Journeys With Stephen

Tag: Bangkok

  • Choose both upscale and budget in Bangkok

    Choose both upscale and budget in Bangkok

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    Time to leave the beautiful city view from my suite, head down to the sumptuous breakfast buffet, then step onto the skytrain to be whisked across Bangkok, all without stepping outdoors. There are lots of reasons to choose both luxury and convenience when you stay in Bangkok. Here you can enjoy upscale on a budget.

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    Let’s face it. Bangkok is usually hot and humid. And flash rainstorms are a common occurrence. Wouldn’t it be nice to stay at a hotel in the heart of the city, where you could quickly walk under cover to and from both BTS metro lines (Sukhumvit and Silom) to take you just about anywhere?

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok Asok BTS station” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bangkok-Asok-BTS-station.jpg” alt=”Bangkok Asok BTS station” title_text=”Bangkok Asok BTS station” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    Is shopping on the day’s agenda? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a modern, 9-story shopping mall adjacent to your hotel property? At Terminal 21 you can escape that heat by perusing 600 shops, an 8-screen Cineplex, gourmet market, and more than 50 restaurants. The famous Siam Paragon shopping complex is four stops away on the BTS, and the high-end Em-Quartier is just one stop away.

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok Terminal 21 shopping” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bangkok-Terminal-21-shopping.jpg” alt=”Bangkok Terminal 21 shopping” title_text=”Bangkok Terminal 21 shopping” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    Tired from all that shopping? The hotel offers hot stone massages, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, and more. But since we are upscale on a budget, I suggest you head to the top floor of Terminal 21 to the professional day spa called “Let’s Relax.” The “Full Spirit,” which is nearly 3 hours of aromatherapy massage, plus body scrub or wrap, plus foot reflexology totals about US$70.

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    In cities like New York the average hotel room feels like a closet. Wouldn’t it be nice to always get a room that is 45-square meters (484 square feet) or larger? Stay in a recently renovated room with luxury touches like a walk-in closet, separate deep-soaking tub and shower, 300-thread-count sheets, and a spacious working desk among its many amenities? Oh, and nice views like the picture below?

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok view from Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bangkok-view-from-Sheraton-Grande-Sukhumvit.jpg” alt=”Bangkok view from Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit” title_text=”Bangkok view from Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    We’ve all been to hotels where breakfast consists of a cold muffin and do-it-yourself coffee from an industrial-size urn. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to a huge international hot breakfast buffet, with fresh tropical fruits, and friendly service that keeps your fresh-squeezed orange juice and hot coffee constantly coming?

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Fruit buffet Sheraton Grande Bangkok” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Fruit-buffet-Sheraton-Grande-Bangkok.jpg” alt=”Fruit buffet Sheraton Grande Bangkok” title_text=”Fruit buffet Sheraton Grande Bangkok” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    Speaking of food, wouldn’t it be nice to have a choice of six dining options on the hotel property, including Thai, Italian, Asian, and International? Oh, and that doesn’t include the unique “Dine in the Dark” restaurant, where you will be aided by visually impaired guides as you eat in total darkness. For each diner the hotel also makes a donation to Thailand’s Foundation for the Blind.

    Wouldn’t it be nice to wrap up your evening with a quiet drink in The Library or to the sound of live jazz in The Living Room?

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    Big, world-class cities can also break the bank when it comes to luxury hotel prices, often the most expensive part of your trip. Wouldn’t it be nice to experience everything I related above at a reasonable price? That’s where being in Bangkok, Thailand helps. The comparatively lower cost of living, together with serious competition for the upscale traveler’s wallet, keeps prices in check.

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit exterior” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Sheraton-Grande-Sukhumvit-exterior.jpg” alt=”Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit exterior” title_text=”Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit exterior” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    So, what is this hotel I have been talking about? It is the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. Don’t be fooled by the Sheraton name. It is a member of The Luxury Collection, a group of more than a hundred 5-star properties that are part of the Starwood brand. They are all pretty elegant places. I have stayed at the historic Gritti Palace in Venice, the Hotel Goldener Hirsch in Salzburg, and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, among others – all unique and outstanding. Want upscale on even more of a budget? Use your Starwood points here!

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit front” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bangkok-Sheraton-Grande-Sukhumvit-front.jpg” alt=”Bangkok Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit front” title_text=”Bangkok Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit front” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    What’s missing at the Sheraton Grande? Well, if you are looking for old world Thai charm, with furnishings that look like a temple or maybe Jim Thompson’s House, you won’t find that here. The Sheraton Grande has more than 400 rooms and suites. It can feel big and business-like. Just know that going in. With more than 2,000 hotels in Bangkok, I’m sure you can find a small luxury boutique hotel, if that is your preference. For me, I want the size, service, and amenities of the larger property in such an enormous city.

    Wouldn’t it be nice to go right now?

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    What’s upscale?

    Your hotel is one of the best in Bangkok, with all the amenities, plus a convenient location on Sukhumvit Road next to the Asok BTS station.

    What’s budget?

    Bangkok has a low cost of living compared to most great international cities. So everything from an airport taxi to subway to spa to the cost of your hotel room is quite reasonable.

     

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  • Why it pays to be loyal to a hotel chain

    Why it pays to be loyal to a hotel chain

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    The hotel in Bangkok gave me a luxurious suite. In the morning I feasted on their sumptuous buffet breakfast. They granted me a 7:00pm checkout, since I was taking a late-night flight. All for free. It pays to be loyal to a hotel chain, in this case the former Starwood, now Marriott program.

    To be upscale on a budget almost requires one to be loyal to travel programs from hotels to airlines. Yet, I have met so many people who say, “Oh, I just stay in the convention’s recommended hotel.” “I just picked a flight on Expedia.” They are missing out on a chance to move upscale, while still holding to a budget.

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    Personally, I made a decision more than a decade ago to try to stay in Starwood properties whenever possible. They offered plenty of choices across a range of prices, with The Luxury Collection and St. Regis on the top end, then Westin, W, Le Meridien and Sheraton, and specialty brands, like Aloft and Elements. With more than a thousand properties in 100 countries, I could usually find what I was looking for. I first achieved Gold status. Then 50 nights in a year led to Platinum privileges. Finally, 10 years in a row of Platinum earned me Starwood Lifetime Platinum.

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    So what? Well, for example, as a Platinum member I usually book the cheapest room possible, because I know the hotel will upgrade me, often to a suite. Breakfast is included, as is a 4:00pm checkout. Lots of things that we all hate to pay for are complimentary, such as Internet, bottled water, fitness centers, and club-level rooms. I can even book a room when the hotel is sold out. I earn bonus points, which keeps me playing the game. If I absolutely require a suite, say on a family trip, I am awarded a number of suite nights a year to tap into. The list goes on.

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Sheraton Grande pool overhead” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Sheraton-Grande-pool-overhead.jpg” alt=”Sheraton Grande pool overhead” title_text=”Sheraton Grande pool overhead” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    The Starwood program I refer to got swallowed up in the 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts by Marriott, and in August, 2018 they finally combined the programs. The result is a lot more properties to choose from, but a lot more people vying for the perks that come with elite membership. There are other good loyalty programs out there, depending on your preference. Just do your research and select the right program for you. Then stay loyal!

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok Grande Sheraton library” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bangkok-Grande-Sheraton-library.jpg” alt=”Bangkok Grande Sheraton library” title_text=”Bangkok Grande Sheraton library” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    I plan a trip to Stockholm for the TBEX conference. The closest hotel to the convention center is the Radisson Blu, with a special TBEX rate of about US$200, including tax. I would be tempted to stay there, with the convention just a 5-minute walk from my 24-square meter room. But just 3 minutes further away is a Starwood/Marriott program hotel (Sheraton), where I could probably score a 37-square meter junior suite, buffet breakfast, etc., for the about the same price. Or I could drop the price to US$110, if I wanted to use some points each night (cash and points option) or totally free, if I wanted to cash in more points per night.

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Shanghai Le Meridien suite” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Shanghai-Le-Meridien-suite.jpg” alt=”Shanghai Le Meridien suite” title_text=”Shanghai Le Meridien suite” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    Ah, the points game. It’s not just about using airline miles. If you stay in 10 different hotel chains over the course of a year, you will rack up a scattering of points in each, basically of little value. But if you stayed loyal to the same brand, you may have earned enough points for a free night. The hotel in Bangkok I mentioned at the beginning of this article was the Sheraton Grande Suhkumvit, a Luxury Collection hotel. Besides the 4-room suite, amazing world-class buffet breakfast, and free drinks and food in the Library, I was staying for free (using points).

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok Sheraton Grande library appetizer” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bangkok-Sheraton-Grande-library-appetizer.jpg” alt=”Bangkok Sheraton Grande library appetizer” title_text=”Bangkok Sheraton Grande library appetizer” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
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    Don’t forget the almighty credit card. There is a reason the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express card is one of the most popular among frequent travelers. I use this card a lot, especially for hotel stays, and it gives me enough points for about 10-12 free nights every year. Okay, I spend a lot. But if you figure an average upscale room in a major city costs about US$300 per night, including taxes, that Amex card can save me more than US$3,000 a year! Want even more flexibility? I also carry the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, whose elite rewards points can be used for airlines, hotels and more. What’s in your wallet?

    You need to figure out what a point is worth to you. In my Stockholm example, to cash in 10K points in lieu of paying about US$200 a night, would make each point worth only 2 cents. The cash and points option is worse; each point is worth about 1.5 cents. I should pay the full rate and save my points for a better deal. I recently spent a weekend at the Westin Miyako Kyoto, Japan, where my room would have cost about US$500 a night. However, I was able to get a suite for just 10K points a night, so each point was worth 5 cents!

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    If you travel a lot and follow my advice, you can build up zillions of points to use in select situations, like my Kyoto example. So get out of that cramped room and enjoy suites and other amenities you might be missing out on today!

    Coming up I will explain why it pays to be airline loyal too. Subscribe in the box below, and I will let you know when that post is written. And feel free to comment below the box.

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  • Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

    Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

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    Am I really 14 1/2 hours ahead of Los Angeles? Why am I now craving pizza in a land of delectable Thai food? Do I even care about the U.S. news anymore? These are just some of the reflections from a month on the road in Asia. And I spend a lot of months away from home. What reflections do you have when you change your latitude?

    Apologies to Jimmy Buffett, who ran into a chum with a bottle of rum, and we wound up drinkin’ all night. I have no such excuse for what I am writing now, but it strikes me there are some tips and advice in here somewhere. So here goes, still under the influence of jetlag.

     

    #1. I only suffer jetlag returning from Asia. Thanks, NASA!

    Yes, studies by NASA and others with lots of degrees behind their names have told us that it is harder to adjust our body clocks when traveling from west to east. NASA’s chief of fatigue management (nice title) also says it takes about a day to adjust for every time zone. So when I drop back 15 hours flying from China to the U.S., I’m supposed to take a couple of weeks to adjust?

    After a decade of those flights, I have yet to figure out how to beat the system. I have tried Ambien and Melatonin and eye masks and alcohol and abstention. Frankly, nothing works, although I am usually pretty normal in 4-5 days. If you have the magic answer, let me and countless others know by commenting below.

     

    #2. What time is it? In fact, what day is it? Do I even care?

    I’m sitting in Yangon, Myanmar contemplating a Skype call to California. My world clocks app tells me to adjust back 14.5 hours. So, I email the family to expect a call from me sometime yesterday. Except it is 3:00am there, so they don’t see the email anyway.

    That reminds me that I have lost track of what day of the week it is. I got to Myanmar on a Thursday, I think, but it was a holiday, and who has a holiday on Thursday? Oh yeah, Lunar calendar, full moon, got it. At this point do I even care what day of the Roman calendar we are on? I will just let people back home know I am hopelessly lost in time.

     

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    #3. Why am I craving pizza, pasta and Mexican food?

    The menu in Thailand is full of delectable items, from Tom Yum Goong to Pad Thai to Duck in Red Curry. So many wonderful choices. Why am I craving Italian and Mexican food? I don’t know if NASA has studied this, but after several weeks in Asia, I start dreaming about cheeseburgers in paradise.

    My theory, and I don’t have a PhD, is that Americans like to eat all kinds of cuisines on a regular basis. We will eat pasta one day, burritos the next, then Chinese, then pizza, then fish, then a salad, and so on. In China, they eat Chinese food – every day. OK, it’s incredibly delicious, but eventually even KFC looks good to me. Is that normal?

     

    #4. Security and shoes and chargers and Global Entry

    Airport security in the U.S. sucks. There, I said it. Please don’t put me on a watch list. On my recent trip to Asia I take 12 flights. The toughest security measures are in trying to leave LAX. I’m Global Entry and TSA Pre. It doesn’t matter. Stand in a long line. Take out every electronic device, in fact, anything sort of metal. Take everything out of your pockets.

    Take off your shoes. On December 22, 2001, a guy had explosives hidden in his shoes. Since then, about 10 billion American flyers have had to remove their shoes. It is the only one of my 12 flights where I have to do that. Then again, we don’t get blown up.

    To be fair, I have had device chargers confiscated in China. To solve the problem, I bought my latest charger in China. Also to be fair, Global Entry does work on returning to the U.S. from abroad. This time arriving at LAX, I make it from gate to kiosk to curb in 15 minutes. It’s the best $100 the government will ever take from you.

     

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bangkok traffic jam” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Bangkok-traffic-jam.jpg” alt=”Bangkok traffic jam” title_text=”Bangkok traffic jam” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

    #5. Am I looking forward to traffic on the 405 freeway?

    It’s 8:00pm, and I have naively waited for rush hour to clear a little. I’m taking a taxi from central Bangkok to the airport. But there’s a problem. I’ve been in the taxi for 20 minutes and haven’t made it from the hotel to the street yet; traffic is virtually stopped. Eventually we inch along a pace that is slower than walking. And I have a flight to catch. It’s like that every day here.

    Of course, it could be worse. I have come from Myanmar, where every form of transportation is an adventure. Yangon, which doesn’t allow motorbikes, is now overrun by cars, and without the roads to support them. Trains are the butt of all jokes. Busses are slightly better.

    Near Myanmar’s Inle Lake, I am faced with a 40-minute walk to the market. The solution is to jump in the back of a sort of motorized wagon, as we bounce over the muddy, rutted path. I ride on the back of a motorbike on the way back. It is one of the US$400 models made across the border in China. I tell him to “take it slow.” It hardly matters.

    Yes, when I encounter an accident and Sig Alert on L.A.’s 405 freeway on the final leg of my journey, it seems almost acceptable. I’m driving a Lexus on a real highway. I’m sure traffic will clear anytime now.

     

    #6. Why am I starting not to care about news from the U.S.?

    When I first leave the U.S., I find myself checking the ESPN website, reading The New York Times International Edition and searching for CNN on TV. With each passing day my interest in U.S. news wanes. “What was the score in yesterday’s football game?” becomes “Is my team still playing?” morphing into “Why is every football game on TV played with a round ball?”

    I am reminded just how U.S.-centric the news is in America by how many interesting stories are presented to me internationally that would never be covered in the States. I can’t avoid the global news – there’s a television built into my bathroom mirror. I become a citizen of the world. I feel more intelligent. Still not smart enough to understand rugby from Australia. “That guy was tackled and down! Why is play still going on?”

     

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Kayan women Inle Lake Myanmar” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Kayan-women-Inle-Lake-Myanmar.jpg” alt=”Kayan women Inle Lake Myanmar” title_text=”Kayan women Inle Lake Myanmar” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

    #7. I’m still glad I carry a drug store in a Ziploc bag

    Bugs are attracted to me. Mosquitoes think I am dessert. How else can I explain the several bites that are showing up on my arm? And I am inside the convention center in Bangkok. Thank goodness a tube a Benadryl is as close as my hotel room inside my drug store in a Ziploc bag, fully explained in another post.

    How charming and quaint was the building on stilts as our longtail boat pulls up to the dock. Inside we find some ladies from Myanmar’s Kayan tribe, with their long neck rings, weaving and selling clothing. We have stepped back in time. Unfortunately, my stomach has taken a step back also. Nothing in that local store can take the place of the western medicine I carry with me. My drug store in a Ziploc bag comes through again, as it does time after time.

     

    [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Flight map Incheon Los Angeles” src=”https://journeyswithstephen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Flight-map-Incheon-Los-Angeles.jpg” alt=”Flight map Incheon Los Angeles” title_text=”Flight map Incheon Los Angeles” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

    #8. It’s going to take 31 hours to get home?

    I enjoy looking at those old ads for Pan Am or TWA, showing well dressed people smiling as they are served their steak dinners in-flight. These days the romance is gone. We treat flights as almost a necessary evil.

    I am both upscale and on a budget, so I enjoy the comforts of a lay-flat bed on Asiana, but still endure an 8-hour layover in Seoul to save hundreds of dollars. I’ve done all the free tours of Seoul, offered as a nice perk by the airport, so this time I confine myself to the business lounge.

     

    #9. Final reflections

    Reading departure signs in some big airport
    Reminds me of the places I’ve been.
    Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
    Makes me want to go back again.

    You got that right, Jimmy.

    I may be tired and jetlagged, but already dreaming of the next trip. On this one I make new travel friends from all over the world, visit old friends, see a new country in the midst of historic change, and as usual, come back a little wiser about this planet we inhabit.

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