hockey7711

I'll be arriving at 11pm, and was thinking of staying at an airport hotel, then taking the train downtown the following day.
Any recommendations?

Also have a 7:10am out bound from BKK a week later and was going to stay at the airport...

yosithezet

IAN-UK

In the same situation a couple of days back, I settled on the Miracle hotel. It's sort of along the west side of the airport, between the two expressways. They operate a shuttle from the airport, and it's a simple matter to get a Grab the next morning into the city.

The hotel itself is smart, clean and has a restaurant - and a 7-11 five minutes' walk away. I got a "premium" room for around $35 via (I think) Agoda. Room is fine, good A/C, spic and span clean but hard-ish beds.

Shuttle worked fine for me, there's an agent with a passenger list in the gate 3/4 area for hotel busses (inside the airport). She called the pick-up, I was the only passenger. Grab was THB330 to Hilton Sukhumvit.

I'm sure there are loads more airport hotels, but this was my (happy) experience. Of course, for any number of reasons, YMMV.

SQTraveller

If you're arriving that late, take a taxis into town - they are usually pretty reliable and shouldn't rip you off (make you sure get them to switch on the meter).
Also, if it's a late arrival you won't have to fight with the traffic in the same way you would arriving on a day time arrival.

The next morning, you won't have to mess around with commuters. Just step out of your city centre hotel on the BTS or whatever you want do ...

CrazyInteg

There are several reasonably priced hotels in Lat Krabang

yosithezet

hockey7711

I'm just thinking that after 20 hrs of flying it might be easier and the train to the city stops running at midnight? I could take the train the following day. If It is easy to get into the city, maybe I'll do that instead that night.
On the return, my flight is way too early 7:10am so I don't want to risk a commute.

SK AAR

If you arrive 11PM you will most likely be able to catch one of the last trains to the city. Even if you miss the last train, it is not the end of the world. Taxi in BKK are cheap. Expect around THB 400 to the city center; it should take you around 30-45min.

If you are going to the city anyway (the following day) I wouldn't bother to find a hotel in the vicinity of the airport and then change to a hotel in the city the following day (most likely you will not be allowed to check-in before 2-3PM). If you were flying out of BKK the following day, it would make sense.

However, if you insist there are plenty of reasonably prices hotels around the airport (and cheaper than in the city) - keep away from the convenient but very pricy Novotel at the airport; not worth it IMO.

CJKatl

Flights into BKK onto which flights from over the Pacific connect tend to arrive between 22:00 and 02:00 so many of us have experienced the late arrival. OP, note that most of us are suggesting you take the fast inexpensive easy late-night taxi ride into the city instead of dealing with the trip into the city in the daylight. A couple things to add:

• I usually spend the first day adjusting to the time change which usually means being totally asleep in the hotel. Often I get an inexpensive room in the city (the Courtyard, Aloft, 4Points) for the first two nights. The CY has a great location and includes a more than decent breakfast in many rates and for elites. Make sure the hotel knows you will be sleeping in and they will adjust your room clean-up rather than disturb you. I pack my bags based on the first two nights at the inexpensive hotel so as to not have to unpack fully for those nights.
• On more than one occaision I have found someone to split the cab into the city, either in the taxi queu or on the plane. Often someone has found me. Once there was a slight back-up in the queu, before the machines were there, and one passenger, a woman from Atlanta who works with the CDC, actually paired many people up for taxi shares in an attempt to shorten the line. If I am on an expense report I just pick up the entire fare. I actually run into her in Atlanta from time to time, including recently at, of all places, a Thai restaurant near the CDC.

hockey7711

Thanks

IAN-UK

The clincher was keeping options open about an immediate (read next day) connection to Hanoi, or staying a few days in Bangkok. But I think I'd have taken the airport option anyway, because of:

The hope that I'd get to bed earlier, after an unhappy, but cheap journey into Bangkok from Geneva through Beijing;

Avoiding the taxi ride into town in the fragile state induced by that unhappy, but cheap journey. No matter how many times I do it, I still find the taxi drive more stressful than it should be;

Paying a thousand something for sleep-no frills experience instead of five thousand something;

Knowing the next day was a public holiday

estnet

Actually no, many of the USD 20-50/night hotel in Lat Krabang offer free round trip airport transfers .
One I particularly like is BS Residence, basic but clean and LOTS of local food in 5 minute walk. In the morning/afternoon there is a local wet market along with lots of street food there and at night a few minutes away another night market with food. The hotel even has a pool!

SK AAR

Sorry for being off topic. A super cheap CA return fare via BJS? I have seen these advertised from CPH as well at a fare level hardly seen before to BKK from Denmark (around EUR 350) but I hesitate to book it because of the presumably uncomfortable "CA experience" in Y. If it indeed was a one of these cheap CA fares, could you please elaborate a bit on the experience in Y on the A330 and the transfer at BJS?

bwiadca

Couple of times when arriving late at BKK I took taxi straight to Hilton Millennium. Arrived so late, went straight to bed, woke up late. Paid regular night price for the night.
Since then I always stay at the hotels on Lat Krabang or at Bang Na. Lat Krabang has a lot of small hotels with the price range from $10 to $30 a night. At Bang Na you will pay on average $60 for Novotel. Next day I'm going to my usual hotels downtown around noon, where the traffic is better than in the morning.
On the way back I used to stay at the hotels by the airport, but now I don't do that anymore. From Hilton Millennium on the other side of the river, or from Marriott Marquis to BKK to catch my ANA 6:50am departure I leave 4am. That gives me a lot of time to check in, pass immigration and spend few minutes in the lounge before the flight.
So I don't bother anymore with hotels by the airport on the way out.

yosithezet