I’m sure there is a way to classify hotels as high-end, mid-range and budget but it is a little different in Singapore.  It seemed to me that Singapore is sorely lacking mid-range hotels.  Searching for hotels on Hotels.com I could find a bunch of very affordable hostels and more than enough high end hotels but no many mid-range priced $40-80 USD hotels.

I was seriously considering Novotel which has a perfect location and all the luxury amenities for around $200 USD per night when I thought about the price difference.  The Fragrance Hotel prices were around $40 per night which I figured to be 5 nights for the price of 1 when compared to Novotel.  I decided that saving major cash would be a better choice so I booked a room at Fragrance Hotel Pearl off Geylang Road.

Somewhere along Geylang Road, Singapore

Typical "Point at what you Want" hawker stall on Geylang Road

Fragrance Hotel Pearl

First off, there are numerous ‘Fragrance Hotels.’  They are mostly centered in Singapore’s red light district off Geylang Road.  “Red Light District” may have negative connotations to some but to me it also usually means lively and cheap.

I was concerned about the location but Fragrance Hotel Pearl actually had a great location.  It was a 10 minute walk to the Kallang MRT station which was 3 stops from City Hall, and 5 stops to either Little India or Chinatown.  Geylang road was renowned for its street food and it took me about 10 minutes before I was getting some delicious Malay/Indian/Chinese Singaporean food which was located on every corner of Geylang Road.

If you’re not staying near Geylang road it is certainly one of Singapore’s tourist attractions in itself as to me it felt like Bangkok more than Singapore, not because of the abundance of karaoke bars and ladies walking on the street but because it was a little dirty and rough, not clean and organized like most of Singapore.

The hotel room at Fragrance Hotel Pearl was just what you would expect for $40 a night.  There was a bed, a desk, a small wardrobe along with an attached bathroom which was the typical tropical style mixed toilet/shower.  Although there was a TV with cable there was no mini fridge, microwave or safe.  NOTE:  Wireless internet was available but at a price.  A 24 hour internet access card cost a whopping 18 Singapore Dollars ($12.87 USD) which I think is quite ridiculous even though I paid it.

Room in Fragrance Hotel Pearl, Singapore

Typical Tropical Style Shower/Toilet in Fragrance Hotel

Overall Impression

I will admit there were a couple times where I wished I had all the extra amenities of a Novatel but in hindsight if money is at all a concern, I’d rather have 5 nights at a fully comfortable although lacking hotel room than an overkill hotel room.  I would recommend staying in Singapore at Fragrance Hotel Pearl to anyone with the same attitude which I just mentioned.  If you spend more time out of the hotel room than inside, why spend 5x more for luxury accommodations?

Even though soliciting prostitution is illegal in public in Singapore there were ladies with umbrellas standing on the sidewalk across from Fragrance Hotel Pearl from 9am (earliest I woke up) until 4am (latest I went to bed).  It didn’t bother me, but if it is a concern to you, keep this in mind if you decide to choose a hotel anywhere near Geylang Road.  If this doesn’t bother you and want to spend $40USD per night staying in Singapore at a convenient location with great food, Fragrance Hotel Pearl is the place to stay in Singapore.

Common Sight along Geylang Road 24 hours a day

I was becoming distraught after calling all the mid-range hotels in the Taipei Lonely Planet guide and finding all the hotels were booked for Saturday.  As I made call after call to booked hotels I asked for recommendations and I was given the number to Dolamanco Hotel.  I could barely understand the lady over the phone but I called and reserved a room over the phone by solely stating my name:  Michael.  The desk person at Dolamanco Hotel stated 2000 TWD ($62 USD) which was exactly what I paid at First Hotel.

I arrived at Dolamanco hotel’s very small front office and was immediately treated like royalty.  The place seemed really small and was decorated with Latin dancers.  After I checked in I took the tiny elevator to the 7th and top floor to my room 713.  The elevator was literally the smallest elevator I have ever been in which could carry a maximum of 3 people up and down but possibly only two.   The old elevator made it a bigger mystery to what my room was going to be like but I was pleasantly surprised.

Dolamanco Hotel Taipei Room 713 View from Couch

Very Nice Room w/ Amenities

The room was spacious with a large king or queen sized bed and a couch.   A rather large LCD flat panel television and DVD player were cool along with plenty of desk space but I was more interested in the mini bar.  They stocked the room with a few little Asian cracker snacks, tea, coffee and the fridge had a couple of Taiwanese energy drinks in it.  Best thing of all, they included all the food complimentary.  There was a 7-eleven nearby so stocking the small refrigerator was no problem either.

Everything was clean and in order.  The bathroom was nice as well.  The shower was equipped with about 10 shower heads and they stocked the room with all the toiletries you can think of including body lotion, face lotion, hand lotion, shampoo., cotton swabs, tooth brush and paste not to mention a complimentary condom!  Not only was this stuff included but it was pretty good as well.  The following is a view from the Dolamanco Hotel rooftop which had seating from the small restaurant.

Great Service

The service at Dolamanco was a pleasant surprise.   The front desk at Dolamanco Hotel was very small and was worked by a single employee.  All three employees who worked the front desk were very friendly and nice.  They would greet me with a smile each time I came and/or went from the hotel.  Most importantly they were able to write down in Chinese the locations I was interested in going which made it much easier than trying to talk with a taxi driver who speaks maybe 1 or 2 words in English.

I just can’t say enough positive things about the two ladies and one gentleman who ran the front desk at Dolamanco.  The complimentary breakfast served on the top floor which is reached by a set of stairs from the top floor was good as well.  The whole restaurant only had about 5 chairs with a couple chairs on the roof deck.  As I walked in and presented my coupon I grabbed a couple of pieces of toast and coffee and the cook made eggs fresh which was nice.

Location

Finding Taipei 101 is no problem from Dolamanco hotel because they both lie on the same street.  Taipei 101 is a little over 10 long blocks away Dolamanco but I enjoyed walking in the 60-70 degrees weather as I’m now used to the 85-95 common to Bangkok.  Also on Xinyi Street is Da-an park which was described in the Taiwan Lonely Planet guide as, “the closest thing Taipei has to a central park.”   A MRT (subway) station is withing walking distance and there are non-stop buses running to and from Taipei 101 most of the day.

View of Da-an park and Xinyi Street from Dolamanco Hotel Window

Overall Impression

I was so satisfied with the room  I decided to stay my last night in Taipei at Dolamanco Hotel rather than book another hotel Sunday night just to blog about it.  I was pretty much satisfied with all aspects of Dolamanco hotel.  I though the price ($62) was fair compared to the other hotels I looked at in Taipei, the service was excellent and the location was perfect as it was within walking distance from Taipei 101 and the large Da-an Park is directly across the street.  Unfortunately I deleted my video tour of room 713 so I hope the pictures and information suffice.

After I failed to postpone my weekend trip to Taipei I had a struggle finding a hotel.   All of the hotels I found online were booked as I kind of expected searching 2 days before the day I arrived.  The answer to my hotel problem was closer than I thought.  Instead of searching online for a hotel and contacting all the hotels which most people had probably already booked with I checked in the mid-range hotel section I decided to call hotels that weren’t on the first page of Google directly.

First Hotel was located in the mid-range section of Taipei hotels.  I called them and booking a hotel room for a single day was as easy as giving them my credit card number over the phone.  Even though the front desk staff I spoke with had decent English skills when I asked if First Hotel had an airport pick-up they suddenly spoke no English.  I ended up again reading in the Lonely Planet about the best way into the city from the Airport which meant taking an “Airbus” to one of its drop off points then a taxi for a few kilometers to First Hotel.

Checking in was easy as I simply presented my credit card, showed my passport and signed a couple things.  There was no hassle of filling out a bunch of paperwork as they sent me up my room on floor 10 which was the top floor.  Although small, my room (112) was nice as you can see below.  I have read other reviews that stated First Hotel’s top two floors (9 & 10) are renovated and nice while the others are not so be forewarned.  I was satisfied with room 112 and they even left 2 complimentary bananas and oranges on the desk.

First Hotel Location

As you can see from the photo at the top of the post, First Hotel is located in a well populated area called Zhongshan .  I didn’t read too much about the area before hand so after checking in I got out of the hotel and started walking around.  It seemed like I walked around forever and didn’t find anything that interested me enough to check out.  I ended up taking a taxi back to the hotel after a couple hours and get to bed early (on a Friday night) so I could get an early start on Saturday.  I have read other reviews criticizing the location for being 15 minutes away from the closest MRT station.

The Zhongshan Neighborhood next to First Hotel in Taipei

Overall Impression

I didn’t’ really feel like hotel hunting for the next couple of days so I decided to stick it out at First Hotel for the entire weekend.  My plan failed when I asked them for a room the next morning and they were booked.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the next hotel I found over the phone Delamanco Hotel was nicer and in a much better location.  If you’re looking for a room in Taipei and are looking to spend around 2000 NTD ($60 USD) First Hotel is adequate but unless you’re planning to fly from the small airport which is nearby or have specific nearby plans, you can find better hotels in better locations for around the same price.

]]> http://tourismpicks.com/2009/11/28/places-to-stay-in-taipei-taiwan-first-hotel/feed/ 1 http://tourismpicks.com/2009/11/27/things-to-do-in-chiang-mai-sunday-market-walking-street-fair/ http://tourismpicks.com/2009/11/27/things-to-do-in-chiang-mai-sunday-market-walking-street-fair/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:01:35 +0000 Mike Behnken http://tourismpicks.com/?p=1059 Outdoor Bargain Hunting

Since Chiang Mai is not the home of seemingly endless gargantuan shopping centers like Bangkok most of the best shopping opportunities are at various fairs.  Most people I talked to in Chiang Mai recommended shopping at the Sunday walking street fair instead of the night bazaar which was overpriced.

While all three places I stayed at were withing a 5 minute walk to the old moat gate which is where the fair starts, Montri hotel was located right on the corner surrounded by Sunday’s street fair.  I was staying at the nearby Royal Guesthouse when I decided to check out one of Chiang Mai’s biggest tourist attractions.

To say the Chiang Mai walking street fair is a tourist attraction is not doing it justice.  It seemed all of northern Thailand was there.  People from northern Thailand were there selling souvenirs, art, food and more and many people from Chiang Mai were also there.  Much of the goods for sale I have seen everywhere I’ve been in Thailand but I would guess that most of the people that make them live in northern Thailand.

One of the Many Local Tribes People Selling their Sourvenirs

Near the Moat Gate

The square near the remnants of the brick wall and the old gate which used to surround the city is where I started my Sunday night walking market experience.  The big square covered with baby blue and yellow paper lanterns is filled with booth after booth of goods.   There are many people just lounging around along with tourists and Thai people there primarily for the food and being social.

I didn’t know whether the square by the moat gate was the entire Sunday street fair so I decided to walk up Ratchadamnen Road.  Up the street I immediately noticed there was plenty more to the Chiang Mai walking street fair than just the square by the moat gate.  I immediately noticed an alcove with solely food restaurants which I had to stop at.  I ordered this omelet looking thing with noodles.  As I was eating the omelet I started talking to a Thai girl who turned out to have been living in Australia for the last 7 years.  She asked if I would join her and her 3 sisters for a walk through the fair.

Moat at the Beginning of Street Fair in front of Montri Hotel

On and On

I walked up the street with the Thai Aussie girl and her sisters and the streets seemingly got more crowded.    It was very crowded to the point where  I  would get stuck in a bottleneck for a minute at a time in some spots.  We stayed primarily on Ratchadamnen Road which included a couple temples and the fair seemed like it went on endlessly.  After a few blocks we turned around and headed back towards the moat gate.  My new Thai friend had to take her sisters home so I went to business and bought some gifts for my sisters.

View from Top of Apartment Building along Ratchadamnen Road

Overall Impression

While the Sunday walking street fair in Chiang Mai was huge it was nothing I haven’t seen before.  For me the highlight was the delicious food which was easily available almost everywhere I looked.  While it was crowded, there was absolutely no motor traffic which is unusual for Thailand.  People traffic was pretty heavy but no motorcycles, trucks, scooters, etc. made the Chiang Mai walking street fair a pleasurable experience and a must for anyone staying in Chiang Mai over the weekend.

After staying in a very nice, albeit excessive serviced apartment and a mid-range hotel for my first couple nights, I decided to stay in an older guesthouse.  Royal Guesthouse offered hostel style shared rooms for as little as 200 baht ($6USD) per night.  For anyone busy visiting temples and touring the local areas, during the day, and partying in a local bar at night, having anything other than a cheap room may be overkill and Royal Guest House definitely caters to this.

At this point in my life, sharing a $6 room is probably not going to happen but luckily for me Royal Guest House offers a few different types of rooms.  They offered a room with private bathroom and fan (no Air Conditioning) for 500 baht ($15USD) which is what I initially booked but I opted for a 750 baht room with a private bathroom, air conditioning and a balcony.

The room was a little bit stuffy at first coming from a giant serviced apartment but I quickly got used to it as I blasted the efficient but loud air conditioning and watched an interview on Larry King with Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel.  The cable offered at Royal Guesthouse is noteworthy as there were tons of English speaking channels.  The bed was not the most comfortable and the bathroom was very basic but I have no major complaints.

View from Each Side of Royal Guest House Room 217

Location

Coincidentally Royal Guest House was located a couple blocks from the main gate (brick wall) just as the places I stayed at the previous two nights were.  It is kind of difficult to find as there is a narrow pathway under a bush covered overhang which leads to the front gate.  If you turn away from the moat road on 5 Kotchasarn Soi 4 pay close attention on the left hand side until you see the pathway which leads to Royal Guesthouse.  You can find more information on the Royal Guest House website.

Overall Impression

Royal Guesthouse is definitely not going to win any awards for luxury travel but it was adequate for the single traveler wants nothing more than a comfortable room to sleep in.  Royal Guest House also has a pool and a cool staff and “chilling out” area where you can meet fellow travelers over a cold beer.  If the circumstances were the same (traveling alone for sight seeing) I will probably choose Royal Guest House again simply because I like the idea of not paying for stuff that you don’t use in higher-end hotels and serviced apartments.

I first learned of Studio 99 serviced apartments from an Aussie classmate in my Thai Language class.  He said he had a blast when he stayed there during this year’s Songkran festival which is a very festive week long celebration for Thai new year.  I tried to book a room for the day I arrived a few days before but they were booked.   I exchanged a few emails with the manager named Supattra and managed to get a room for a single Saturday night for 500 baht less than the listed price.  When I finally arrived to Studio 99 I was immediately impressed.

Studio 99 Serviced Apartments

Location

Studio 99 serviced apartments are located very close to Chiang Mai’s old town’s moat in the center of Chiang Mai.  It is a bit tricky to find if you’re not familiar with how the streets are organized in Chiang Mai and especially if you’re driving a motorcycle.  It is located a few blocks from the last remaining section of the former brick wall which surrounded the moat but it’s a little more complicated than that.

There are one way streets on either side of Thae Phae Soi 3, the street which Studio 99 is located on.  It confused me and it will confuse you that each street has numbered sois (streets) so if you’re on any other street and find a soi 3 you will not be on the right street.  To make it simple, think from the gate.  If you walk east (towards the river) from the gate, away from the walking market, past the Starbucks and Air Asia offices you will see Thae Phae Soi 3 on the right.  Once you get to Soi 3 a narrow winding street you will see the sign for Studio 99 rather quickly.

Unlike the Montri Hotel which I stayed at the first night, the location of Studio 99 serviced apartment was very quiet.  I could hear birds chirping and only once in a while did I hear a motorcycle zoom by or a car rev its engine in the neighborhood.  The location is located right in between 2 of Chiang Mai’s most popular shopping attractions, the nightly night bazaar and the Sunday walking street market as you can see on the map below.

The Apartment

The apartment was 65 square meters with 2 balconies 1 which was covered, a fully stocked kitchen, nice bathroom and a walk in closet in the bedroom which was bigger than most hotel’s bathrooms.  Furnishing the brand new hardwood floor apartment was a sectional leather couch, desk, entertainment center, dining room setup and more.

You can read more on the Studio 99 website.  There isn’t much else to say other than Apartment number 4 at Studio 99 serviced apartments met and exceeded all my expectations of a night stay in Chiang Mai Thailand.  You can view the entire layout on the video on the bottom of this post.

On Deck Number 1 Looking Through Bedroom to Living Room

Overall Impression

Studio 99 serviced apartments were very nice and felt like (even better than my) home.   Throughout my travels I would rate Studio 99 serviced apartments in the top 5 places I ever stayed as far as the actual room (apartment) goes.   The location was great, the facilities were brand new, clean, spacious and top notch.  For 1500 baht ($45USD) a night, Studio 99 serviced apartments was a huge bargain.  While spending 1500 baht on a giant, fully furnished apartment was probably overkill while traveling by myself, anyone traveling with a group and/or family would find Studio 99 optimal to feel like home while traveling.

By browsing hotel websites it is almost impossible to easily find out which is the best location to stay in a city for what you want.  Every hotel seems to claim to be centrally located so I turned to the Thaivisa forum and asked.  The first response I got was Montri hotel so without further ado I immediately booked a room at Montri Hotel and arranged an airport pick-up.

The pickup from the airport cost a ridiculously low 150 baht ($4.50) and included the guy holding the sign for you after baggage claim and a nice air conditioned ride into Chiang Mai.  Once I saw the brick wall, the gate and tons of tourists, I immediately got the impression I chose the right place.

Montri Hotel Location

You really can’t ask for a better location for a hotel in Chaing Mai than the exact spot the Montri sits on.  Montri sits next to the last renaming tiny portion of the ancient wall that used to surround Chiang Mai’s moat.  This happens to be the location of the very beginning of the huge Chaing Mai walking street fair.  For anyone in Chiang Mai on Sunday staying in Montri Hotel is a great shopping base and allows bargain hunters to store their buys in their hotel room while shopping for more.

There is a place which packages and ships off your buys if you don’t want to pack them in your luggage or simply want to ship them to your family and friends overseas.  They charge huge fees but for some (like me) the convenience factor was just too much to pass up to ship off some gifts for my family.

In addition to the Sunday walking market related places there is a HUGE 3 story Starbucks across the street as well as an Air Asia airline office, book store, pharmacy, a bunch of restaurants and bars and more.  There are also numerous places which rent out motorbikes and even cars within 20 meters of the Montri Hotel

Night View from Room 323 in Montri Hotel

Montri Hotel Amenities

Montri Hotel does not have a ton of extras such as swimming pool or fitness center.  The enormous lobby and restaurant are great places to relax in the midst of a day busy with tourism.  Montri Hotel’s convenient location was an amenity in itself but aside from that, a very fast and reliable wireless internet connection was complimentary with a night stay along with free breakfast.

As I mentioned before there were a bunch of bars and restaurants along the streets surrounding the Montri hotel but I never left the restaurant on the bottom floor of Montri Hotel which  is very nice, large and has good service to go along with.  Blix restaurant has a nice air conditioned indoor seating section as well another large mist cooled outdoor seating section.  I had the hamburger on two separate occasions along with the American breakfast which was complimentary with the room.

Blix Restaurant on Ground Floor of Montri Hotel

Overall Impression

For the price of almost 1000 baht per night ($30USD) which is a little higher because November-February is considered the high season Montri Hotel was worth it based on the location and restaurant alone.   Since the room was located right next to busy street surrounding the canal, traffic noise is audible (at least in room 323)  for almost the entire day and night even though the double pane windows help quiet the street noise.  The room was completely 100% adequate, clean, large enough but nothing spectacular.

The service was above average in the hotel and the restaurant.  Overall I would recommend Montri Hotel for anyone looking for a great location in Chiang Mai looking to spend around 1000 baht ($30USD) per night.

If you read my overview of Hanoi Vietnam you will already know that a very popular area for tourists and the residents of Hanoi alike is the area surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake.  For a short trip to Hanoi this area is surely the most convenient, best area to stay so after a night in Church Hotel which was a few minutes away we decided to move hotels to experience another.

Gia Bao Hotel was featured in (my friend’s) Hanoi Wallpaper Guide which showcases “a tightly edited discreetly packaged list of the best a location has to offer for the design conscious traveler.”

The Wallpaper guide recommended two rooms in the Gia Bao Hanoi hotel which both happened to be available.  The rooms it recommended were 504 and their biggest room on the top (7th) floor.

I took room 504 and my friend took the top floor which had a balcony.  I liked room 504 which felt like home and had a nice feel as you could tell someone carefully decorated the room, not that I care about decor but it was definitely noticable.

My friend chose the top floor room which was more expensive and had a rather large outdoor deck with furniture on it.  He found his room to be excessively loud as there was a construction project next door along with the honking Hanoi traffic which was loud on the top floor but rather quiet in room 504.

Across the Street from the Older 7 Story Gia Bao Hanoi Hotel

There are 2 Gia Bao Hotels!

The suite on the top floor was too loud for the tastes of my friend so he asked to be moved.  It turned out they would move him to their other hotel which happened to be brand new.  As you can see on the map, the 2nd Gia Bao location is very close to the older first one.  He enjoyed his newer and quieter room in the 2nd Gia Bao location as I enjoyed my location.  Even for two friends, one without a cell phone staying at separate locations the distance was not an issue at all.

Overall Impression

I thought the Gia Bao was the best hotel room I stayed at in Vietnam by far.  Everything including the large Samsung LCD television was appreciated.  The only thing which I can nitpick about was the bathroom was not as nice as I think every hotel’s bathroom should be.  Not that I’m a “design-conscious traveler” but the Hanoi Wallpaper Guide really painted an accurate portrait of the hotel and the room.  My room (below) #504 cost $50USD which was around the same price most mid-level hotels cost in Hanoi and Saigon but it was far nicer than all the other ones I stayed at.  The service was friendly and helpful and the location was great.  If I had to pick a hotel in Hanoi for a return visit, either Gia Bao location would be on the top of my list.  Visit the Gia Bao Hotels website for booking and more info.

]]> http://tourismpicks.com/2009/11/05/places-to-stay-in-hanoi-vietnam-gia-bao-hotel/feed/ 0 http://tourismpicks.com/2009/10/30/places-to-visit-stay-in-bangkok-baiyoke-sky-hotel/ http://tourismpicks.com/2009/10/30/places-to-visit-stay-in-bangkok-baiyoke-sky-hotel/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:58:20 +0000 Mike Behnken http://tourismpicks.com/?p=840 Thailand’s Tallest Building

I lived in my apartment for around 7 months how and I can fully see Thailand’s tallest building from my window.  Usually when you think of the tallest building in any country you think of something impressive looking such as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.  Thailand’s tallest building is not the coolest looking building I’ve ever seen it’s actually pretty ugly during the day with a uber tacky BMW 7 Series advertisement dominating it.  The Baiyoke tower doesn’t really dominate the skyline like many featured skyscrapers.

One day a couple weeks ago it dawned on me that I had no idea what the building even was.  Only after I bought my new Nikon D90 digital SLR and started taking pictures did I find it was a hotel.   On the top there is a brightly lit multi-colored rotating  pattern message changer.   At night it causes a most photos to come out overexposed with the top of the tower looking like a big bright light.  One night I was actually reading the messages which are displayed in Chinese and English and it said, “Baiyoke Sky Hotel” so mystery solved.

Lightning strike Near Baiyoke Tower II

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Even though Baiyoke Sky Hotel appears rather close to my apartment, like most tall buildings it is a pretty far walk away.  Baiyoke Sky Hotel is actually Baiyoke Tower II as there is a Baiyoke Tower I which is close by the sky hotel.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel is located in Pratunam District which can be reached from Bangkok’s main road Sukhumvit Road by walking north on Ratchadumri Road (which becomes Ratchaparop Road) which is in between Bangkok’s largest shopping center Central World and Big C.

If you decide to go to Baiyoke Sky Hotel from Sukhumvit Road  it’s important you know how to walk there because many taxi drivers will refuse to take you there because of the horrendous traffic.

The Surrounding Area

The area surrounding Baiyoke Sky Hotel is rich with shopping.  There is outdoor vendor stands lining almost all the sidewalks from Central World all the way to Baiyoke Sky Hotel.

There are also a few shopping centers which kind of reminded me of MBK but I could tell they were old.  I would guess that before MBK was built, these shopping areas in Pratunam were some of Bangkok’s finest.

The area in front of the hotel and the hotel itself is absolutely loaded with tourists from all over the world so the shopping and food is probably more expensive than less touristy areas.

BEWARE:  Tuk tuk drivers near Baiyoke Sky Hotel will prey on the naive tourist, taking them on unwanted trips to tailors, jewelery stores and other places to try to get a commission.

Shopping: Just stepping out of Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Daytime Visit

I took advantage of a rare cloudless weekday afternoon to visit Baiyoke Sky Hotel and the rotating deck.   I walked down Petchburi Road from my apartment after walking along the rail road tracks from Sukhumvit Road.  Seeing a tall building in the distance I had no idea how far it was so I just walked in the general direction.  I had a chance to explore the area which is full of shopping and food stands.  I got lucky and even found a massage place which offered fish foot massage.

Once I finally made my way to the tower it was easy and obvious where to buy the ticket to get to the observation deck.  They charged me 200 baht ($6) which I paid without thinking about negotiating which I will talk about in the night visit section.  I was in the elevator with a few people and it took a couple minutes to go up.  Once the elevator reaches the 77th floor I believe you get out and there is a giant room with binoculars, information and souvenirs.  I took some time taking pictures through the smudged up glass when I realized that I should be on the rotational deck.

To get to the carousel you have to take another elevator up a few floors and after that, walk up one more.  The deck wasn’t very crowded during the day and I had a chance to take a bunch of photographs as well as a vide0 (bottom of post) with my Nikon D90.   I had to get to Thai class so I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked to but I knew I would come back to get my fish massage as well as see Bangkok from above during the night.

View from Baiyoke's Rotating Observation Deck during Day

Night Time Visit

After seeing the view from the revolving deck during the day I wanted to see it at night time as I really enjoy taking night photographs.  As I mentioned I walked from Central World after buying a new tripod and got to the hotel around 8 at night. When I got to the hotel they tried to charge me 250 baht ($7.50) which I said I wouldn’t pay and they accepted the same 200 baht as I paid the day before.  I definitely think you can get up there for even less if you remember to bargain with the ladies at the ticket counter.

It was a Wednesday night (October 28, 2009)  and the hotel was jam packed with tourists most of them I assume staying at the hotel.  Everything was a lot more inconvenient at night.  The elevators were constantly full and would beep when there was too much weight on them and people had to get off.  There was no dedicated elevator for the observation areas at the top so the elevators would stop every few floors for the hotel guests.

Everything was the same at night except the top of the tower was lit up (as in pictures at top) and it was windy.  Taking pictures during night time on the rotating deck was very difficult as I’ll explain as you read on.  There were many people who I assumed to be hotel guests either going to eat or drink at the many restaurant bars and restaurants.  In hindsight I wish I tried out a restaurant in Baiyoke Sky Tower but I went to a very close restaurant called Rave instead.

Night View from Inside Observation Deck Room (behind glass)

Photography

I was not the only one trying to get some great pictures from the Baiyoke Sky Tower.  I counted at least 4 guys with tripods and SLRs who were just as frustrated as me trying to get the perfect shot.  During the daytime the rotating observation deck was a perfect place to take pictures.  There was no glass just a thick wire mesh in which a camera easily fit through to take some good pictures.  Even though the deck is rotating the shutter speeds are fast enough that you can get clear pictures and don’t have to worry about reflection of the glass.

At night the photography situation was the opposite.  Taking photographs of the city sites on the rotating deck was virtually impossible at night as the constant movement would cause blur with the prolonged shutter speeds.  I tried to open the aperture and have a faster shutter speed but the pictures almost all turned out blurry.  I also tried to pan the camera very slowly the opposite way of the carousel but I didn’t expect my movement speed to match the carousel’s speed which is not impossible I suppose but I couldn’t do it.

I had better luck taking night photographs by taking the pictures through the glass at slow shutter speeds.  I had to experiment with different locations to avoid any reflections.  I found it best to put the camera’s lens flush against a clean section of the glass as close to the ground as possible.  After I set the camera settings I positioned my body to block as much light and reflections as I could and as you can see in the above and below pictures, they came out pretty good for being behind glass.

View from Baiyoke Observation Room (Behind Glass)

Overall Impression

If you are a tourist in Bangkok and you like the very touristy atmosphere Baiyoke Sky Hotel is the perfect place to stay in Bangkok.  I looked at the prices and pictures of rooms on Baiyoke’s website and it looks to be a bargain when you consider that you’re in an inner city luxurious tower compared to your average $15 a nigh guesthouse.  If you are looking for a place to stay in Bangkok definitely check out the Baiyoke Hotel website

There are a bunch of restaurants, bars and a whole lot more going on at Baiyoke Sky Hotel so if you’re one of those types who likes to have all the conveniences of home at your travel destination and maybe you want to meet with some fellow travelers, Baiyoke Sky Hotel has got to be on top of your list.  If you are living in Bangkok, it is definitely worth it to head to the top of Baiyoke once but you probably won’t want to go back unless you want to meet some travelers.  If you are a backpacker, you also want to pay the 200 baht or whatever you can get away with paying and get some good photos looking down on Bangkok.

After returning from Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City on an early morning hydrofoil trip we barely made it to the Saigon airport in time to catch our flight but of course our Jetstar Pacific flight was delayed.  Once we got in the air the flight was only around 2 hours and touching down in North Vietnam had me thinking if Hanoi would be a repeat of Saigon which I found to be nerve racking and not very enjoyable.

After the flight landed at around 4pm I really wanted to head to Halong Bay right away.  I asked a booth about the trip to Halong Bay and the packages they offered were pretty consistent with what we actually paid.   We decided to book the 2 day excursion to Halong Bay the next morning from our hotel in Hanoi.  We easily found the legitimate taxi (so we thought) and started off for the hour or so long drive into Hanoi.

Taxi Driver Hotel Scam

I saw two things that interested me during the taxi ride from the airport.  First of all, the air was completely filled with smoke.  I couldn’t tell if it was from a celebration or just a bunch of farmers.  The date was September 20th, 2009 so if anyone reading this knows do tell.  Secondly I noticed the very large presence of foreign companies.  Almost every billboard which were plentiful were from Korean and Japanese companies.

Chalk up another victory to the Lonely Planet Guide for warning us about the taxi driver scam.  We asked the taxi driver to take us to Church Hotel which was recommended by another guide book, the Hanoi Wallpaper Guide.  The Lonely Planet warned about taxi drivers taking you to the wrong hotel, or in our case he took us to a random room above a shop.  I know the language barrier is significant, but this guy was obviously trying to make some extra bucks.  I was not surprised because of my experience with the rip-off and scam artists in Ho Chi Minh City which were also in the Lonely Planet.  This taxi driver hotel scam had me thinking again that Hanoi was going to be a repeat of Saigon.

Hanoi is Nothing Like Ho Chi Minh City!

After the taxi driver started driving to the real Church Hotel I had a chance to sit back and observe Hanoi.  It was even apparent on the highway from the airport that Hanoi was a lot more friendly than Saigon.  In Hanoi I noticed a presence of young, smiling faced people.  It seemed that every time I turned my head in Hanoi I would see an attractive 20-something girl or a beautiful 30 something woman doing her thing. I

thought Hanoi really had a small town atmosphere, especially when compared to Saigon.  Most of the streets were narrow and while the traffic was hectic, there was nowhere near the volume of Ho Chi Minh City.   We finally got to Church Hotel and incoincidentally was located right next to this big Catholic church.  We had a chance to get our rooms and relax for a little bit then it was time to head out in Hanoi for the first time.

Places to Stay in Hanoi:  Church Hotel:  -Coming soon

Paces to Stay in Hanoi:  Gia Bao Hanoi Hotel

The Lake

Hanoi is a city with many lakes but the Hoàn Kiếm Lake is seemingly right in the center of the city.  Both hotels we stayed at were located a very close walk from Hoàn Kiếm Lake.  all around the lake was a very peaceful and relaxing place even though it was surrounded by the normal swarm of motorcycle traffic.  The noise of the traffic somehow disappeared when I was walking around the lake.

During the day the lake was a place for people who were just getting off work to sit and rest for lunch and by night time it was a place for couples and friends to go and just relax.   I would estimate the circumference around the lake to be around 1.5 miles and there is plenty of shops and restaurants across the street from the lake and one restaurant actually outside alongside the lake called Hapro Bon Mua. I met a guy selling Lonely Planet guides and post cards walking around the lake.  I first gave him the usual cold shoulder but ran into him again a short while later and started talking.

He said he was a student and explained his life story and we chatted for around 3o minutes.  He told me that he knew some good karaoke places and gave me his phone number and offered to show and my friend around.  He insisted I go across the street from the lake where there was a large group dancing.  It turned out the dancing they were doing was very far from traditional Vietnamese dancing.

Looking Across Hoàn Kiếm Lake at Night

More Rip-Offs

My friend who I was traveling with told me about the Lonely Planet warning about the English speaking people around the lake, I decided not to call back the guy who I spoke with at the lake.   I can usually tell if people I meet are good natured but the Lonely Planet had been 100% so I decided to not take the risk of getting ripped off.  Unlike Saigon there were very few cyclo drivers and other annoying people on the streets trying to sell you something or provide a service.

Taxi drivers seemingly drove around the lakes multiple times for no apparent reason which lead to large taxi bills.  They even did this when we were with our Vietnamese guide who we asked to show us some night venues when he was our tour guide at Halong Bay.  We asked him to show us around since he spoke English well but his guidance led to more rip-offs as he definitely brought us to less than spectacular places because he was going to get a commission.  This wasn’t necessarily a rip-off but an annoyance nonetheless.

Thinks I did in Hanoi

Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

Shopping at Cho Dong Xuan

Overall Impression

Since my less than optimally planned trip to Halong Bay cost 3 days I only had the chance to visit Hanoi for 1 full day and a couple nights.  I had the chance to stay longer I just booked my return ticket too soon.  At the time I felt it was time to head home to Bangkok but I definitely want to return to Hanoi as I missed out on a few tourist attractions as well as the city away from the lake.  Since Hanoi is close to China I’m thinking I may try to obtain a visa for mainland china and start my journey in Hanoi to see what I missed.

Go to Hanoi and Have a Seat!