DYKWIA

Oh gawd, I wish I'd never asked now I'll be with the missus, so Patpong will be a case of walking through rather than going in the bars.

It's cancellable, so what would your recommendation be (Marriott/SPG/Accor)?

We want something with a bit of life (we'll be having a quiet week in Hua Hin also), with some good restaurants and bars within walking distance.

The "cultural" stuff we'll get the hotel to organise.

Thanks

larzy1977

Any recommendations for hotels in Cairo?

skywardhunter

Ok now this is perhaps a little off-topic? Being lazy, larzy? Sorry the name was just too convenient to skip that joke :P

larzy1977

No not that lazy, but too many options...

skywardhunter

Try here with specifics about budget and preferred location: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/middle-east-481/

eternaltransit

I'm lazy, so always stay near the BTS, and by near I mean, <2 minute walk, preferably with air conditioning.

As for restaurants and bars, it depends on what you're looking for! Are we talking rooftop, mixology, dive, craft beer, jam packed etc. etc.?

I think for a good balance you'd probably stay towards the Siam end of the BTS lines - that way you can avoid tawdry Patpong on your doorstep every night with the associated touting, but still can get to Silom easily. There's also a lot of bars/restaurants all the way down Sukhumvit.

iirc, out of SPG, the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit is apparently the best (not stayed) and the Plaza Athenee has just completed a refurb. It's on the "right" side of the flyover, so you don't get the JW Marriott Nana crowd.

The Marriott Queens Park just opened but is down a road a bit (they have a shuttle to the BTS), but is in quite a nice area. Up towards Siam you've got the Courtyard and the Renaissance - the Renaissance has more direct access to the skywalk/BTS for the infinite shopping malls of the area, but down the other end you have the Marriott 57 which has a nice rooftop bar and is close to the district where the cool/rich kids of Bangkok party.

I'm not too familiar with the Accor options, apart from the Novotel Siam is right in the middle of Siam the shopping district, and in the middle of the university district, so if young people in school uniform is your people watching thing... - and also it has laser tag in the basement.

The Pullman Silom is in a quieter area but has a 24 hour burger bar attached the lobby.

skywardhunter

Best bar on Sukhumvit by far is Bully's if you ask me. Not seedy, nice food and good beer selection.

eternaltransit

I think Bully's has, shall we say, a target demographic and is quite unsubtle in its offer...

DYKWIA is going with his missus, so I think he might be looking for something else!

skywardhunter

​​​​​​
Interesting opinion, I find Bully's to be not targeted to the single male traveller unlike the rest of Nana Plaza behind it.

DYKWIA

Rooftop / Wine Bar / Craft Beer. No chavs / not too busy

The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit is available, and not too pricey, so I may change to there. Looks ideal for the BTS.

We can have a wander up to Patpong for a gawp. The last time I was there was in 2005 with my sister. Walking along and some Scouser shouts "Hey mate, where did you get the blonde one from?"

Thanks

eternaltransit

Oh, I definitely agree it is probably the classiest place in the immediate area, but Sukhumvit has a lot of places with good food and beer without a pub atmosphere.

e.g., off the top of my head you can go 5 minutes round the corner to Hyde & Seek, which ticks beer and food boxes with an interesting crowd.

Of course, if you do want a pub atmosphere, then you can go up Soi 11 - and, to be on-topic for FT, I think a couple of airlines stay in that area too

eternaltransit

SGS has very positive reviews on FT and I tend to agree, unless you are a hard product obsessive (as it's a little bit traditional). More than made up for by soft product and service.

You've got a massive mall opposite (Terminal 21) and not just the BTS but the MRT in case you want to go to places near that.

Traffic at that intersection is notoriously bad by Bangkok standards, so you'll probably be using the BTS/MRT a lot.

No need to wander up to Patpong to gawp - you've got Soi Cowboy within 10 minutes at a leisurely pace, or 5 minutes walk.

Easy access to rooftop things - Octave at Marriott 57 is probably easiest for you.

Out of the rooftop bars I still think Vertigo at Banyan Tree has the best views but the food is overpriced and bad. I think if you get up there for 6pm you can see sunset without being overrun by crowds (it goes get popular).

I doubt you'll see chavs at either.

As for wine and beer, the wine trend has just about faded and is now embedded into BKK but craft beer and coffee is now the thing. You're probably 10-20 minutes walk/BTS from good places at SGS, or 10-200 minutes by car.

Just don't ask about Thai food/drink as really great places for that in BKK are harder to find - BKK seems to be the place to open things doing molecular Indian, modern German, famous sushi, Spanish, Peruvian etc., rather than to find great Thai!

skywardhunter

There's a nice Street food market next to the BTS after the best western about 6 or 7 stops from Nana, past Asok. Stumbled across it by accident, don't know what it's called or of its famous, but yes BKK is nice for continental cafe and deli type food mostly I find.

skywardhunter

Yeah absolutely it's a pub, that's what I like about it, to me it's got the best qualities of a good pub (aside from being a bit empty most of the time). Nothing like a pint of Tiger after a long day of flying.

for high-end there's the Sky Bar but that's unnecessarily high maintenance

eternaltransit

Depends where you're staying! Sometimes it's nice to go up the elevator and sign for a drink