Review : Baiyoke Boutique Hotel

Good gracious.... I know I've been absent from my blog but I didn't know it was more than a month ago since I last posted. I've been real busy with countless stuffs : my work, travelling, cycling, yoga, cleaning etc. Then when I'm free, the lazy bug got into me. I wanted to write but I just couldn't bring myself to start blogging again. And precisely that's what people said about procrastination.

In mid of May, hubby and I boarded a plane to Bangkok. Bangkok seems to be our annual destination these days and it has been 3 consecutive years that we visited this bustling city. I simply love Bangkok. I love the authentic Thai food, I love the so very much affordable Thai massage but most of all, I love the crazy shopping there. Hubby is only keen on the food and masssage but obviously these 2 indulgence of his will not take up a lot of time. In the end, he spent most of his time waiting for me while I shop or sleeping away while I shop to the fullest.

Last year when we were there, our friend actually booked the Baiyoke Boutique Hotel but somehow, the hotel screwed up our reservation. We were then upgraded to Baiyoke Sky Hotel. Since we've missed staying there the previous time, I thought I'd give this hotel a try this time. And here's what I've gathered :

Why I like it :

•  It's cheap. I finally bought it from PYO Travel as it was the cheapest fare offered in conjunction with Matta Fair. Cost me about RM 120 per room inclusive of 2 breakfast.

• The room was fairly clean with simple deco, TV with many channels, bathtub, basic toiletries provided, bedroom slippers and hair dryer are provided as well.
• The location is what drove me to book this hotel. It's located right in the heart of Pratunam Shopping and that's where Platinum Mall is and also the rest of other wholesale shops.
• There are rows of 'portable' shops along the road. They open early in the morning till late in the evening. I don't think the shops will be there during the weekdays but on weekends, certain roads will be blocked away to make access for the shops and shoppers. Prices here are somewhat cheaper than those in Jatuchak market.
• It's about 15 - 20 minutes of walking to Sukhumvit Road where all the malls are located :Siam Paragon, MBK, Central World, Amarin Plaza Bangkok. We actually walked all the way to the hotel once and all the way back. And after that......., 2 hours of massage :)

• It is only a 10 minutes walk from the hotel to BTS Sky Train at Chidlom Station. Otherwise, you can always hop on the the bus/van service provided by the hotel which will bring you to the station. Of course, you need to adhere to the schedule.

• There are many massage parlors located in Pratunam area. The normal range is priced at RM16.90/hour for a traditional Thai massage.

Why I dislike it :

• I was first given a room right at the end of the hallway and God, the noise outside the alley was driving me nuts. Within 2 hours, I had had enough and requested to switch to another room. This time, I was given a room right in the centre.
• I personally think the walls of the hotel rooms are very very thin. I could hear everyone that walk pass by my room and not to mention at the noise they make with their talking. I didn't have very good sleep because of this.
• The breakfast was lousy. Breakfast ends at 10am which I think was a wee bit too early. There was a day we went down at 9.30am and believe me, there was nothing there except bread, several miserable pieces of 'smashed and injured" slices of papaya/watermelon and a few shrivelled frankfurters.

Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa Langkawi

I was in Langkawi in year 2008 and posted my review for this hotel in Tripadvisor. I thought it's a good idea to share my review of this hotel in my blog. I booked this hotel via website and was rather skeptical when I read so many mixed reviews on this hotel. Nevertheless, I decided to go ahead with it. And the verdict?? Generally, this is a good hotel. I have to be fair when it comes to judging a hotel. One simply cannot compare an apple with an orange. I booked the Superior room which is the cheapest room possible, facing a garden view and on the ground floor. The workmanship of the flooring and tiles didn't deserve any star rating but what do you expect from a hotel which has been built for quite sometime. The pool was excellent because it was huge, the design was somewhat interesting( unlike the rectangular olympic pool), it has a jacuzzi, child pool, plenty of beach bench, pool bar, great beach and place for beach volleyball. Other amenities include 3 well maintained tennis courts and 2 ping pong tables. The bed was not so soft, aircon was cold and room comes with safebox and hair dryer. My room was not carpeted but I aint' too sure about other more expensive rooms. So, bring along your bedroom slippers for cleanliness and also to avoid stepping on cold flooring. Bathroom was huge and comes with a bathtub. All rooms comes with a balcony with 2 chairs. TV channels provided are quite ok and comes with remote control The only not so good thing about this hotel was the breakfast. Choices were limited.

I strongly recommend future Langkawi goers to stay in hotels located either in Pantai Tengah (where Holiday Villa is)or Pantai Cenang. There are plenty of cheap or expensive food outlets/stalls, souvenir shops, beach clothing shops and spa/massage parlour. Most of these shops are located in Pantai Cenang but if you stay in Pantai Tengah (where Holiday Villa is), it is just a stone throw's away. You can rent motorbike or a car and move around. These 2 Pantai (Beach) to me are the best simply because it has more activities, lively and extremely convenient. However if you are looking someplace which is extremely quiet, isolated, then perhaps The Datai and The Andaman is the right place for you. Both hotels are expensive and located in Datai Bay which is far far, very very far away from the Kuah Town or Pantai Cenang(where all the shops are). Just stay away from Datai Bay or Burau Bay is you want to be close to all the shops and activities. For me, location is as important as hotel standard. Oh yes.. Holiday Villa is very close to airport, about 15 mins ride.

For foreigners, liquor, cigarettes and chocolates are horribly cheap because they are truly duty free. Don't buy them in the airport !!! Buy them in Kuah Town where you will find numerous Duty Free Shops. So.. make sure you bring extra bags for fill your goodies.