jaredblanc

With my frequent visits to Thailand to see the temples and eat street food (*cough*) it has made sense for me to sign up to the Accor+ program as it more than pays for itself. One of the main benefits is the free nights offer and I used this recently to stay at the Sofitel.
I usually stay in mid-level hotels like the Mercure on Soi 11 and the Holiday Inn Express in Pattaya but often like a nicer hotel to finish my trip when the rates are good in the off-season. My usual go-to is the Hyatt Regency which I very much like, and this was my first time at the Sofitel where I spent 4-nights. I booked a 'luxury' room with club access so I could compare it to the Hyatt, but I was upgraded to a junior suite which makes it an unfair to compare rooms.
What I will say is that the size of the bed, its comfort and the quality of the bedding is on par with the Hyatt. The bathroom amenities are similar as is the quality and responsiveness of the cleaning services. The main difference was the rooftop bar area, lounge, gym, and overall quality of service.
Spectrum at the Hyatt is a more 'showy' place, it's got spectacular views and its where tourist like to visit for the skyline and the vibe. Belga at the Sofitel is really an outside terrace and lower key with a discreet service sort of vibe. I've taken LB guests to both and they enjoyed it and the staff treated them with respect. Also, you can get a 30% discount on food and drink at Sofitel with Accor+ which is a good benefit. I have been given a couple of free drink vouchers at the Hyatt but not always. The lounge at the Hyatt is small and can get busy, but the lounge at the Sofitel is one can get lost in and takes up an entire floor, but most people congregate near the food area. Food and drink offerings are broadly on par, maybe the wine is better at the Sofitel The gym at both hotels are good, but the Sofitel is far better for my needs. Unfortunately the pool at the Sofitel was closed for refurbishment so can't compare those. Service standards are very good at both hotels, but I would put Sofitel ahead here. Its just that bit more attentive and personalised. You can also walk direct from Nana BTS to the Hyatt under the covered skywalk, and from Asok to the Sofitel using the footbridge but the Sofitel access is covered all the way so you won't get caught out if its raining (although not sure if that access is 24/7). I will still be using Hyatt as part of my points collection strategy and to maintain my current status but the main driver when deciding between either will be the cost, including club access. Hyatt is usually cheaper but using Accor+ benefits and reward points can balance this out.  Overall, both are very good hotels that you can spend all day in especially if you have lounge access, and of course its very guest friendly! It's a case of give each one a try and see which one gives you the best value. Either way I don't think you will go to far wrong if you want a better standard of accommodation near the action.

Atom IS the joke FFS 

Aye it has been three years in a row now.
Who can ever forget the free BFs and ST room offer from 2024?
The problem was, mongers turned and then kicked off to unsuspecting WN04 staff LOL. 
I learnt my lesson from that one.
You are right, something along the lines of Atom has been sent to a re-education camp for 6 months would've gone down well. The problem was, we had started this one long before the Atomic one darkened the horizon, so it was too late to pull the plug.
But there's always next year and newbie BMs...
Cheers
SAG

I didn't want to say anything, but the AI images gave it away and the day @SAGuy posted this. 

I do recall the classic April Fools joke about Milky getting 1,000 cc implants 
If there was a WNB 04 April fools joke for this year, I would have expected a joke about Atom somewhere.....

Hey @gottalove, there's a recent thread here:
 
I had initially booked at the hotel just because it was right next to CIB 10, but decided against it.

Though the rooms look quite nice, I'd say the space is small, and I feel that price-wise, you'll find bigger rooms elsewhere.

During my stay in Bangkok, I opted for a bigger room at the Solitaire on Soi 11, which at the time, wasn't as expensive as booking at Hotel 433. 
 

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. 
 

Thanks @jaredblanc, I'll see how I get on with Nam's but they will be my next port of call. A safe and comfortable drive is a much higher priority having experienced wild driving on Thai highways.

Hey @GeordieG, I use EnjoyTaxiBangkok for my trips

https://www.enjoytaxibangkok.com/transferrates

It's 1700 baht from Bangkok to Pattaya. They can pick you up from Pattaya to go back to Bangkok but you'll need to let them know in advance. 

I've always found them reliable, their 'Big Taxi' transport is comfortable, and their drivers are friendly and don't drive like maniacs. 

Update for Novotel in Sukhumvit Soi 4
I booked a standard deluxe room, with king-size beds arrived around noon, while check in time is 2pm, but the had my room ready by 1.15pm. They normally charge 1k THB deposit per night. But, 19k sounded little high to me,  so we agreed on 5k 
The non-smoking room is meeting all my requirements. Great bed, comfy sofa, a small fridge and a small desk. The bathroom is spacious enough, with a decent shower (even for two ) and there's a daily supply of water, coffee and tea.
The bedsheets are changed upon request and my room (21st floor) is made up around 10 am. 
I didn't book breakfast (495 THB/day), since I prefer not to be bound to certain hours and there are plenty alternatives available within 5 min walking. There's a rooftop bar with swimming pool (shared wit Ibis Styles), but didn’t visit yet. Same for the gym, no clue whether there is one to be honest 
Only small disadvantage is the 3 elevators. They are freakin' slow and quite busy. During my stay, one was out of order, which made it even worse. But since I'm not on any time schedule here, didn’t bother me much.
Besides that, for smokers among us, there's one place where smoking is allowed, a wooden bench outside, facing the Kicking Donkey. Far from comfortable and between noon and 5pm in the full sunshine ... hot, hot, hot.
Novotel is absolutely guest friendly. None of my ladyboy guests had to ID herself or was even stopped at the entrance. No additional charge either, for both ST and LT. 
I booked my stay mainly with loyalty point, but at the reception I see the current tariffs displayed: 4150++ (a few days ago 4800++) for Novotel and 3200++ for Ibis Styles.

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

I'm not an expert to ED medication (I had to google Vigour 800) but I used Apcalis (Tadalafil) on my last two trips to Pattaya when I needed it.
 
It worked well for me and I didn't experience the same side effects that I hear you get when using Kamagra oral jelly or Sidegra.

Just took a cute 20 year old ladyboy there. Convenient spot and it’s fine for a 350/hour. Thanks for the advice!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've only been to one ST hotel and it was the Atlas Hotel when I messaged a ladyboy on Grindr in the early morning. 

It was very clean, no issues using it for ST.

Hi @Mark22
I successfully applied for the DTV very soon after it went live. I'm in the US and I used the website (https://www.thaievisa.go.th) and applied through my closest Consulate (Los Angeles). 
Fairly straightforward process... It's about on par with the process for getting a SETV or METV. As for evidence of working remotely, I used a written verification of employment from my employer, indicating that my work location is "Virtual" (aka "remote"). 
I had the visa in hand 48 hours after applying. Cost: 10,000 THB. Valid for 5 years, with multiple entries, 180 days each entry. If you want to stay longer than 180 days (up to 360 days), you can get an extension for 1,900 THB. But then after that, you'd need to leave and come back.
If you have any other questions, feel free to DM me.  
 

Hey @Genghis, I would recommend Molino on Soi 11. I went there once last year for dinner, excellent food and cocktails.

https://www.molinobangkok.com/
https://www.instagram.com/molinobangkok/?hl=en

Tourist to NYPD beat cop: "How do I get to Carnegie Hall officer."
NYPD officer: "Practice lady, practice."
To be able to see the more interesting threads and topics you need to have made a minimum of 5 posts.
I also recommend that you review the newbies section as there's lots of info in that thread.
Enjoy.
 SAG

I have stayed at Citadines, in Sukhumvit Soi 8 for over 6 weeks, in two visits during August and September. So let me give you a small review.
Reception: very friendly and helpful. Check in around 11am both times no problem (although official check in starts at 2pm). From 7am to 6pm there is a coffee machine where you can get a coffee/cappuccino, free of charge. Check-out (before noon) was without a problem. The hotel is guest friendly, even when taking two girls at the same time. A few days (when I went in relative early), girls had to hand over ID at reception. Most of the times, they didn't bother at all.
Room: similar to the one in attached picture (pictures are snatched from the web). Only difference is view out of window, which for me a brick wall from the building next door   But they are spacious enough with a small kitchenette (only used for making coffee though). The couch is just to narrow to stretch you legs when sitting on it (at least when you're over 1.85m, not really convenient. The bed and pillows are perfect, and same for the shower. Too bad bumgun was leaking, so bathroom floor was wet all the time. Daily cleaning of bed sheets and room and additional towels was okay. Water is supplied as much as needed. On request: smoking rooms are available (inside, no balcony).
Swimming pool: I added the picture from the web. Didn't visit a single time during my stays 
Breakfast: you get vouchers, which you have to bring every morning. Inside there are basically two small tables and 1 bigger table (where groups or multiple individuals can sat down). Outside terrace has plenty of space to sit down. The coffee is good. The food is below average. Some cereal with milk, some yogurt and some hot food which never looked appealing to me. There is an option to order eggs, never did it myself. Prefer cappuccino over eggs in the morning. When not booked with room, a breakfast voucher can be bought for 250 THB.
Tuktuk: Citadines has a 24/7 tuktuk service, bringing you from the hotel to the entry of Soi 8, at the Lyf hotel. You can also text them via Line, for them to come pick you up there when returning to the hotel. Driver is a bit of a dolt though. Saw him a few times at 7/11, buying a can of beer. Guess designated drivers shouldn't dehydrate 
Costs: for my stay in August I paid approx. 2.240 THB (excl. breakfast) per night. I only booked this stay two weeks in advance. The stay in September (booked months in advance was approx. 2.200 THB (incl. breakfast) per night.
Will I repeat: Yes! Already booked for my next stay, preferably without the breakfast option. 

The new 'Destination Thailand Visa' is tempting me to move to Thailand. (while my new house in NZ becomes an investment property and I can rent it out).

The only thing is I need is to find an employer that will let me work remotely from Thailand. (my current employer would not be open to me working remotely from Thailand).
I know a previous employer of mine (working in software) with whom I had a positive working relationship has employees working in the Philippines working at their timezone (they don't need to work NZ/AUS hours) so I'm so tempted to reach out for a role but see if they'll allow to work from Thailand.

The video will explain some of the concerns around the VISA if anyone is interested to watch and has been thinking about making the move as well.
 
 

I'll be doing similarly from October this year. Currently undecided as to whether that will be in Bangkok or Chiang Mai yet as my GF has a job contract offer for CM and it could be an interesting change for a while.

This is the visa that I am going to get next (I have to wait to be back in the US to apply, because you cannot apply from within Thailand). 5 years multi-entry, 6 month stamp per entry, with the choice to either then leave and re-enter, or extend for another 6 months for 1,900฿.

The new 'Destination Thailand Visa' is tempting me to move to Thailand. (while my new house in NZ becomes an investment property and I can rent it out).

The only thing is I need is to find an employer that will let me work remotely from Thailand. (my current employer would not be open to me working remotely from Thailand).
I know a previous employer of mine (working in software) with whom I had a positive working relationship has employees working in the Philippines working at their timezone (they don't need to work NZ/AUS hours) so I'm so tempted to reach out for a role but see if they'll allow to work from Thailand.

The video will explain some of the concerns around the VISA if anyone is interested to watch and has been thinking about making the move as well.
 
 

I'm not sure if this will apply to anyone on the forum but as someone who has shown some interest to becoming a remote worker in Thailand, this is a welcome change.

Though I'm not planning to take advantage of this now, I'm glad that the Thai government has considered this for digital nomads or remote workers. 
What prevented me for becoming a digital nomad was having to do 'visa runs' 
 
https://nomadsembassy.com/thailand-multiple-entry-visa-for-digital-nomads/

I'm not sure if this will apply to anyone on the forum but as someone who has shown some interest to becoming a remote worker in Thailand, this is a welcome change.

Though I'm not planning to take advantage of this now, I'm glad that the Thai government has considered this for digital nomads or remote workers. 
What prevented me for becoming a digital nomad was having to do 'visa runs' 
 
https://nomadsembassy.com/thailand-multiple-entry-visa-for-digital-nomads/

I'm not sure if this will apply to anyone on the forum but as someone who has shown some interest to becoming a remote worker in Thailand, this is a welcome change.

Though I'm not planning to take advantage of this now, I'm glad that the Thai government has considered this for digital nomads or remote workers. 
What prevented me for becoming a digital nomad was having to do 'visa runs' 
 
https://nomadsembassy.com/thailand-multiple-entry-visa-for-digital-nomads/

Since you quoted AUD, can only assume you are an uneducated bogan living in a little town in Australia. 
If you don't like non-white PEOPLE, perhaps you shouldn't leave your little bubble and just go for a holiday in Coober Pedy next time champ.
Racism is not okay.