Thailand 2008

On my trip to Bangkok I stayed in this cozy hotel called I-Residence. At the time this hotel had a 3.5 star rating and I would have to agree. What it lacked in room size and amenities was more than made up for by its courteous and friendly staff.

The location is excellent as it is located right in the heart of Silom, only a half block walk from the Chong Nongsi train station. If you are into local exploring of a new city you cannot go wrong here. And if you wish to visit the more touristy locales the air train will take you there in 10-20 minutes for a cheap price.

The room we stayed in came with a nice comfortable queen size bed, air conditioning (to help fight the hot Thailand days and nights) and free internet access (something that is a not a given even in a 5 star hotel). Overall this was a very good staying experience for us.

We visited the Grand Palace and the experience was okay. The temples that we saw were very pretty. However, after awhile you get the sense that it's temples temples and more temples.

I guess if you have a low attention span or tolerance for cultural expanding you may find this place enjoyable for only about an hour or so.

We were looking to ride the water taxi one day when we ended up chartering a long tail to take us on a boat ride through the local areas of Bangkok.

The ride was great as it gave us a chance to see and explore the ways of living in the capital of Thailand. In this neighborhood (near the Grand Palace) many people live in these wooden huts raised right over a small river. Although the conditions are somewhat poor the residents are very upbeat and friendly as they often waved to tourists passing by.

When we visited Krabi we stayed in this beautiful hotel that sits in an isolated part of Krabi. Unless you are willing to take a 15-minute hike through a small mountain pass, this hotel is only accessible by ferry boat, which has its goods and bads...

The hotel gives you this romantic feeling that you are on a remote island of your own. The beach line is right outside your hotel and the view is absolutely magnificent. For a couple's romantic getaway this is close to perfect.

The down side is that the hotel ferries only run every half to every hour, thus making your trips to the main island somewhat troublesome. The toughest part is timing your return trip to the hotel because you won't know how long you would like to stay exploring the main island (The mountain pass is closed at dusk). You also need to reserve a spot on the ferry with the front desk, and these spots fill up quickly for popular times, so do it as early as you can. If you can stomach some extra cost, you can charter your own taxi ferry for around 400 Baht each time.

The staff here was amazingly friendly and helpful. We had one luggage that didn't make it on our plane and would arrive later that night. We were worried about having to make the long trip back to the airport when one staff member arranged to have someone go pick it up for us for $20 USD. We were more than gratified for this remarkable favor which saved us many valuable hours to enjoy ourselves.

The room itself was simply marvelous. We had our own balcony with a private jacuzzi, a rain fall shower and normal shower as well as a separate bathtub in the bathroom. The bed was very comfortable and the view overlooked the sea. Our stay included a free breakfast in the morning. However, internet was not standard in the rooms.

One thing to note is that although the hotel offers many activities for your enjoyment (we did elephant riding), the prices are marked considerably higher than normal Thailand prices. I guess that comes with staying in a 5 star hotel.

We went elephant riding when we stayed in Krabi. The experience was great as we got to ride a 23 years old elephant through a small forest. The tour guide was very friendly and informative, teaching us about the living habits of these elephants and the history of the land.

Afterward we purchased some bananas and were able to feed and pet the elephants. They were very smart and friendly and quite eager for some treats after a long walk.