pinniped

For a four-nighter for $1600 all in, I'd probably save my points and use the Citi card. That's both a great rate and an excellent use of the 4th night free. And a subpar use of points, assuming you will have other uses of points in the future.

If you want to do 5 nights, then I look at it as more of a toss-up. Just an okay use of points, but worth considering just because I have so damned many HH points and cash-in-hand, even at 0.56c, isn't all bad.

Quinlanty

Is it worth doing a day and a half there? Heading to Burma with family and have a little time to kill. Lived in Thailand, and go back at least 3 times a year, so not worried about "seeing" anything such as sight seeing. TIA

pinniped

While we won't be on a *tight* budget by any means, I absolutely hate the feeling of being ripped off. We love to do a few fine-dining experiences during a trip like this, but I think it would irritate me to no end to pay Michelin 3-star prices at a place that didn't deliver that quality and uniqueness of a meal. This, plus the travel times involved, might lead us to a place like CKS as opposed to the Maldives.

SponsorSFC

We did a full day trip in the Ang Thong Marine National Park which was worthwhile but was a very long day, we didn't realise that the boat departed from near Lamai so the transfer to and from was slow and a bit painful as we were the first to be picked up and the last to be dropped off meaning a fair bit of waiting around at each resort pick up.

The other trip was the hotel boat, which was good enough considering it was complimentary but not amazing either. It is nice to be able to see the resort and it's surroundings from another angle though.

brokenwindow

exmike

It has been a few years since I have been there. As a gold a the time I got a 300 level suite. It was my birthday and unbeknownst to me the manager was notified. A cake and a bottle of champagne arrived at our suite on the second night. Very nice touch!

canesfan

I'm surprised you say that about the breakfast. I've been there twice (now the last visit was 2.5 years ago), but was able to order off an menu, which I prefer more than just a buffet. The buffet is enough, it's not over the top, however I can see why it's not due to number of guests. Again, we found it to be very well done, due to being able to order different dishes and get prepared hot and fresh by the cooks.

Ripper3785

What in particular do you think they could do better with the breakfast? I don't think it's amazing, but I feel they make a pretty good effort and it's something I look forward to. Having the dim sum/noodle cart outside with the pancake/waffle station is pretty creative. I don't expect crab legs, oysters and prime rib. I think 'Ridiculously underwhelming' is a bit much. If you had said Jahn was ridiculously underwhelming, I wouldn't have piped up even though I found it underwhelming and a poor value(and is hyped up a lot more than the breakfast).

Abidjan

Agreed - - yes, the serving area can be a bit cramped, but that's mostly the result of them offering quite a few selections. I was well impressed.

brokenwindow

Just a very underwhelming spread knowing the standard of hotel breakfasts in general. For instance, the a-la-carte dishes were pretty meh, and things like pancakes and waffles were often stale and old and just sitting out in the heat. Typically luxurious and large properties in this part of the world will have spreads from different parts of the world, with some real variation. That was not really the case at the Conrad. Obviously the venue is quite small, but I was expecting a significantly better breakfast. I agree perhaps "ridiculously" might have been me perhaps taking it a notch too far - but definitely overwhelming.

We stayed at the Renaissance Phuket a couple of months ago - and the spread was without a doubt 3-4x the quality, with great variation.

goduke7

Wife and I just booked our 10 year anniversary trip- no kids! Took advantage of 5th night free, coming in January 2nd 2020 from Chiang Mai. Looking forward to relaxing a bit. Couple question

1- What is the deal with the private boat charter? Is it free? Does it go to the 5 islands? Can you rent/use snorkeling gear?
2- Has anyone used Oceana Samui charter? I'm thinking of renting a charter speedboat for the day to go to the marine park and back. Looks like they are located close to the resort (and provide the charter boat), so it would save the drive to the marina.
3- Seems like if youre planning on dining at Jahn, getting any spa services, and drinking more than 4 drinks, the HPC is worth it. Any experiences? We're thinking the free night at Conrad Bangkok would come in handy on our last night pre-US departure.
4- We are debating renting a car as we don't like to be locked down in one spot and really enjoy eating local versus hotel food...any experiences? (PM as not related to hilton)

Any other tips are welcome via PM- thinking hilton properties in Bangkok but AirBnB in Chiang Mai. Current plan is arrive BKK Dec 27, stay 2 nights. Leave 29th for Chiang Mai- stay 4 nights (including NYE), leave 2nd for Koh Samui stay 5 nights. Back to BKK for 1 night, then off to Hong Kong for 1 more night before heading back to the snow.

Cat88L3

I'm staying at the CKS for 3 nights solo. I've been contemplating getting in on the Hilton Premium Club. ...Is the HPC a good deal for me to get? I love a good bargain, but since it's just going to be me for 3 nights, I'm not sure if the HPC is worth it...

jinrop

With the HPC do you just show your card at check in or do you need to show it every time you sign something to your room?

SponsorSFC

When you get the bill at each meal.

SponsorSFC

If there is 2 of you and you are dining at Jahn and the Cellar then yes it will most likely pay for itself. If not then it would be more difficult to get the value out of Zest and Azure alone.