Bel-Aire Princess, Sukhumvit, Bangkok

I have just returned from Bangkok and it was certainly an eye opener in more ways than one. A fine stay at the Bel Aire Princess Hotel complimented my trip.

The first time you step foot outside the airport in Bangkok it's like having your head wrapped in a hot towel. The humidity is certainly far different from anything you will experience in the UK. So it's with trepidation that you approach your stay, you ask yourself whether you ...
.../> Well the Bel Aire certainly took away all those worries. The hotel is well known so any taxi driver at the Airport should be able to take you to your destination without a hitch. You'll find it located on Soi 5 off the Sukhumvit road.

The great thing about the hotel is its location; it's down at the end of the street so you're not right on top of the noise from the main road. In fact it was pretty peaceful considering the amount ... more

I have just returned from Bangkok and it was certainly an eye opener in more ways than one. A fine stay at the Bel Aire Princess Hotel complimented my trip.

The first time you step foot outside the airport in Bangkok it's like having your head wrapped in a hot towel. The humidity is certainly far different from anything you will experience in the UK. So it's with trepidation that you approach your stay, you ask yourself whether you can sleep in this kind of weather.

Well the Bel Aire certainly took away all those worries. The hotel is well known so any taxi driver at the Airport should be able to take you to your destination without a hitch. You'll find it located on Soi 5 off the Sukhumvit road.

The great thing about the hotel is its location; it's down at the end of the street so you're not right on top of the noise from the main road. In fact it was pretty peaceful considering the amount of noise on the main streets. Soi 5 is also home to a few decent bars, a supermarket, Internet access and a few beauty parlours where you can get a massage or your nails done for a few quid. If you're going around the city then it's only a few minutes walk from the Sky Train, which is essential for getting to places worth visiting quickly and comfortably.

As I walked into the lobby I was greeted with a drop in temperature, air conditioning is certainly a godsend in Bangkok and feeling that cool chill is a real pleasure. The lobby itself is very modern and spacious. The reception staff are polite and helpful with a decent grasp of English. There is also a lounge area with a TV showing sports as well as a bar. Upon check in you're given a voucher for a complimentary drink from the bar, so those who like an immediate tipple will be catered for.

The hotel also has a restaurant that is pretty plush and the prices are fairly modest. Personally I didn't eat there as it was cheaper to eat out elsewhere and to be honest I didn't want to stay stuck in the hotel when there were other areas to try.

Of course if the room is not up to scratch then nothing else matters. On this matter I had no complaints. The room offered more than enough space for a single person. The bed was massive and the only problem I had with it was wondering where I should lay! There's also a TV in the room, the reception on some channels was not fantastic but it was watchable. You don't go away to watch TV but it's nice to have something to watch at the end of the day or when you wake up. For the English there is the BBC World Service but it's fairly dull. A movie channel offers up everything from Hollywood movies to direct to video guff starring Skeet Ulrich. There is a channel with western programming and you'll find programmes such as The Simpsons so you won't feel entirely out of place. MTV Asia is worth a look just for some of the crazy music videos they have over there.

This was my first stay in Bangkok but I went with someone who'd been several times and was assured that not every hotel offers facilities for tea and coffee. This is where Bel Aire added a nice touch. Aside from the mini bar you tea and coffee every day, the water boiler wasn't easy to work out but once I'd got it, that cup of tea in the morning felt good.

One of the most important things about staying in Bangkok is to keep hydrated. Every day you'll find a couple of bottles of water in your room. It was a nice touch and saved me the trouble of constantly buying water before setting out in the morning.
My trip was mainly business, I had a large amount of money which I needed to keep safe. My room had it's own safe located in the built in wardrobe. You entered your own code and it was great to be re-assured that my valuables would be safe.

The bathroom was also quite sizeable with a large mirror to help me apply my slap morning and night. The shower was part of the bath and the pressure was quite hard which offered a good wake-up after a day in the heat. Like most hotels you're supplied with shampoo, soap and even washing detergent!

Upon check-in you're given a key where the fob controls the room. You pop it in a slot as you walk in and it turns on the lights and the air conditioning. Everything is then controlled by a box on the bedside table.

Views wise the hotel doesn't offer a great deal but then this is Bangkok, out of window I couldn't see a great deal but then this isn't the kind of trip where you need a view out of the window.

The hotel also offers a nice pool on the third floor as well as a gym. I simply didn't have time to sample any of these but they looked pretty good.

What I did have time to try was a traditional Thai massage, this service was offered by the hotel and you have someone come up to your room and work out all the stresses. A Thai massage is an interesting experience involving a lot of pulling, some possible pain but it certainly relaxes you. I'd recommend it to anyone, especially as it costs under a fiver.

Compared to the cost of UK hotels I would say this was a great stay. The flight and hotel for five days was £567. This was a direct flight; if you keep an eye on sites like Expedia or Opodo you'll probably find that this hotel is part of their Bangkok package deals and a lower price. The flights in this price normally include in-direct flights but to be honest next time I'd probably go for that, as it would be nice to break up a long flight with the chance to walk outside the confines of an aircraft.

So if you're planning a trip to Bangkok and this hotel fits within your budget then I'd definitely recommend it.
 

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