Maitri

We all share a common number one reason for going to Thailand, but the delectable LB delicacies aside, I find Thai to be among the most delicious cuisine in the world. It is up there among my strongest excuses for going to Thailand and remaining in Bangkok. However, it is a legitimate reason, and I am wondering what the favorite Thai dishes are of the BMs, and where they like to eat, particularly around Sukhumvit and Nana.
 
Daytime?
 
Late night?
 
Street food is often the cheapest and the the best. In my time around Sukhumvit, I have found the food arcade that sets up around Soi 1 offers a variety of decent food at good prices. I am sure there are better spots, let's hear about them!
 

 
Not sure what these raamen-like soups were, but they were awesome.
 

 

 
My favorite Thai dishes:
 
1. Pad See-Ew (phat si io)
 
2. Khao Pad Goong... or any Khao Pad
 
3. Curries
 
4. Tom Yum
 
5. Lad na
 
6. Who doesn't enjoy a good Pad Thai?
 
7. Should I try papaya salad?
 
The nice thing about meeting gurls is that they are hungry esp after boom boom! and they usually know good places to go to replenish their energy! On my last trip, I hooked up with a LB from Isaan and we went to eat at a place she liked, with good Isaan food.
 

 
Does anyone remember Ploy from the old GB? Aside from eating each other's goodies, we ate out a couple times at a spot she liked off the beaten path... I want to say it was up around the soi 20's or 30's but a ways off of Sukhumvit definitely on the even number side...
 

 
Don't remember what the food was she liked, but it was spicy!
 
 

I have been searching and reading through the hotel reviews, but I can't find any mention of this hotel. It looks like it might be a decent place to stay. Has anyone stayed here?? I would really appreciate to know what your experience was like and if it is LB friendly, which being on Soi 4, one would assume.

Some of the BMs have requested I do a review for the hotel at which I stayed, so here goes.
 
I stayed at The Golden Palace, which is located on Soi 1, about a 3 or 4 minute walk from Sukhumvit. It is closer to Phloen Chit sky-train station than Nana.
 
The Price: When I stayed, I paid 1350b / night which includes free breakfast (until 10am) at a cafe they have adjacent to the hotel, called Elfin. The food is probably average at best... They give you a choice of Western breakfast or Thai, which alternates daily. I have always eaten Thai, so I couldn't tell you how the eggs are.
I ordered food to my room once, but it was nothing to get excited about.
Of course, it's GF, but they told me only 1. They would probably charge you for another.
 
The layout: It is actually 2 floor motel style, in a "U" shape, with a pool in the middle. When you enter the premises from Soi 1 reception is str8 ahead, rooms to your left and pool on your right.
 
The pool: is nice to have to cool off. Has diving board, showers, toilets, chairs and tables, gets decent sun. Is old, so not super clean. The last day I stayed there, they had it cleaned, but not the deep areas.
 
The rooms: I have stayed in a few different rooms. They are very basic. The bathroom is ok, but the shower doesn't have much water pressure. There is a bum hose though! There are in-room safes, and I think they have wi-fi, but I have never tried using it. The floors are not carpeted (not a bad thing), and the furniture is all pretty retro. The hotel is fairly old, come to think about it, with one room I stayed in having tiny bugs crawling out of a crack in woodwork behind the TV. Speaking of TV, you just get 8 or 10 basic channels: HBO, DISC, BBC, Sports, etc, and I found that in most of the rooms I have stayed in the picture is kinda fuzzy. Last time in one room the remote didn't work, but they brought me a whole different TV set the next day!
There is AC in all of them, but the models differ, I found, so some rooms can be cooler than others.
Beds are fine, I have slept in only double, but they might have other rooms with bigger ones.
 
Proximity: Depending on your walking speed, it is about a good 10-12 minute walk to NEP. If you're bringing a friend back, enough to break a sweat.
 
Recommendation: It depends on your standards, and how nice of a hotel you care to have. For the budget traveler who doesn't mind settling for the very basics, but who is looking for a pool, and wants to be a decent distance away from the action, this place is for you. If you can afford something nicer and nearer, or don't need a pool, then another place would be better. I thought 1350 was a little high considering the rooms, but factoring in the pool, free breakfast and location, I thought it was worth it.
 
Here are some pics:
 

 

 

 
You can find info about the hotel on the web if you google it, and here's a more 'professional' review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA_HLdRy0Uo
I find that most of what he says is true, but I'm not a chain-smoking European, and the pictures of the rooms with the beds at 00:32 look way nicer than what I have seen there and the staff at the desk are, I suppose, friendly, but nothing to rave about.

the Burger King that's across from Nana

We all share a common number one reason for going to Thailand, but the delectable LB delicacies aside, I find Thai to be among the most delicious cuisine in the world. It is up there among my strongest excuses for going to Thailand and remaining in Bangkok. However, it is a legitimate reason, and I am wondering what the favorite Thai dishes are of the BMs, and where they like to eat, particularly around Sukhumvit and Nana.
 
Daytime?
 
Late night?
 
Street food is often the cheapest and the the best. In my time around Sukhumvit, I have found the food arcade that sets up around Soi 1 offers a variety of decent food at good prices. I am sure there are better spots, let's hear about them!
 

 
Not sure what these raamen-like soups were, but they were awesome.
 

 

 
My favorite Thai dishes:
 
1. Pad See-Ew (phat si io)
 
2. Khao Pad Goong... or any Khao Pad
 
3. Curries
 
4. Tom Yum
 
5. Lad na
 
6. Who doesn't enjoy a good Pad Thai?
 
7. Should I try papaya salad?
 
The nice thing about meeting gurls is that they are hungry esp after boom boom! and they usually know good places to go to replenish their energy! On my last trip, I hooked up with a LB from Isaan and we went to eat at a place she liked, with good Isaan food.
 

 
Does anyone remember Ploy from the old GB? Aside from eating each other's goodies, we ate out a couple times at a spot she liked off the beaten path... I want to say it was up around the soi 20's or 30's but a ways off of Sukhumvit definitely on the even number side...
 

 
Don't remember what the food was she liked, but it was spicy!
 
 

We all share a common number one reason for going to Thailand, but the delectable LB delicacies aside, I find Thai to be among the most delicious cuisine in the world. It is up there among my strongest excuses for going to Thailand and remaining in Bangkok. However, it is a legitimate reason, and I am wondering what the favorite Thai dishes are of the BMs, and where they like to eat, particularly around Sukhumvit and Nana.
 
Daytime?
 
Late night?
 
Street food is often the cheapest and the the best. In my time around Sukhumvit, I have found the food arcade that sets up around Soi 1 offers a variety of decent food at good prices. I am sure there are better spots, let's hear about them!
 

 
Not sure what these raamen-like soups were, but they were awesome.
 

 

 
My favorite Thai dishes:
 
1. Pad See-Ew (phat si io)
 
2. Khao Pad Goong... or any Khao Pad
 
3. Curries
 
4. Tom Yum
 
5. Lad na
 
6. Who doesn't enjoy a good Pad Thai?
 
7. Should I try papaya salad?
 
The nice thing about meeting gurls is that they are hungry esp after boom boom! and they usually know good places to go to replenish their energy! On my last trip, I hooked up with a LB from Isaan and we went to eat at a place she liked, with good Isaan food.
 

 
Does anyone remember Ploy from the old GB? Aside from eating each other's goodies, we ate out a couple times at a spot she liked off the beaten path... I want to say it was up around the soi 20's or 30's but a ways off of Sukhumvit definitely on the even number side...
 

 
Don't remember what the food was she liked, but it was spicy!
 
 

We all share a common number one reason for going to Thailand, but the delectable LB delicacies aside, I find Thai to be among the most delicious cuisine in the world. It is up there among my strongest excuses for going to Thailand and remaining in Bangkok. However, it is a legitimate reason, and I am wondering what the favorite Thai dishes are of the BMs, and where they like to eat, particularly around Sukhumvit and Nana.
 
Daytime?
 
Late night?
 
Street food is often the cheapest and the the best. In my time around Sukhumvit, I have found the food arcade that sets up around Soi 1 offers a variety of decent food at good prices. I am sure there are better spots, let's hear about them!
 

 
Not sure what these raamen-like soups were, but they were awesome.
 

 

 
My favorite Thai dishes:
 
1. Pad See-Ew (phat si io)
 
2. Khao Pad Goong... or any Khao Pad
 
3. Curries
 
4. Tom Yum
 
5. Lad na
 
6. Who doesn't enjoy a good Pad Thai?
 
7. Should I try papaya salad?
 
The nice thing about meeting gurls is that they are hungry esp after boom boom! and they usually know good places to go to replenish their energy! On my last trip, I hooked up with a LB from Isaan and we went to eat at a place she liked, with good Isaan food.
 

 
Does anyone remember Ploy from the old GB? Aside from eating each other's goodies, we ate out a couple times at a spot she liked off the beaten path... I want to say it was up around the soi 20's or 30's but a ways off of Sukhumvit definitely on the even number side...
 

 
Don't remember what the food was she liked, but it was spicy!
 
 

The Sawasdee 8 is where I usually stay. I've tried a few other places but always come back to this one. It's the best value for the money that I've found in the Sukhumvit area. Things I like about it:
 
1) I can usually book it with breakfast for approximately 1200baht all-in through agoda.com.
 
2) The rooms are small but clean and well-designed.
 
3) Beds are large and comfortable.
 
4) Wifi is decently fast and free.
 
5) It is tucked into the dark and quiet end of soi 8 with lots of trees. I don't feel like I'm in the middle of sex tourist central but am just a short walk away. The location is really hard to beat.
 
6) The staff are very nice.
 
7) 24 hour tuk tuk service to the top of the soi and back. I usually carry their business card in my wallet and then have my girl call them when we are at the top of the soi. They are there in less than five minutes. It's also close enough to Suk to make walking an option.
 
8) You can cut through the alleyway where Lolita's is to get to soi 4. I'm always tempted to stop and sometimes I do.
 
9) Breakfast is nothing much but always has fresh fruit and yogurt, which is enough for me as I do most of my eating later out on the street. They have a nice little coffee machine amidst the breakfast spread that puts out a good fresh cup.
 
10) They are guest friendly and I've had no problem bringing in LBs. I brought 2 GGs back with me one night and still no problem or joiner fee.
 
11) The times that I've done LT my date has joined me for breakfast and no one seemed to care.
 
12) If you happen to grab a late night beer from your refrigerator the price is more than reasonable. Unlike other places that hit you hard in the wallet for extras.