Hilton HHonors - Asia Vacation

Just got off the phone/internet from planning the next vacation:

Cathay Pacific from JFK to Hong Kong, then on to Singapore, then to Bangkok, and back to JFK via Hong Kong. Their "Monthly special" fare for September and October for this itinerary is $748pp plus taxes -> about $842 total.

-> Five free nights at Conrad Hong Kong (96K Premium Point stretcher - available nights run for *exactly* the duration of my stay).

-> Three nights at Conrad Singapore (I'd rather be at/near the west end of Orchard Road but the consensus on this board seems to be Conrad, + MRT if you'd like to spend time elsewhere. I've stayed near the US embassy and at the Ritz close to the Conrad on other trips, so I know what I'm in for).

-> Four free nights at the Hilton Bangkok (according to this board not in a prime tourist area, but free is free... No Point stretcher, but 90k Select award.)

I used all but 714 of my HH points for this (which explains the choice of free vs. paid). Any comments/warnings?

For Singapore I confirmed a Super Saver on the executive floor for about US$15 more than an available rate in a standard room. Since I'm Gold should I just reserve the standard room & count on an upgrade? $15 seemed like cheap insurance...

Another option would have been to book Point Stretcher for two of the four Singapore nights (I'm arriving at the end of a valid period) and pay $ for BKK and the remaining Singapore nights. Anyone have a feel for the cost effectiveness of points vs. dollars? I'd be spending $135-150/night at Conrad SIN (vs. 39K for two nights plus cash for the other two) and it looks like I could get a room at Hilton BKK for $119 (vs. 90K for four nights).

Thanks in advance for your opinions...
Pete H.

(Edited to fix stupid typos...)

[This message has been edited by pdhenry (edited 08-16-2002).]

Well, you've obviously done some homework, but I'd like to suggest that you pay for a hotel in BKK on or close to the river. Perhaps the Marriott (on the river, but somewhat south of prime areas. Great property, though.) or the Holiday Inn (not on the river, but close).

I'd book through www.asiatravel.com (http://www.asiatravel.com) or one of the other discount links mentioned in the BKK and Asia travel forums here.

Lots of people think the Hilton in BKK is ok, but the location really isn't that great in my opinion. For a tourism oriented stay, being near the river really makes things a lot easier.

This assumes, however, you're comfortable using the public river boat. which is cheap, safe, and convenient.
Rich

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by rjh:
Lots of people think the Hilton in BKK is ok, but the location really isn't that great in my opinion. For a tourism oriented stay, being near the river really makes things a lot easier.</font>

Rich:

Thanks for the feedback.

Especially since I can get the Royal Orchid Sheraton for $100/night, it doesn't seem like a good use of 90K points to patronize the Hilton.

I'll post other Bangkok hotel Qs on the Asia forum...

Pete