Bimale75

Done air China on short haul. somebody was “cuffed” for smoking in the bathroom. The combination of smells from all the packed lunches was overpowering and the man beside decided it was okay to hack, cough and spit into a cup all the way through the trip  
Ymmv but …
Let me put it this way. That will be an epic journey long haul.
but it’s out of London so may be better 

I used them before they joined star alliance. Ages ago. Had friend used them recently and they said they were good.
Service onboard was good not Singapore standards but not far off.
Didn’t like the non lie flat beds, kept falling down them. But I think they are fully flat now. 
only done premium economy and their old business class product. 
def use them again if the price was right. Currently out of the UK the prices are too high for me to justify them though. 

Last time I was in bkk with work. I stayed here and loved it. Bit far from the action though  not massively expensive (if money is no object) around gbp300 a night 
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
https://www.kempinski.com/en/siam-hotel
 
 

Last time I was in bkk with work. I stayed here and loved it. Bit far from the action though  not massively expensive (if money is no object) around gbp300 a night 
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
https://www.kempinski.com/en/siam-hotel
 
 

Actually thinking about it. I also did the Beijing la route in 2012.
More recently a number of internal flights. 
I think the airline hasn’t changed in quality of their service offering.
I think what has changed is the quality of the passengers. (God that sounds awful )

Actually thinking about it. I also did the Beijing la route in 2012.
More recently a number of internal flights. 
I think the airline hasn’t changed in quality of their service offering.
I think what has changed is the quality of the passengers. (God that sounds awful )

I flew Air China from LA to Beijing, Beijing to Chengdu, Chengdu to Beijing, and then Beijing to LA and had no issues at all. That was in 2012, so quality could have definitely slipped.

Based on 20+ years of flying worldwide while I was still working, I can safely say there are no bigger pigs on a plane than Chinese people. Use Air China at your own risk! The comment about hacking and spitting are spot on.

I have been checking prices for September October
There is brussels bkk via Vienna with Austrian for 589eur

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A536B met Tapatalk

I suggest you wait for prices to drop. They do things differently from the rest. A short 1 or 2 hour flight? Maybe. Big Maybe! 
But anything more? Don't risk it. 
Dan

Done air China on short haul. somebody was “cuffed” for smoking in the bathroom. The combination of smells from all the packed lunches was overpowering and the man beside decided it was okay to hack, cough and spit into a cup all the way through the trip  
Ymmv but …
Let me put it this way. That will be an epic journey long haul.
but it’s out of London so may be better 

5 or 6 year ago I had a fly to Chengdu on Air China. During the night one lady was watching movies on her tablet. The sound on, without earphones. I stopped a flight attendant : could she ask the lady to put the earphones ? The flight attendant was embarrassed : sorry sir, I can do nothing. People here (cf in China) do as they want.
The price will have to be very good to choose Air China again.

I fly a lot on them. They have PE on some of their 789 and all 777. Service is good on PE and business class. Never flew economy on them so can’t comment. 
in fact I am flying with them tomorrow too. PE seats are worth it because the pitch and width is good. Separate small cabin for PE. Looks like the old business class. Fairly good recline. If you need to get out obviously the best is an aisle seat in the middle row. The 777 has 2-4-2 in PE. There is a foot rest too. The Inflight Entertainment is crap though. 

I used them before they joined star alliance. Ages ago. Had friend used them recently and they said they were good.
Service onboard was good not Singapore standards but not far off.
Didn’t like the non lie flat beds, kept falling down them. But I think they are fully flat now. 
only done premium economy and their old business class product. 
def use them again if the price was right. Currently out of the UK the prices are too high for me to justify them though. 

Ghost hotel … hab boogie man …

Still off topic/actual question.  but hopefully useful. Same day pickup and return but you pay for the added laziness. 
https://www.washdrop.com/laundry-bangkok/
I use them because they split colours and whites. Wash at 30degrees and don’t mix with other customers. Offer ironing as well. (I’m a bit anal about laundry  )

Still off topic/actual question.  but hopefully useful. Same day pickup and return but you pay for the added laziness. 
https://www.washdrop.com/laundry-bangkok/
I use them because they split colours and whites. Wash at 30degrees and don’t mix with other customers. Offer ironing as well. (I’m a bit anal about laundry  )

Last time I was in bkk with work. I stayed here and loved it. Bit far from the action though  not massively expensive (if money is no object) around gbp300 a night 
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
https://www.kempinski.com/en/siam-hotel
 
 

Yes although they are easy on the eye they are heavy on the wallet. Fond memory’s don’t come cheap. 
 

I rate Hyatt Regency, not as the best hotel but the best location (for mongers), on corner of Soi 13 Sukhumvit. Price around 7000 THB per night depending on season. I have seen it cheaper but 7K seems to be the average. Suites go for 13,000 THB per night. Great buffet breakfast, nice swimming pool and gym on level 6 and very cool rooftop bar. I have stayed at Park Hyatt (over 16,000Thb per night for standard room) which was very nice but not the same awesome location as Hyatt Regency.
Hyatt Regency is a very nice 5 star hotel. 1 minutes walk to Soi 11 with heaps of restaurants to choose from, and Cindy's Secret.
450 meters - 4 minutes walk to Check-in Bar. 8 minutes walk to Nana Entertainment Plaza, 9 minutes walk to Soi Cowboy. 2 minutes walk to Nana BTS if you want to venture out around Bangkok.
Street walkers (GG and LB) right out the front most nights.
When I stay there I very rarely venture further than 450 meters!
Or Sofitel, just on next block past Soi 13. I have not stayed there but still great location.
Pics of a King Deluxe Room from my stay at Hyatt Regency in July last yeat

I once stayed at the Peninsula down by the river.
With the floor to ceiling windows and outstanding views of the river it is very hard to beat. 
They have a private ferry that takes you to other side of the river.
Not something i would ever pay for myself, but I was speaking at a 5 day conference, all fees paid by the organisers. 
I'd rate the Peninsula in the top 3 hotels worldwide I have ever stayed at.
 SAG

I would suggest Tichuca. Never been there myself, but hear a lot of good stories!

On Soi 11, chances are you won't see any families with kids. 
In hotels that attract Arab families, kids are running up and down hallways without adult supervision around the clock even in the wee hours. They don't misbehave - they are actually quite well behaved - but they apparently don't have conventional bedtimes like they would in the West. It's simply a cultural difference. Those hotels are mostly in the Arab quarter proper rather than Soi 11. 
A few years back as I was leaving Nana Plaza, I spotted a young farang family with pre-school children and a stroller at the entrance trying to enter NEP.  I guess they were attracted by the bright lights and wanted to see what was inside. The security guys jumped up out of their chairs, stopped them immediately and then had a chat with the parents. I didn't hear what was said, but I did see the mom's eyes open really wide while she was listening. That was probably when they realized Bangkok is a questionable choice for a family vacation. 

Just spent 8 nights at the Mercure on Soi 11 and thought I'd offer up my take.
I had a King room with shower and bathtub, one of several options. It's not their largest or their smallest room, but was plenty large for my needs (photos below).
I arrived at midnight, and check-in was quick and simple. I purchased a room without the breakfast add-on, as I like to explore various breakfast options around town. I booked well in advance, while prices were still depressed by Covid, so got a rate of about $86/night. When I checked in, the rate being offered at that time was about $112.
My room was on the 16th floor and away from Soi 11, so as quiet as a room will get in that part of town. I had no issues with noise
A funny moment: I was only interested in sleeping after a 27 hour trip with a 15 hour time change, but could not figure out how to turn off the room lights. I searched everywhere (I thought) for the switches, finally calling the front desk to send someone up. The control for the room lights (nearly all of them) was in the middle of the bed headboard, hiding behind a stack of pillows.
Description of room:
The room was plenty spacious, and had pretty much everything I would want. The king bed was comfortable and the bed linens were high quality. Four large pillows. There was a desk with two chairs, and an additional two guest chairs with a small table. Opposite the bed there was a small storage unit with two drawers for clothes, and a flat screen TV above it. TV worked fine and was decent sized, but I never watched any TV. To the left of this, towards the door to the room and the door to the bathroom, was a platform to set luggage on, a small fridge (not a minibar), and then a closet with a decent sized safe (big enough for a laptop). Across from the closet was the door to the bathroom. As mentioned, the bathroom had both a glass-enclosed shower, with adjustable/handheld shower head and a rainfall shower head. Across from the shower was a full tub with an adjustable/handheld shower head (for some reason, many Thai girls seem to prefer to shower in the tub...I don't get it). Tub had a wall mounted soap dispenser, shower had wall mounted soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispensers. Next to the shower was a toilet with the essential bum gun, and next to it a shower and sink with ample room for storage of toiletries.
Pros: 
Comfortable bed Good AC that was easy to control air speed and room temp Great hot water. It was easy to control, and never ran low. Two large bath sheets and two smaller bath towels Plenty of seating for guests. Chairs came in handy for sex as well. Housekeeping was responsive to requests for extra towels, hangers, etc. I tipped daily. Good reading lights by the bed. Cons:
Lighting was hard to control. No dimming, and ceiling lights were either all on or all off. No power outlets next to the bed! Charging phones had to be done at the desk or on top of the fridge. This was a nuisance. Aside from liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, there were no other amenities in the bathroom. No plastic hair cover for the girls, etc. Fridge was on the small side. Room for a few drinks and not much else. The Hotel:
The lobby is nothing fancy. From the driveway you walk through sliding glass doors, across a seating area with a concierge stand, past the elevators (one left, one right), and to the actual reception desks. One of the two hotel restaurants (Lily Fu's) is on the ground floor to the right of the hotel entrance, and can be entered from inside or outside the hotel. Another restaurant (Gaucho Argentinean Steakhouse) is loosely affiliated with the hotel and is just to the left of the hotel.
The hotel has a parking garage (4 levels), a pool, bar, and gym that sit above the parking garage, and 16 floors of rooms (1-16, minus 13th, plus a Penthouse level). I spent a fair amount of time at the pool. One of the better pools I've used. There are actually two pools: a smaller and very shallow splash pool for kids and a larger pool, still fairly shallow (1.2 meters) for swimming. The pool is surround by ample seating of various sorts with shade for the sun-averse. The bar sits at one end of the pool, and has a decent drink and food menu. Neither cheap nor overpriced. The gym, glass enclosed and looking out over the pool, was also very good, with plenty of cardio and weight machines.
Pros:
Lobby easy to negotiate. It's a decent walk (of shame?) to the elevators, but you have the option of skipping the desk and taking your guests straight to your room. Elevators require a room key to get to a particular floor, so no surprise guests will appear at your door (as has happened to me at other hotels). Breakfast buffet at Lily Fu's is excellent, at 299 baht. Egg station, all the usual options for American/English breakfast, tons of Asian options, good selection of fruit, juices, breads and pastries, coffees and teas, etc. One can sit open air in the front of the restaurant facing Soi 11 or sit back further inside or at the bar. In the evening, Lily Fu's is a bar/restaurant and is pretty active. Good drink options, reasonably priced, and usually quite crowded. The food is primarily pan-Asian and good, but there are better options, so I only had a quick meal there one time when convenience was key. Gym was great and never crowded. Pool would get busy, but there was always ample seating. Cons:
The hotel is definitely a family hotel. Not exclusively so, but if you're a shy monger just know that you'll be dealing with lots of couples on vacation, families with kids, and so forth. The clients were incredibly diverse, a little United Nations. Didn't bother me at all, but I know some here prefer hotels that cater primarily to mongers. I'm afraid there are fewer and fewer of those, and they are generally not the best hotels. Pool area could get noisy when a few families with kids would show up. The pool is my reading area, and shouting kids are distracting. Come on the early side for breakfast. At least while I was in town the restaurant got quite crowded by 9:30. Fortunately, I'm an early riser. Conclusion:
Depending on the rate I can get, I'd definitely stay again. Did I mention that Cindy's Secrets is about 100 yards from the hotel, and that it's a short walk to Check In Bar? And that Soi 11 really has lots of options for food at any time of day, and plenty of nightlife. By 9 pm freelancers show up along Soi 11 closer to Sukhumvit. I definitely preferred staying here over Soi 4. Soi 11 is now also the hub for the mobile marijuana dispensaries. There were at least ten vans selling marijuana along Soi 11 (and tons of dispensaries along Sukhumvit), including two vans parked in front of the Mercure in the evenings. Didn't imbibe. I liked getting in walks to the skytrain from the hotel (maybe 5 minutes), and Terminal 21 is just a 10 minute walk.
The morning I left, at 5 am, there were four girls from Cindy's sitting in front of my hotel, so I went out and chatted with them. The street was still pretty active, but mostly filled with bargirls and freelancers ending their nights by getting something to eat or drink. I don't think Soi 11 ever sleeps.
 

thanks for this, forums are great to get a different perspective of things. 
I think you are absolutely correct with this and I hadn’t considered it. Also agree about the hotel workers and couldn’t care what the old couple from the chattering classes think. 
I was focussing on the  situation with families around etc. wanted to minimise the case of running into a family while I’m with  with an obvious sex worker. Not that I’m paranoid per se, just wouldn’t want to be causing undue questions. “Hey daddy why’s that girl got man’s bits” etc. but I guess the flip side of that is families shouldn’t be in the red light zone. 
again thanks for the views it’s really helpful