45 replies to this topic

[Woof1]

Hi,
What I usually do is book hotels separately so I have more choices.
Over the years, been at GRand President for years soi 11, till they started ripping me off. Changed not to the Dynasty Hotel Group.
Usually stay at Dynasty Grande Soi 6, and when go to Patts, if you stay at Dynasty also, transfer (1 Way) is Free. Or move to Pattaya Bay Resort (Just personal tastes)
From Patts to Phuket, Fly for sure. I know there are flights out of U Tapao (Probably just a few hence Higher Prices??) than from BKK Airport.
You got to calculate the trade in Taxi to Subarn Airport to really compare the difference.
Can't help you in Phuket, been years haven't been.
I'm sure others will be able to fill in more details.
Did you check the section on travel or has it become too populated to the point where it is confusing?

[hyflex]

if you stay at dynasty in bankok and agree to stay in dynasty in patts they have shuttle to take you there.( transfer) i would recomend for a short trip stay at dynasty in bkk. 100yards down the road from nana. then dynasty inn pattaya soi 13 in patts. its centered nicely for someone new to the area to learn your way around, (not dynasty resort which is in jomtien) rooms arent 5 star but not slummy at all. comparable to holiday inn in the states cheap close to the action and after all your not living in the hotel your just sleeping and fu#*&ng there. my personal selling point for a hotel is the bathroom if its clean and nice i can let alot of other stuff slide, dynasty has clean ones. i will be there the end of this month and i will take some pics and info for trip report for to look at and add it to your considerations.

[xyzzy]

bangkokair.com uses U-Tapao airport (closer to Pattaya) to/from Phuket. If you want to skip a trip to the BKK airport. It's a smaller prop plane but an OK journey.

At the top of this section there are pinned threads with discussions of guest friendly hotels in BKK/Pattaya/Phuket. I usually book ahead during high season. At the very least book a couple of days until you get the lay of the land and maybe decide to change hotels. But if you read the pinned threads you likely will get a good idea about your hotels.

[Woof1]

Here is the Propre Link to the Dynasty.
The One you want in BKK are either the Dynasty Inn right on Soi 4 (About 200 Yards from NEP) and in Pattaya Last one on the top row.
Read through each sites, and pick your room.
Somewhere in there they mention the transportation to Patts.
Samcro on this site stayed at the Dynasty Inn soi 4, and loves the "New Section" whilst I need water, hence the Dynasty Grande, but sun only hits between 11AM and 3 PM
Pattaya there is a Swimming Pool (More like a Giant Bathtub) but the food is really average. THere's Plenty to go by within walking distance
Enjoy.
www.dynastyinn.com

[kliome]

I have a small list of tried and tested hotels I personally use for BKK and Pattaya, and I always book my hotel direct, although for a few nights in BKK it's sometimes worth checking for promos on agoda.

Flights: I have 5 online travel sites I use which I search with a little flexibility to find the best possible price with a prefered airline, trying to stick within my frequent flyer program when possible. Spreading your searches across a few different sites, such as ebookers, opodo, lastminute, kayak, and being flexible with your dates will get you a good price.

Hotels: I email the hotels direct a few months before I head out to see who can get me the best rate. There is usually some room to barter and get a good price. Unless I'm on a long stay I prefer to have my accommodation booked in advance, but I 've never had to pay a deposit - so far.

For the period of time you are talking about (close to peak season) I would definitely sort my flight and accomm 3 or so months ahead, and wouldn't wing it.

To avoid hassel I wouldn't use the bus systems when I have heavy luggage, especially when taxis through companies such as Mr T and PT taxi are so cheap. FWIW I tend to use the minibus system more than the buses when travelling light - it's usually cheaper, fast and in more convinient drop off points.

bangkokair.com uses U-Tapao airport (closer to Pattaya) to/from Phuket. If you want to skip a trip to the BKK airport. It's a smaller prop plane but an OK journey.

I've never done this journey but it doesn't seem to make sense to me. On average the flights from UTP to HKT take 20 mins longer because of distance and smaller craft, you also have to consider it's a 30+ min drive from Pattaya. The flights also cost you around 1000 bht+ extra than say an Air Asia flight from BKK to HTK.

Essentiall every way I do the math these UTP flights end up costing you more, saving you very little time, if any, and giving you less choice (ie airline, flight times), and with less comfort. Just my 2ps worth.

[rxpharm]

Peak season is high season for tourists visiting LOS, generally Oct/Nov to March or so.

The last few years problems have really kept the peak season much lower than usual, but in regular peak season it can be quite difficult to find reasonably priced hotels. If you plan on visiting during this period, you need to plan in advance for your accommodations.

[kliome]

For the period of time you are talking about (close to peak season) I would definitely sort my flight and accomm 3 or so months ahead, and wouldn't wing it.

Would you do the same in Pattaya and Phuket or especially Pattaya and Phuket?

For Phuket and Pattaya, and to an extent BKK, for Mid Dec to mid Jan it pays to book early. Even with the high/peak seasons not always as busy as expected, the better rooms/hotels/deals go early.

For Xmas period I'd personally try to firm up my plans and have a flight and hotel booked by the end of September.

Maybe I am a bit pernickerty and like to be too organised, I have friends who are the opposite and do nothing but wing it, even at peak seasons, but there are times when they have to settle for a below par room, or end up losing half a day trawling around hotels, hungover, asking for room in the inn. I can't be dealing with that.