At the end of my honeymoon trip, we will be arriving back in Bangkok (the new airport) from Chiang Mai on an Air Asia flight getting in at 11:25PM. The next morning, we fly out of BKK on United at 6:50AM (Aug 14, right after Queen's birthday). I am Star Alliance Gold, and a 1K, flying (upgraded) business. I only put this in because of lounge access and preferred checking options.

1) Is there any chance we could check our bags that night for the flight? It would free us to head into the city one last time.

2) How late are the *A lounges open, and which ones would we have access to?

3) We're packing light. If we couldn't check baggage and wanted to head into the city, are there luggage lockers or other options?

4) How early should we leave the city by taxi to make it to the airport in the morning?

1) Air Asia does not interline and the United checkin counter opens 2 1/2 to 3 hours before departure. So you can not check luggage at midnight.
4) Leave for the airport 1 1/2 hrs before your flight.

is there a 24 hour uggage storage at the new airport ?

Rally

i forget what floor it ison but they have a 24 hr baggage storage--just look for the sign that says left baggage

ummmm say you get your luggage over to Left Luggage by midnight ,

then you have Midnight till 5am or so....

but you are 20-45 minutes each way from the city...

Since you have already been in Thailand seeing 4 hours of Bangkok is not a big deal.....

I would just hang out at the airport , get a good book etc and sleep on the plane ride home ,

I normally stay up the night before so I sleep on the plane :)

Rally

I tend to agree with rally. By the time you collected your bags and dropped them at left luggage (midway down the terminal on the arrivals floor, near Exit B from Customs), then got a taxi into town, it would be quite late. You could sleep for a few hours at most, after dealing with check-in formalities and would have to get up early to deal with checkout and get back to the airport. Oh, and that's IF you're Air Asia flight gets in on time. They're not exactly known for punctuality.

I think leaving central Bangkok 1.5 hours before your flight is a very good way to ensure an extra day in Thailand. Even at good speed with no traffic, it's a 30-minute ride to Suvarnabhumi from central Bangkok. Checking in for your flight just one hour before is cutting things pretty close, even in Business Class. Depature Immigration lines have been lengthy on my last several trips through BKK. Even if all goes smoothly, you may well find yourself dashing to the gate. Highly doubtful you'd have any kind of time at the lounge. I'd leave central Bangkok at least 2 hours before flight time.

To me, this seems like a grand hassle to no point. Bangkok is such a wonderful place that I rarely recommend anyone staying at the airport for more than a few hours. But unless you can get an earlier flight to BKK from CNX, that's what seems best for you.

OH, and you may be packing light now, but I have a feeling you won't be packing light on the way home, especially if this is your or your fiancee's first visit to Thailand. Bangkok is a shopping paradise. Chiang Mai is known for good shopping too.

I think leaving central Bangkok 1.5 hours before your flight is a very good way to ensure an extra day in Thailand. Even at good speed with no traffic, it's a 30-minute ride to Suvarnabhumi from central Bangkok. Checking in for your flight just one hour before is cutting things pretty close, even in Business Class. Depature Immigration lines have been lengthy on my last several trips through BKK. Even if all goes smoothly, you may well find yourself dashing to the gate. Highly doubtful you'd have any kind of time at the lounge. I'd leave central Bangkok at least 2 hours before flight time.

I agree. Usually we leave the house (Sukumvit) around 2 hrs before flight time. When the driver didn't show up to get my mother on her last trip, she had to call someone else to drive her, so she didn't get to the airport until about 50 min before the flight - same UA flight (she's 2P) - the check-in counter was already closed but they found someone to check her in. So cutting it that close is definitely not recommended.

Thanks for the advice! We might try to change the Air Asia flight leaving Chiang Mai, but we already booked, so I imagine the change fees could be hefty.

If we just deposited the bags in left luggage, we could still have a few hours of Bangkok nightlife to soak in... is there anything relatively close to the airport to maximize our time if we take this route? If not, an airport stay it is.

So the next question is, what to do at the airport? Would any *A lounges be open overnight?

You will only get 1 or 2 hours of nightlife because 99.9% of clubs/discos/bars close by 2AM.

Aren't the air asia tickets from chiang mai to bangkok like $50 or less each?

If so, I can't believe the change fee would be that significant.

By the way, my question would be whether if you took Thai Airlines from Chiang Mai instead of Air Asia, you'd pay slightly more, but they'd let you check your baggage thru to the states

what time does UA open in the morning ?

I always got there early at the old airport but have no idea when they started check-in

Rally

By the time you check your bags, get into Bangkok, I would say you would get maybe 15 minutes of "nightlife". There are 24 hour "sex clubs", if that's your thing, but you won't find much else open. Official closing time for bars is now 1 AM, due to the new Social Order's "crackdown".

There is something inside the airport called "Louis Tavern" lounge, maybe two locations, and you can get reasonably priced lounge access, and a shower. There might also be some kind of room there in 4 or 6 hour blocks, reasonably priced.

And whoever wrote that you need to leave Bangkok an hour and a flight BEFORE a flight is WAY off. Traffic inside the City is very unpredictable... it could take an hour just to get to the expressway. Also, immigration to exit can sometimes take 40 minutes in line. Air Asia opens their check in counters exactly two hours before each flight.

Honestly, I think you will find more "nightlife" inside the airport than you will in Bangkok at say 3 AM.

And whoever wrote that you need to leave Bangkok an hour and a flight BEFORE a flight is WAY off. Traffic inside the City is very unpredictable... it could take an hour just to get to the expressway. Also, immigration to exit can sometimes take 40 minutes in line.
In general, yes, but at 5 AM, no.

That said, I'll add my voice to the choir and suggest staying at the airport. The prayer/meditation rooms are a decent place to catch some free shut-eye, or you could try to book a room with an actual bed at Louis Tavern.

Ok...u want night life. Here goes.
leave luggage at depot near arrivals lounge.
Catch taxi to Sukumvitt Soi 3.
Go to Bar Bamboo which closes at 4.30am.
Get taxi back to airport (at that time will take 30 mins max)
Pick up bags, and go to check in.
Get on plane exausted, and sleep your flight home.
Have a good one.

Air Asia is notoriously late, and the delays get worse as the day goes on. You'll want to factor this into your timing.

but if the OP cancelled or killed the air asia flight and instead booked thai air, from chiang mai flying one day, anyone know whether he could check through his bags for the next day's flight to the states, avoiding both the hassle and cost of checking luggage.

By the time you check your bags, get into Bangkok, I would say you would get maybe 15 minutes of "nightlife". There are 24 hour "sex clubs", if that's your thing, but you won't find much else open. Official closing time for bars is now 1 AM, due to the new Social Order's "crackdown".

I was in a bar until 2:30 am on Tuesday night. Many other bars were open until 2am.

At the end of my honeymoon trip, we will be arriving back in Bangkok (the new airport) from Chiang Mai on an Air Asia flight getting in at 11:25PM. The next morning, we fly out of BKK on United at 6:50AM (Aug 14, right after Queen's birthday). I am Star Alliance Gold, and a 1K, flying (upgraded) business. I only put this in because of lounge access and preferred checking options.

1) Is there any chance we could check our bags that night for the flight? It would free us to head into the city one last time.

2) How late are the *A lounges open, and which ones would we have access to?

3) We're packing light. If we couldn't check baggage and wanted to head into the city, are there luggage lockers or other options?

4) How early should we leave the city by taxi to make it to the airport in the morning?

1.) No.
2.) N/A.
3.) Left luggage services available. I think on level 2. Many incidences of pilferage reported, so don't leave anything valuable in your bags.
4.) For UA 838, depart the 'city' at 04:30.


Your itinerary is demanding and challenging. Without an understanding of the relative importance of sleep, comfort and lack of hassle, it is impossible to make a recommendation. You'd probably be best off at the Novotel or a nearby hotel property (the Louis Tavern air-side facility is not an option for your itin.), with all bags in hand or duking it out with the other thousand other people in transit for rest space in the terminal. Anyway you look at it you'll get 3 hours "sleep" tops. And yes, Bangkok is a 7x24 city so some bars are open around the clock but the value of such establishments for a honeymoon couple in transit seem marginal at best.

As a minor note, the Queen's birthday is 12 August, year in, year out and that is the date it will be celebrated on. This is also celebrated as Mother's Day. Since it falls on a Sunday this year, Monday 13 August is an "in lieu" holiday for schools, banks and government offices.

Air Asia is notoriously late, and the delays get worse as the day goes on. You'll want to factor this into your timing.

I've never heard Air Asia is "notorioiusly" late... I've taken them dozens of times, never had a late flight. Same for most other Thai airlines, (Thailand Air Asia)... I can't speak for Malaysia based Air Asia flights.

1.) No.
2.) N/A.
3.) Left luggage services available. I think on level 2. Many incidences of pilferage reported, so don't leave anything valuable in your bags.
...
Your itinerary is demanding and challenging. Without an understanding of the relative importance of sleep, comfort and lack of hassle, it is impossible to make a recommendation.The problem is, right now I don't know the relative importance of each issue. Will we be exhausted after our Air Asia flight (possibly coming after a jungle hike), wanting to just sleep somewhere comfortable? Will we want to squeeze out another experience in the last few hours of our time in Bangkok? I have no idea. But I do want to know my options and what is realistic given the time we have. This thread, including your advice, has certianly provided that.

However, given option #3, now you've worried me about the left luggage. If, for instance, I'm taking my brand new video camera with me instead of storing it in left luggage, that defeats the whole purpose of going into Bangkok unfettered.

I was in a bar until 2:30 am on Tuesday night. Many other bars were open until 2am.

... but are those bars good for a honeymoon couple? Q Bar, Bed, HRC, Hollywood Disco, etc. all close by 2AM but sometimes earlier depending on the whims of the police.

I've never heard Air Asia is "notorioiusly" late... I've taken them dozens of times, never had a late flight. Same for most other Thai airlines, (Thailand Air Asia)... I can't speak for Malaysia based Air Asia flights.

I have heard Air Asia and Thai Air Asia's reputations for being late. I've never flown them (for a variety of reasons), but a quick look at the arrivals and depatures boards at BKK and other airports where Air Asia flies revealed quite a number of delays.

Far from a scientific study. And no direct personal experience, save for what I've seen on the boards. But my point is that the idea of Air Asia being "notoriously" late is not off-the-wall.

To the OP: Glad this thread has been a help. As un-glam as it may be, the Novotel at the airport may be your best bet/only choice, practically speaking. If you just can't handle the thought of spending the last night of your honeymoon there, you could dash in to the city. But you'll only get a few hours of sleep there.

I also think Air Asia's reputation of always being late is unjustified. However, it seems they do use the same plane to fly between 2 points all day, and every little 10 and 15 minute delay piles up at the end of the day to a significant late skew for the last flight. I saw this coming out of Kuala Lumpur back to Bangkok on the last flight of the day, although I had never witnessed it on the many (mostly early morning) flights I had taken previously with them.

I also think it would hardly be worthwhile to run into central Bangkok for the sake of drinking in some bar for a couple hours. There are now a couple of brand new motel-style hotels on the fringe of the airport, the Floral Shire and the Queens Garden. Why not put up there, get a shower and a few hours sleep, put on fresh clothes and get back to the terminal in time for a no-rush check-in? Contacts for the hotels on this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719674). They're both only 5 minutes from the terminal.

There are now a couple of brand new motel-style hotels on the fringe of the airport, the Floral Shire and the Queens Garden. Why not put up there, get a shower and a few hours sleep, put on fresh clothes and get back to the terminal in time for a no-rush check-in? Contacts for the hotels on this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719674). They're both only 5 minutes from the terminal.Perfect! Even on Asiarooms, the Novotel is ridiculously expensive (we're staying at the Pen right now for far less). I think this will be the best option for us.

I was going to suggest something else, but I forgot that you were getting in late at night.

Just an update- I won't cross-post, so check out my review on billp's thread about accommodations.

Reserved Queens Garden by emailing them relevant info, and requested pickup and dropoff. All of our Air Asia flights (BKK-Surat Thani-BKK, BKK-Chiang Mai-BKK) were on-time. Arrived Monday night in BKK, called hotel on my cell phone, they picked us up 10-15 min later. Able to shower, rest, watch some TV and sleep a tiny bit before the morning flight.

Thanks for all the info and advice!

Just an update- . . . Able to shower, rest, watch some TV and sleep a tiny bit before the morning flight.

And now you're home safe and sound and jet-lagged, posting to FT at 2 o'clock in the morning Phoenix time. :p

Glad it worked out. Any other comments on your trip?

And now you're home safe and sound and jet-lagged, posting to FT at 2 o'clock in the morning Phoenix time. :p

Glad it worked out. Any other comments on your trip?:D Exactly. Slept a few hours at about 7PM and that was it.

I'm thinking of writing a trip report, but essentially, we both didn't like Bangkok much (it has its charms, but very limited charms) but loved the Pen and shopping at Siam. We had a great time on Samui, especially once we left Chaweng Beach- Ang Thong Marine Park was gorgeous, and the Health Oasis Resort in Ao Bang Po was quite a hippy-crunchy experience. Chiang Mai was fantastic, and we crammed tons into just three days. I was surprised at how fun the really "touristy" things were.

Got lots more to say, but I'm feeling loopy as its 8AM here and I've been up all night. Essentially, we had a fantastic trip, and I already know that if we return, the only reason we'd stay in Bangkok would be for one of the 5-star hotels. I'd like go to the Andaman side, Katchanburi, Ayuthaya, Sukothai, Lopburi, Chiang Rai, Pai and Mae Hong So. (ambitious, I know) Also found it amusing that the new edition of the Lonely Planet Thailand came out the week (or even day?) that we left.