You’ve heard the Murray Head song, “One Night In Bangkok”…well, my song’s called 25 nights in Thailand on one suitcase.
On May 1st I start a 4 week Thai adventure that will combine some R&R and some business.
Week 1 –
I will spend 3 nights at Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort. Yes, I have been before, but I loved it and the deal they had going for the week I’m there was unreal. Through TravelZoo I was able to book the hotel for $83/night including taxes. The deal was booked directly on SPGs website so the nights do count towards status. That’s a great deal for this hotel. Plus, I discovered one of my all time favorite dishes at the LMKH…I’m looking forward to having it again.
Week 2 –
I will spend the weekend at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers. I’ve not been to this hotel before, but I’m looking forward to staying. I’ve heard that the views of the Chao Phraya River are unbeatable. Then I’ll move over to the The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok for the week. I’ve stayed at the Westin before and it’s the best Starwood hotel for me to stay at when I’m on a business trip.
Week 3 –
I’ll spend the weekend at the The St. Regis Bangkok. I have never stayed at the St Regis before and needless to say – I can not wait to stay! This might be the most exciting part of the trip! I will have a full review after my stay. After the weekend, I’ll move back to the Westin Grande Sukhumvit.
Week 4 –
I haven’t yet decided where I’ll stay for the weekend – maybe a quick trip back to Phuket (I’ll be with a colleague whose never been to Thailand before) . After the weekend, we’ll move back to…you guessed it…the Westin Grande Sukhumvit.
I would like to consider staying one week at a hotel other than the Westin, but to get to the office in BKK it takes about an hour in traffic and the Westin is the closest Starwood hotel. So I’m not sure it’s worth adding another 15-20 minutes in the car to try out another hotel. We’ll see what happens once I get there. At the end of this trip, I will have 85 nights stayed with SPG and I’m already thinking about planning June!
Packing
I am trying very hard to pack 1 suitcase. I’ll do this by packing a fold-up duffel bag in my largest suitcase (for all the gifts I’ll be bringing home) and then doing a lot of laundry while I’m in Thailand. Doing laundry in Thailand is very cheap and will make bringing one suitcase possible. I’ll have a small carry-on with me – for the long flights and that will be all…this will be my Tim Gunn “make it work” trip!
Have you packed for a month in 1 suitcase?
Any ideas for the 4th weekend? Where should we go? I’m thinking Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa or Le Méridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa or Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort Any thoughts?
Why not stay at SGS in BKK ?
Sounds awesome! You’ll have a lot of trip reports to write.
@NR – good question! It comes down to price. The corp rate at Westin is within per diem. The rates at SGS are all out of per diem! Have to stick to per diem on the week days!
Thanks Scottrick! It should be an adventure!
Sounds like a great trip. I am always looking for lessons on packing light. Managed 200k miles last year on hand luggage. 1 trip included London then Geneva (in winter) and then to Bali. Tough to pack for 3 weeks with both Alps (though did not get out of town) and Tropics, and needing to bring formal wear.
The ROS is good, but the only thing that I would change is to replace the Westin with another property. If the SGS’ rate is too high, use the SPG50 rate which will be a bargain for this property when including the Platinum benefits. My rundown of the Bangkok properties is here: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/which-hilton-property-in-bangkok.32636/#post-1320371
Things to do while in Phuket: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/planning-a-trip-to-thailand.24079/#post-1334841
Great trip … have fun! 🙂
@Levi Flight, I did Singapore, Thailand, Zurich a few years ago. That was hard. I ended up cheating and sent my winter coat to the hotel so it was there waiting when I arrived. Layer, layer, layer. That’s the only way to do a trip that includes hot and cold destinations. Formal wear…now that would be tough in a single suit case.
@Kalboz thanks for all the good tips! I will use some of the ideas from the Phuket thread on Milepoint!
black shirt (2), black pants, black skirt, black dress, coloured silk scarfs, buy toiletries there = carry-on !!
I stayed at the Le Meridien Bangkok back in February, and will be returning there again in May. Fantastic hotel, excellent service, a buffet with food that rivals some of the finest restaurants, clean and contemporary rooms. We also rented a conference room for a meeting, and the room was well apportioned, classy, and the service staff was impeccable.
@Neal – totally agree about the LM Bangkok. I stayed there two years ago and loved it. It’s still my favorite LM to date. I blogged about that visit and how amazing it was.
Did you check Ctrip for hotel rates? They have many options for Bangkok that are very reasonable. I have used it many times with much success, and I think The Points Guy used it for China with much success too. I was a little hesitant to use it for outside China but worked like a charm.
I hope Khao Lak is still offering the Platinum breakfast perk at the other restaurant in the morning…we really enjoyed it.
The breakfast buffet at the Westin Grande is breathtaking. I always stocked up on a few pieces of fruit in my to go zip log bag before heading to the office…mid morning snack.
The Royal Orchid Sheraton is a classic with excellent views over the river. The river traffic is amazing at night with all of the lights on the boats zipping along.
4th Weekend – Sheraton Krabi is a wonderful property but is some distance from town. The beach is full of fan tail boats that you can negotiate with for trips out to the Phi Phi islands. I have stayed twice at the hotel…first visit was during the SE Asia Tsunami; was on the beach when the wave hit. Hotel staff did a wonderful job.
I would go for the Koh Samui over the Hua Hin. But, if you are up for a little more adventure, a quick weekend flight to Langkawi and THE WESTIN LANGKAWI RESORT & SPA makes for an excellent weekend.
I wish you were going to be a the Freddies as I would have liked to meet you in person. We share many passions…. travel, software and not for profits. My software days were at SAP…you choice for software vendor is a great one too.
@John – thanks! This is great info. I am glad you liked Sheraton Krabi. I think that’s where we’ll end up. Unreal that you survived the Tsunami. What an experience. My first trip to Thailand was the summer after the Tsunami and I couldn’t believe the impact it had.
Would you go to Langkawi in Dec? It’s been on my list for a while and I need to plan a December get-a-way.
I will be at BlogWorld in NY in June if you’re there. Have fun at the Freddies.
Stacey
love your site as well as my daughter Katty. thanks and i bookmarked and shared your site on my facebook wall.
@Stacey – Langkawi in December would be perfect. We split a holiday season a few years back between Bali, Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi. We used KL as the jumping point, and it worked out perfect. Safe travels. Looking forward to your posts from Thailand.
I have managed to “make it work” with one carry on for a month long trip to Thailand. Like you, I did also pack a fold able duffle for the return trip. Not for gifts though, but for all of the clothes I just end up buying or having made while there to supplement my wardrobe.
While there check out Great Rib in both Hua Hin and BKK. Worth the trip if you are into BBQ.
@Frank – BBQ in Thailand?
Yes, BBQ ribs in Thailand. It is done in a Texas style dry rub with a slow roast over a few hours. Worth Checking out. http://www.greatrib.com/aboutus/
Thanks Frank. I’ll try it out and report back.
This post reminds me so much of my last holiday in Thailand, had the time of my life on Koh Samui there!