Dr. HFH

Would you clarify that, please, Kalboz? You lost me. First, what is FS? Second, you get one free night for every three paid at the Marriott Executive Apartments?

dsquared37

At the exec apartments you get 1 night credit for every 3 nights stayed I believe.

Kalboz

True indeed for nights credit.

FS here is for "Full Service" Marriott property.

Too bad you did come by and visit us this time around Dr. HFH & dsquared37. Two other fellow FTers came by on different nights and enjoyed the happy hour goodies and libations!

Kalboz

Appreciate the input WJ, but I hope that they have changed since opening. My review is here of a visit I made: https://milepoint.com/forums/threads...-thread.86758/

What you get at the Radisson Blu Bangkok is just a room for $100 in a property that is a long walking distance from Asok BTS - no breakfast, lounge access, or suite upgrades even for Club Carlson Golds! Unless you have had a better luck, you better off elsewhere

And oh, starting soon you cannot redeem for the 2nd free night at Radisson!

Kalboz

Let me clarify further.

You get one night credit for every 3 nights booked and stayed at the Marriott apartments for the purpose of achieving or maintaining your annual status with marriott. This is NOT to be confused with free night credit. But if you booked with the fs hotel and got upgraded to an apartment, you get credit for every night spent & paid for at the property.

You get points on the $$$ spend the normal way at either the hotel or the apartments.

whackyjacky

I see why you don't dig it as a FT maven, they don't take care of Golds & it's no bargain on points redemption, but I have a different perspective. It's a bargain at 3000B. I don't care about breakfast, I can get a great one for 100B. I don't want to be drinking in hotel lounges particularly in BKK. There's way too many new places to explore. I do care about the room, pool, & gym. They're all excellent there. It is stuck between BTS stations. That's certainly valid, but it's walking distance to most of what Sukhumvit has to offer.

Dr. HFH

Next time. As you know, I was operating with limited mobility.

That's where I got confused. Thanks, -- got it now.

Diplomatico

Absolutely, and I have been given an upgraded room every time I've been there (5-6 stays).

As for the earlier comment by kalboz that Radisson Blu is a "long walking distance from Asok BTS".... ha ha. Joke, right? It's about a 5 min walk.

Paya Bunga

I hope you are right coz am planning to book the Blu for Nov to maximize the BOGO offer. Wife would not be too pleased if its a loong walk..

and since there appears to be no free breakfast there, are there good choices of eateries/cafes near the hotel ie within walking distance ?

Kalboz

I am sitting on ~ 400K Club Carlson points (accumulated through various promos & two CC sign up bonuses) but will not book this hotel not even with the BOGO that will expire soon. I'm a walker and have walked regularly from Siam Square to Thong Lo (passing by the Radisson Blu) and I can assure you that it is not convenient location-wise - it is NOT near the BTS. It is located between the Asok and Phrom Phong BTS stations. And unlike the rusty Radisson Suites on Sukhumvit 13, they don't offer complementary shuttle to the BTS station (this shuttle gets stuck in traffic often when they take the Sukhumvit 11 route). Sure, it is a short walking distance in relation to our walking standards, but this is Bangkok and you will be soaking wet by the time you reach your destination, be it T-21 at Asok or EmQuartier at Phrom Phong ... and this, my dear friend, is not a joke!

As for the upgrades and other benefits, YMMV. You might get a higher floor room as an upgrades, or a deluxe accommodation which is the same room & layout but with stand alone coat hanger! Read the various reports here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/carls...u-bangkok.html

Our bookings and stays are based on our needs, we are a family of four and it is very convenient to wake up in the morning and have a buffet breakfast right there at the hotel. This is not about being squeamish as we eat street food daily while in Thailand (including somtam with Plala and mud crabs). Because of the children, we also need the extra space and always got upgraded at various brands in Thailand to spacious suites, most recently at the Holiday Inn Resort Patong. But the reports from this Radison Blu property are not encouraging as even their Concierge elites are not getting suites: http://cr.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserRe...ECK_RATES_CONT

Please report back on your experience!

whackyjacky

Som tum Thai for me for awhile. Just got deathly ill (again) for 3 days from som tum plala up in Thonglor while staying at the Marriott. If I had the energy, I'll gladly have twisted my own head off. Som Tum sellers can use 2 kinds of crab - one from the rice fields & one from mangroves. The one from the fields is often chock full of bacteria. The other isn't dangerous. They look identical so it's a crapshoot quite literally. BTW, Asoke is no 5 mins from 27. More like 10. (Hardly a burden for somebody who likes to walk, even during Hot Season). Same for Phrom Phong. I have no problem walking from R Blu to either or to Soi 11 for that matter.

Diplomatico

It's .2 miles from Blu to Asok, according to MapQuest.

Wrt breakfast, there's a lot of street food near there (don't know if you/wife like that.) A lady just around the corner on Soi 23 has an omelette cart....two egg omelette served with rice for 20 thb. Your choice of 6-8 ingredients to add to the omelette. Other street food too.

If that's not your preference, there's a Starbucks in the shopping complex at Soi 23 and in the Exchange Tower Building (other side of Sukhumvit, under Asok BTS) there's another SBUX and also a small cafe serving Thai and Western dishes where I've eaten breakfast. It's immediately to the right upon entering the building.

The Queen Vic is on Soi 23 right across from Soi Cowboy and they serve an all day English breakfast. There are other restaurants down Soi 23 too, though not so sure about traditional breakfast dishes at them.

Terminal 21 mall has a great food court but doesn't open until 10:00 a.m.

whackyjacky

Yup, it takes awhile to get across, over or under Asoke though. In addition, No Idea on Soi 22 (across from 27) is serving up great 'gastropub' food these days - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...a-Bangkok.html. Guisto's on 23 has maybe the best Italian food I've had anywhere & they've got a Cigar Bar now

Diplomatico

Completely forgot about No Idea....nice atmosphere, really good food, and some of the most reasonably priced Guinness in Bangkok.

Presumably you are talking about Whisgars cigar bar/whiskey joint. Nice place, insanely overpriced cigars. However, right in front of that building is a new outdoor beer garden with some decent microbrews. Link below.

https://www.facebook.com/CRAFTBANGKOK

dsquared37

Some friends who play regularly at Adhere and Apoteka (on Monday) have a had a sporadic gig at Whisgars and I've been looking forward to checking the place the out.