travelswithalice

July 21, 2013

RANDOM TRAVEL NOTES

Forget 3-star or 5-star rankings. There are more reliable ways to rate hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets.

The hotel's "Caring for the Environment" bedlinen card.

If it defaults to daily change, it's a good hotel.

The restaurant greeter.

Nice restaurants have more welcoming openers than "Do you have a reservation?"

The escalator speed.

The slower the escalator, the more prestigious the shops it serves.

Escalators feeding onto mass transportation (like MRTs and such) are the trickiest to get on and off of.

Other random thoughts:

travelswithstuart

Stuart says:

If there is serious air turbulence while you're out of your airplane seat, sit on the floor and hold onto a seat, a door, or anything else bolted to the floor. (Biggest danger is getting thrown up onto the ceiling.)

During emergency evacuation, forget what anybody else says or does, just follow me.

Labels: hotel rankings, restaurant rankings, travelswithstuart

posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones # July 21, 2013

July 20, 2013

In Bangkok, arrive in style, by boat

It took two hours, three trains, and a boat, but what a magnificent way to arrive!

No driving, no car hire, no taxi, no traffic. Here's how:

Upon arrival at Bangkok's Suvanabhumi Airport, (after clearing immigrations and collecting luggage, of course) head off to B Level to buy a ticket for the Express Line to Phaya Thai Station. The train goes every hour, on the half hour, and costs 90 baht. (The return train from the city goes every hour, on the hour.)

At Phaya Thai Station, take the Sky Train to Bearing. Ticket costs 42 baht. Get off at Siam Station, cross over to the opposite side of the concourse, and take the train to Talat Phlu. Get off at Saphin Taksin.

At Saphin Taksin, head off to the Hotel Shuttle Boat Pier where hotel personnel will welcome you and whisk you off to the hotel by boat.