharmacist for this time ago he recommended Ciprofloxacin as this was a more potent antibiotic for more persistent cases.

With the changes in time zone, more boozing, different food etc stomach issues are not uncommon but avoid antibiotics unless it really is persistent.

Another good option are charcoal tablets you can pick up from 7/11 which is helpful to settle your stomach after a rough night!

If anyone is currently visiting Bangkok and would like to take advantage of the refreshing cooler weather to go exploring BKK in the daytime this might be a good option.
The Song Wat festival is running over the next 3 days from 11.00-21.00 but the bars will be busy after that of course. This is a perfect opportunity to explore what has to be the coolest part of Bangkok right now.
To get to Song Wat you just need to either catch the MRT to Wat Mangkon and walk 5 mins through Yaowarat or get off a boat at Ratchawong pier and that drops you just a few steps from Song Wat Road.
Here's the location of one of the good bars in the middle of this neighborhood just in case you want to find your way there. https://maps.app.goo.gl/9nPenexAGgyBQHx47
The Song Wat neighbourhood is a small area between Chinatown/Yaowarat and the river. It has an interesting blend of attractive buildings mixed with street art and funky galleries spilling out onto the streets. Exploring this neighborhood on foot can be very rewarding with hidden surprises down nearly all the back alleys so it can easily take an afternoon. It's one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the city, definitely somewhere that would appeal to any photographers out there too as there's a lot to see.
There are so many excellent food options and some very funky bars in Song Wat but rather than give an extensive list right now I'd just suggest going to the festival and eating or drinking wherever appeals as it's all likely to be good and you might just prefer to enjoy what's happening on the streets for the festival at the time you're there. However I would recommend sitting at one of the riverside bars such as Barbon at sunset to enjoy the beautiful views if you're visiting for a first time.
If any of you do decide to pay a visit to Song Wat over the next few days for the festival please feel free to message me for any specific recommendations as I know the area very well, it's one of my favourite parts of Bangkok.
Edit:
One more thing, this would make an excellent place to go with a LB date and make her happy, even if she doesn't know the place herself she'll recognise bits from her social media. Unfortunately that means she'll also inevitably want a lot of pictures taken in the same places but that would keep any LB happy as would all the excellent food in the area and it's an easy way to have a day out together. It's not an expensive option either.

So…I just checked out of Hope Land Soi 8 having stayed there 5 nights and am on my way down to Pattaya in one of Nam’s Taxis.
My hot take on the Hope Land:
* I really liked it. Location for me was perfect - just a short stroll down the Soi on to the Sukhumvit Rd. From there you are only a few mins walk from any of the Bars we often visit  (there is also that useful cut through to Soi 4).
* Soi 8 is a really pleasant, friendly street. Fairly busy at the Suk Rd end it gets progressively quieter and greener as you make your way along. Nice mix of commercial, hotels and private residences. It’s a dead end so no through traffic and it’s easy and comfortable to walk along day and night. Hope Land located approx half way along.
* Decent sprinkling of bars and restaurants along the Soi from cheap and cheerful to interesting, high end Thai eating. 
* Hotel: It’s definitely a little bit worn and shabby to be honest but nothing that some TLC, a few coats of paint and new room Ifurniture would’nt fix. On the plus side my One Bedroom Suite was huge and great value (booked on Agoda about 4 months ago and came in at approx 1900THB per night).

Loads of space in the rooms, AC very effective, shower hot with good power, everything was clean, really comfortable bed, small balcony (important for me) was useful and my regular companion insisted that we utilise it for some evening errr… activities. Wi-Fi great in living area, lousy in the bedroom (I ended using my hotspot there). Not a very smart TV was poor but I watched it for only about 5 mins so kinda irrelevant to me. As discussed above, in-room lighting is a bit crap with low wattage bulbs not helping. Lots of sockets everywhere though.
Good rooftop pool with all day sun, a few sunbeds and grassy area. Nothing fancy but OK for a 3 star in heart of the City. No idea about the Gym or Sauna. 
Front Desk Team continue to seem disinterested but that’s ok, unless I am a frequent visitor I’m not really there to make friends with Reception. They were though helpful and swift the two times I interacted with them - check-in and check-out.
Housekeeping, by contrast,  were cheerful and friendly. Room seemed to be cleaned within 20 mins of ‘please make up room’ tag going up. Tips help. 
No idea about breakfast there’s too many great options in Bangkok to be trapped into a Hotel breakfast package. 
Didn’t see anyone sleeping in / hanging around, the lobby area. Perhaps management have stopped that?
It’s not a scientific survey but most guests seemed to be Europeans and Americans (mainly singles, but also couples and families) and a few Thais, Koreans, Singaporeans etc. It seems unlikely that there are going to be big tour groups of Chinese or Indians staying (not saying this is a good or bad thing).
Entirely Guest friendly and no signing in or checking in of guests ever occurred (might be a risk-consideration if bringing back a Freelancer from Soi 4 at 5.00am….)
Complimentary golf buggy transfers down to end of Soi is back on.
So, all good. Downside? There is a freakin huge construction going up directly adjacent to the Hotel on its north side (Sukhumvit Rd side).  This could be going on for some time and it’s VERY noisy Mon-Sat if your room is on that side of the building. There are 7 floors of accommodation and best as I could see you need to avoid room numbers ending 19,18,11,10, 09, 08, 07, 06, 05 (ie 519, 518, 511, 510 etc etc)
I’d stay again next visit. 

I'm in town for the weekend and decided to check this place out, as I needed a feed prior to the CIB11 Naughty Nurses evening. It was a quick stroll from Radisson Suites Soi 13, made all the more simple as there seems to be more walk-through options in the Ambassador Hotel, now with the renovation work they are doing, or perhaps they've always been there and I've just never noticed. After being shouted a greeting, about an inch from my face, by the over-enthusiastic young lad playing door tout, I took a seat at the counter to watch the world walk by. Upon receiving the menu, I thought this place must be pretty much the same as Krua Khun Puk (Soi 11/1), but flipping through the pages, the selection looked quite different. Anyway, I settled on some spring rolls and a chicken kee mao. 

While waiting for the food to arrive, an English gent stopped to peruse the menu at the front door. Immediately, young lad fired up and started shouting........."Welcome! What you wan? What you wan? You like prawn? This very good!!" and started flipping pages pointing out dishes, while continuing his unnecessarily loud delivery at this poor bloke. Through all this the bloke just stood there, stoic, unmoved. You could see the steam rising and eventually, to his credit, he just put up his hand, turned to the kid and just quietly said, "Stop!"
Message received, kid backed off and in the end no harm done as 30 seconds later he was walking up the steps and further into the venue.

Shortly after, the food arrived. The spring rolls clearly freshly made, very tasty, thought a little oily for me. The Kee Mao was great, just a little spicy, but not so much that I couldn't finish it. Two dishes and a Leo, B540 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For sure another option for future visits, though will say I think I prefer Krua Khun Puk, as that joint just seems much busier and vibrant.......and cheaper too.

This story is the perfect segue into a story I have from the mid 90s, which also features professional-level hustling and even St. Andrews!
I was on a project with a vendor to a Scottish bank that was notorious for being meanies with expenses. Their sign off process was so slow, that it didnt get finalised until the week before we were supposed to be up there onsite. The only problem was this clashed with the Open that was being played at St. Andrews that year.
We had to scramble to get a hotel and ended up in the Caledonian, which is a 5-star charging big event pricing and so was bound to cause shrieks and squeals when the expenses invoice finally landed at the bank.
So we all flew up there, checked-in on a Sunday night and it was packed to the rafters. Golf fans from all over the world were staying there. 
What I didn't realise was that golf events, which attract a well-heeled set of followers, also attract 5-star escorts. 
We all unpack, hit a curry house and then go back to the hotel bar for drinks. We finally get a table to sit at and I was then treated to a lesson in multi-tasking. There were quite a few ladies of questionabe repute in the bar, but there was one stunner, who worked it so well she had me entranced. At all times she had 3 drinks in 3 locations on the go and just circulated from one old bloke to another, laughing and talking in multiple languages. 
Every so often I would see her leave with a septugenarian and then come back about 30 minutes later and just carry on where she left off.
This girl was mesmerising to watch, as she was such a pro, I don't think a lot of people twigged what she was doing.
I watched her intently for the three nights we were staying there and she was impressive beyond belief. She must have also been staying there, as she changed outfits a few times each night.
It was the most interesting and memorable trip I ever took to Scotland, and I will never forget the sheer professionalism of this hot escort, whom I later found out from one of the staff, was from Brazil. To watch her work a room with such ease and experience, was truly a treat. 
This was also great experience for what was to come later in my life - LB lounge bars. Bai Pai is very good at working a room with 2-3 different drinks on the go at all times, but she is still minor league compared to the Brazilian.
I never found out how much she charged for 30 minutes, but based on her activities over those three nights, she must've made GBP 1,000s.
As for the bank, the expected shrieks of agony occurred when the T&E invoice was presented and thereafter they only ever served us a single egg sandwich and tap water each for lunch, as if to try and exact revenge, for their own mistakes.
St. Andrews - Sukhumvit - same-same but different.
SAG

I must've eaten here 50+ times and so was surprised that it didn't have a review thread.
I'm Aroi is an open fronted restaurant sitting in the grounds of The Ambassador Hotel, and is located where the old Au Bon Pain Coffee Shop used ot be pre-Covid.
It is easy to find from the street, as it is across the hotel entrance lane from the Wine Connection. The signage is poor and for years I referred to the place as 'Always Arroi', but I double-checked the name for this report.
The place is open 24 hours a day and serves mainly Thai food, all of which is cooked to order and I would put it on the same level as The Swan on Soi 4, which is another restaurant I frequent.
The food is very good value, considering the prime location on soi 11 and service is always fast.
Most of my visits have been after 02.00 with LBs and they always give the food a solid thumbs up, so they must be doing something right.
The waiting on staff have always been efficient and pleasant and seating ranges from large couch-style set-ups at the back, to the usual tables for 2,4,6 and also counter seating all around the periphery of the restaurant. The latter seating is great for watching the zoo that Soi 11 can turn into after hours.
i have never been there during the day time and it may get quite warm there, as they only have ceiling fans. At night, this is not a problem.
There must be 100+ items on the extensive menu ranging from curries to the usual Thai dishes, seafood and some farang food.
I certainly recommend this place, especially if you have a take-out and want to eat before going back to the hotel.
There is usually a few LBs in there, either FLs or with punters.
Enjoy
SAG

I'm guessing he stapled them together to make it easier when attaching them to the carrier pigeon's leg.

Just thought I drop an hotel review in from my recent trip.
I stayed at the Radisson suites on soi13, it very clean, currently going a little refurb of the rooms to modernise them, if you sign up for they reward programme, after a couple of stays you get free room upgrade as well as free early check and late check out.im up to VIP status now. With my visits. 

also it’s not to badly priced when you consider the location, 
there is a quite rooftop bar at the top, which is nice for a few quite drinks before hinting the bars. 
 
I took multiple Ladyboys back now problem at all, did not even check ID. 
it is close walking distance to both CS11 and CIB11 and not to far away from CIB10 if it’s not raining. 
Th only down side I found with it, was to get back to the hotel I had to walk past CIB11, and always end up inside of it 5555555

Strictly three days before. Same for Singapore and Malaysia too

Thanks for this. I love the Japanese restaurants off Sukhumvit between Phrom Phong and Ekkamai.
They can offer excellent value and there's also some good little bars as well as enough different types of p4p options to keep us deviants busy.
I'm not going to recommend any specific Japanese places just yet as I'll soon be back in Thonglor surrounded by those places so will have up to date information however there's one but of information I'll add to update a previous post of mine about Japanese restaurants in this area.
In this thread about Japanese Izakayas I sneaked in a recommendation for one of my favourite cheap Japanese places. It's called Unatoto and specialises in grilled eel dishes at very good prices for big portions of delicious food. 
I was really disappointed to read that it closed down 2 weeks ago before I could visit again to stuff my face (it's a place that makes me go into a feeding frenzy sometimes where I order a very optimistic quantity of food and somehow finish it every time). 
The good news is that they've now relocated to the new Dusit Central Park which looks pretty fucking impressive to me anyway so I'll definitely have another reason to check out those awesome views a few times now. If that eel restaurant Unatoto is as good as in the old location my Mrs might soon get bored of me pretending to want to do daily romantic strolls in the park.
As a quick tangent if any visitors or BMs haven't seen the new Dusit Central Park roof garden it's worth checking out, it looks pretty spectacular and it's free. The park is easily reachable from Nana as it's linked to Sala Daeng BTS.

@Genghis post about Amin Biryani has me reminiscing about the various restaurants I frequent in Bangkok so sharing my knowledge for other foodies on the board.
My favourite Japanese restaurant in Bangkok is Yuna on Soi 11/1. It is not cheap but excellent, ridgy didge Japanese cuisine and lovely Thai staff who all speak Japanese. They giggle at me when I order in Japanese. it is not cheap. You can get a lunch special for about 350 Baht. Dinner time with beers I am usually spending over 1000 Baht.

For cheapish Japanese - I found an awesome Japanese restaurant on Soi 24 called Ramen Ichiban (meaning Number 1 Ramen). While it specialises in Ramen noodle soups (170 - 220B per bowl) they do also have an extensive menu of what I call Japanese comfort food. Donburi bowls for around 200B, Katsu Curry 250B, Oyakodon 200B, Katsudon 200B.
I think the best meal you can have there is a half bowl of ramen for 100b and a half portion of fried rice 100B. You may be able to get a cheaper Thai meal under 200B but if you into good Japanese food then this place is worth a visit. They serve complimentary oolong tea which they keep coming to give you refills. Every time I've been there, I'm the only Gaijin/Farang, with mostly Japanese business men scoofing down their lunch.

It's located on the corner of the dodgy alley Soi 24/1 with loads of rub and tug / full service joints to enjoy before or after your meal! Just around the corner from Phrom Phong BTS Station.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SRCmAAC37EfRyxEy6
 

Bangrak is a very interesting area - alot of Chinese business along the road. I've stayed a few times at the Hilton Garden Inn at the end of Silom Road which is a short walk to Bangrak. The Shangri-la is also in that area, just up from Jack's Bar.
There is a little Dim Sum restaurant called Little Dragon worth a visit if you like Yum Cha. 50 Baht a pop for their steamed dishes.
Agreed Mark Weins is very annoying especially when he makes that yummy face. He needs a knuckle sandwich when he does that.

100% agreed on Jack's Bar for a few drinks or some food on this neighborhood with a fantastic view but with good prices. 
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XL922mGSHVEpFN197

The Ban Rak area is also great to visit. Short walk to Talat Noi and then up to China Town. It’s good to have these reviews as I like to take a break from lower Suk.

One of my favourite spots even though focused on tourists is Jacks Bar which is not far away. Just a great spot if you want a few relaxed afternoon beers by the river. Cheap prices, decent food and opposite Icon Siam where you can watch the comings and goings on the Chai Phraya.

I'm not really sure whether it's worth me making a recommendation for this place here due it not being in Lower Sukhumvit so it'll be inconvenient for people staying in the mongering epicentre. However, it's just a short walk from Saphan Thaksin BTS and would be very convenient if people are heading towards the riverfront and major tourist attractions in that part of town. It's also worth the short trip on the train if you wanted to eat something outstanding at low prices before exploring somewhere different.
My real reason for recommending this place is that I'm getting very close to my next trip to Bangkok and both my Mrs and myself are craving a meal here. I think she might even be looking forward to it more than done of the excellent food her mother cooks so it's highly recommended by us both.
Anyway, Amin Biryani is quite a famous place in it's own way. It was open for decades in a different location but has now relocated since COVID caused it to close. 
The food is Southern Thai Muslim food with amazing biryanis and curries. The food is unusually spiced for a lot of Thai food but avoids being extremely hot from chillies so would be accessible to most farang, especially those who like good Indian food as there are some similarities while remaining noticeably Thai.
Another reason for me recommending this place now is that the (often irritating but still very popular) youtuber Mark Wiens has recently done a video here. That can be good and bad in my opinion. I like to see them get exposure from a very successful media source but hopefully it doesn't result in it becoming too popular causing it to raise prices, lower standards or both.
 
If you fancy trying out one of my favourite street food places anywhere in Thailand (while it's still cheap and has excellent standards) I can't recommend this place highly enough. Easily in my top 10 cheap eats in Bangkok.
Amin Biryani is located here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/RD1VKwxLDL3ZsGx26
 
Apologies for posting one of his videos but it gives a good overview of the food if you skip through his gurning at the camera.
 
 

Excellent location; possibly the best in BKK for action.   
Have made three stays here in the past couple years as both Hyatt Discoverist and Explorist status.   Never received an upgrade (though it wasn't expected as they're not guaranteed at these status levels).  Had a $50 F&B credit on all stays from the Chase Hyatt Biz card and used for both breakfast and the sushi bar.  Breakfast was excellent and the sushi was fine though not especially noteworthy.   One note regarding the pool; if you enjoy morning sun keep in mind the pool area is mostly in the shade during this part of the day.   Never had any issues with bringing guests (GG and LB) to the room though keep in mind they lock the front entrance later at night so you have to make the short walk around to the side/main entrance. 
One additional note is they increased the points needed this year.  Used to be a category 2 property and was an amazing points value.  Now it's cat 3 - same as Grand Hyatt.  

You should have laid your mat on the floor and asked them to join you!

My opinion on Citrus Suites:
Location is perfect for someone who likes Swan for dinner and WN for dessert. Two 7/11's within 100 meter.
The room is big enough, small desk, comfy chairs and big double bed. Plenty of storage space and good, spacious bathroom. Coffee/tea options in room, daily replenished, like also water. Small fridge with some mini-bar drinks.
The pool is clean, but small indeed and the water temperature (even now in low season) is quite high. I've never seen all seats taken at the pool. It's on the rooftop, with also a gym, a cocktail bar and a smoking area. I visited only the latter 
I didn't book the breakfast, so no opinion there, but the spaghetti carbonara when ordered in the Beatz bar, tasted excellent. Overall, the staff is super friendly. Only bad thing, they occupy the pool table in the bar almost full time, so I didn't play a single game during my stay. Didn’t care too much to complain 
Costs, approx. 2700 THB per night (booked in June).
It's definitely worth a repeat on future trips!