Condé Nast Traveler’s 2012 Hot List

Last year when Condé Nast Traveler announced their 2011 Hot List of New Hotels, I mentioned that I was surprised not to see new star on the Bangkok hotel scene, Hansar Bangkok listed. I surmised at the time that perhaps the 5 months between the opening of the Hansar, and the publishing of the Hot List wasn’t enough time to get somebody out there to check it out. (Oh why didn’t they call me!? sniffle)

It looks like they have gotten around to sending somebody since then and the Hansar, along with the St Regis, as well as a new hotel to me, the Casa de la Flora in Khao Lak have been included in the 2012 list of hottest new hotels in the world.

Casa De La Flora earned 2 “flames” which warranted a full write up in the magazine. The other two only received one “flame” each, relegating their write-ups to the website and iPad app. Here is what the Hot List says about each hotel.

Casa de la Flora

“Brutalism in paradise-think minimalist lines rendered in concrete, stone and glass, a welcome departure from the standard landscape of generic teakwood and Jim Thompson silks.” Check rates at Casa de la Flora

Hansar Bangkok

“Rio de Janeiro in Bangkok. The open-air hallways and the street-view terrace with lap-pool wouldn’t look out of place across from Ipanema Beach, yet dark-wood accents and raw-silk walls remind you where you are.” Check rates at Hansar Bangkok

St Regis Bangkok

“Some hotels promise excitement, others glamour, but the St Regis Bangkok is for the traveler who prizes reliability. Everything works… Rooms are efficient and soothing, with sweeping views over the city’s expressways of the golf course at the nearby Royal Bangkok Sports Club.”

Check out the full Condé Nast Traveler’s 2012 Hot List

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A look at our customer data from the past year exposes some revealing trends among travelers to Thailand in 2010, from our most popular destinations and peak travel times to the average price guests are paying for their accommodations.  How does your itinerary stack up?

Destinations: Bangkok was the clear winner, with nearly half of all travelers who booked through ReserveThaiHotels.com choosing to book their accommodations with hotels in the city.  Boasting state-of-the-art luxury and easy access to other popular spots around the country, its no surprise that Bangkok would be the top choice.  The seaside city of Pattaya ranked in as the second most popular destination with 30%, with the remaining 20% foregoing the central cities for the charms of regional destinations such as Chiang Mai and smaller beach towns like Cha-am.

When to Travel: As one would expect, Thailand proves an alluring destination during the cold winter months: nearly 28% of travelers in 2010 made their trips during the northern winter, between December and February.  Other times of the year attract visitors fairly uniformly, though the numbers do drop to their lowest point during the sweltering summer months of June and July.

Length of Stay: We saw that travelers book accommodations for three nights on average.  A surprising 35% of guests make reservations for only one night, while nearly 30% opt for more leisurely sojourns of four nights or more.

Average Prices: It’s surprisingly easy to find luxury accommodations at reasonable rates in Thailand.  Our customers paid an average of $250 for their entire stay, which breaks down to less than $85 a night.  One reason customers are able to find such cheap rates may have to do with booking in advance; on average, customers made reservations 23 days before their departure, allowing them to take advantage of the best rates.  Taking advantage of off-peak travel rates is also a great option for travelers on a budget.

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Is Thailand safe?

There is no denying the fact that when the news coverage went out around the world of the political Protests in Thailand, people felt inclined to rip the pages on this country out of their holiday brochure. Let’s face it, life is depressing enough at home at the moment, with all of these nauseating austerity measures; the last thing you want is to enter an area that is on the verge of a potential revolution.

In the main and especially in the capital, this political unrest in Bangkok was actually reported accurately.

However, you really do need to bear in mind that Thailand is an immense country. What is happening in Bangkok, at any specific juncture in time, is not necessarily representative of how the rest of the country may be fairing.

Travel warnings

As a number of international governments reacted instantaneously to this unrest, which reached its peak back in May, the Thai tourist industry officials are a little concerned in that the inclination to withdraw any restrictions on travel to the country now, are slow to transpire. They insist that Thailand is definitely a safe country to visit and that even in the capital – things are much more peaceful now than they were.

Resilience

Thailand is preparing itself to gather all its energy and fight for all its worth to get those tourists back into the country. Despite the fact that the main political unrest was only at its peak a few months ago, never underestimate the resilience of this mighty nation. Overall tourism figures were reported to be down by some 50% and some hotels within the country have only secured a 15% occupancy rate at the worst of times since the unrest. But are the people that work within the tourism industry going to put up with these woeful statistics for much longer? Absolutely not!

So, the mighty fight-back to attract the tourists back into Thailand has now begun. If you check out some of the offers for Thai holidays at the moment, you may actually think you are seeing things with some of the prices that are available. Really gorgeous and beautifully appointed five star properties can be booked with flights and transfers for 7 nights, for less than USD1385 / £900.00; and all inclusive packages will even be very close to this rate too.

No doubt many of us who have experienced the beauty and unique charm of Thailand in the past, were more than a little shocked and saddened by what they were seeing on their television screens back in May. But then, could we ever begin to imagine how quickly and robustly the people of this country would be prepared to act to make sure their targets for tourism are still met. Even with these problems in the country to deal with in 2010, it has been reported that Thailand has already received some 9 million visitors up until August. As the target for the year was set at 14 million, there is a strong chance of this actually being achieved.

Let’s be honest here though, Thailand is spectacular!; surely it doesn’t take that much to attract tourists back to such a jaw-droopingly beautiful corner of our world?

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From mid-summer (August 15), The Regency Club rooms and facilities at the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin will be unavailable to guests as the hotel will be starting a complete overhaul and renovation of all Regency Club rooms and facilities. The BARAI Spa will be unaffected.

Closing it down in the middle of the summer seems a little strange, but I suppose they need to do this in order to have it ready by the middle of December for the start of the peak season.

From the official press release listed below, it looks like they will be enclosing the balconies on the second and third floor rooms with glass sliding doors to incorporate what until now has been the balcony, into the room. As you can see from the photo below there is a decent sized balcony with a table and two chairs. Rooms on the ground floor had this area enclosed with glass walls, making a kind of sun room, and there was a sofa and chairs there.

It is interesting to note in the press release that once the renovations are complete, Regency Club guests will receive a complimentary 60-minute spa treatment for two people per stay at THE BARAI spa.

Let’s hope they also make some improvements to the food and drink choices available in the Regency Club, which as I remember, in Thailand tend to be quite a disappointment compared to other Hyatt properties in Asia.

From August 15 to December 15, 2010, the Regency Club facility at Hyatt Regency Hua Hin will be closed for a complete and total renovation. During this period, all guestrooms and suites in the Regency Club area, the Regency Club Lounge, Regency Club swimming pool and Regency Club garden area will be unavailable for guest use.

When the renovated Regency Club is unveiled, guests will experience a stunning room designed for the ultimate in comfort and convenience. To bring guests closer to nature, all Regency Club rooms on the ground floor will feature an outdoor patio with on-your-doorstep access to the gardens and swimming pool area. This new Regency Club Garden Room will expand the room size from the current 38 sq. m to roughly 45 sq. m, including the outdoor patio area. The second and third floor rooms will also have the luxury of additional space through an innovatively designed balcony area. This design will include an option to open the large panoramic sliding windows to enjoy fresh air and an outdoor feel or to keep the doors closed feeling the spacious comfort of your own room. This enclosed balcony feel will expand our existing upper floor rooms by 9 sq. m to an actual room size of 38 sq. m.

All this will be complemented by a wide range of standard Regency Club benefits, as well as new, unique and value-added inclusions, namely complimentary Internet connectivity (both wired and Wi-Fi) and a complimentary 60-minute spa treatment for two people per stay in our award-winning THE BARAI spa.

During the renovation period there will be no major disruption to the day-to-day operations of the rest of the hotel’s facilities as the renovation is confined to specific areas in the sprawling resort grounds. The team is committed to ensuring that guest satisfaction, comfort and convenience, as well as delivery of prompt service, remains as top priority during this time. The Presidential Villa and The Barai Suites remain open and available for bookings as normal.

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Best Hotels list 2010 features many Thai hotels and resorts.

Hotels and resorts in Thailand secured over 40% of the spots in the Asia categories in the results of the Traveler’s Choice 2010 poll conducted by Tripadvisor.com.

The Best Service category was dominated by Thailand, with independent travelers voting Thai resorts into 6 of the top 10 spots. The Kingdom also fared well in the Family Resorts, Relaxation & Spa as well as B&B and Inns categories, securing 50% of the top 10 spots in each category.

Thai resorts also managed a number of placings in the international categories of best hotels with The Secret Garden in Chiang Mai placing 5th in the list of top 10 bargain hotels in the world and the Cape Sienna Hotels & Villas in Kamala being voted the 4th most romantic resort in the world in 2010. Bandara Resort & Spa just made the list of top 10 Relaxation/ Spa Hotels in the World, at number ten.

Below are the results for each Asian category, with links to each hotel where you will find more information and photos.

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Bangkok hotel re-opening dates list updated daily.

Bangkok is now back to normal with all roads, hotels, shops and attractions operating as normal. I am leaving the previous updates below as a record of events.

Following the departure of UDD protesters in central Bangkok, the city is now in cleanup mode. A city-wide curfew remains until Sunday night. Hotels that were forced to close are cleaning up and preparing for re-opening, with most set to re-open Monday the 24th or Wednesday the 26th. This morning I have updated Bangkok hotel re-openings for the Ratchadamri and Siam areas which were the most severely affected areas, and will update the others later today.

I am calling many of the hotels in the affected areas every today to check whether they are open and when they are re-opening. I will list all hotel closures and re-opening dates here. Below is the list of their current status as of today. Check back daily as I will be updating this list of Bangkok hotel closures everyday until the situation is back to normal.

Updated 12 pm Bangkok time, Tuesday May 25th 2010

Any dates given for planned re-opening of hotels are of course subject to change depending on the situation.

Ratchadamri

• Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel re-opening Wednesday May 26th.
• Four Seasons Bangkok Hotel re-opening Wednesday May 26th.
• Courtyard by Marriott Hotel re-opened Monday May 24th.
• CentrePoint Ratchadamri : Closed. Will open 7am Thursday May 27th

Siam

• Intercontinental Hotel Bangkok : Closed- Hotel re-opening May 26th
• Centara Grand at Central World : Closed – Re-opening June 1
• Novotel Bangkok at Siam Square re-opened May 24.
• Siam@Siam Design Hotel re-opened May 24th
• Pathumwan Princess re-opened May 23
• VIE Hotel re-opened Monday May 24th.

Sukhumvit

• Renaissance Ratchaprasong : Closed - Re-opening June 1st.
• Holiday Inn : Closed. Re-opening Wednesday May 26th.
• JW Marriott : Open
• Majestic Grande : Open
• Furama Xclusive Sukhumvit Hotel : Open
• Bell-aire Princess : Open
• Hotel Manhattan : Open
• Centre Point Sukhumvit Soi 10 : Open
• Centre Point Thong Lor : Open
• Amari Boulevard : Open
• Park Plaza Sukhumvit : Open

Pratunam

• Amari Watergate Bangkok : Open
• Intra Regent : Closed -Currently plans to re-open June 1st.

Lang Suan

• Mayfair Marriott Executive Apartments re-opened Monday May 24th.
• Fraser Place Urbana Lang Suan : Open
• Luxx XL Lang Suang : Open
• CentrePoint Langsuan reopens May 26th.
• Sawasdee Langsuan Inn Hotel re-opened May 24th
• Capehouse Serviced Apartments re-opened. Lobby renovations for next 2 weeks, restaurant is not open.

Wireless Road

• Plaza Athenee- A Royal Meridien : Open
• Centerpoint Wireless Road Hotel re-opening May 26th
• Conrad Hotel : Open

Sathorn

• Lebua at State Tower : Open
• Sathorn Vista Marriott Apartments: Open
• Banyan Tree: Open
• Panthip Court : Open
• The Sukothai re-opened May 24th.
• FuramaXclusive Sathorn : Open
• Metropolitan re-opened May 24th.
• Radisson Hotel Sathorn : Open

Sala Daeng/Silom

• Dusit Thani Bangkok re-opened
• Pan Pacific : Open

Others

• Centre Point Silom : Open
• Pullman King Power reopening May 25th.

Riverside hotels and Khao San Road

Hotels in these areas were not affected and open for business as usual.

Updated 10:30am Bkk time, Saturday May 22nd 2010

Any dates given for planned re-opening of hotels are of course subject to change depending on the situation.

Ratchadamri

• Grand Hyatt Erawan : Closed Re-opening Wednesday May 26th.
• Four Seasons Hotel : Closed- Re-opening Wednesday May 26th.
• Courtyard by Marriott : Closed. Re-opening Monday May 24th.
• CentrePoint Ratchadamri : Closed. Decision will be made on re-opening on Monday 24th

Siam

• Intercontinental Hotel : Closed- Re-opening May 26th
• Centara Grand at Central World : Closed – Vague answer from sales office saying “next week”. When pressed she said that staff will be coming to work on the 26th.
• Novotel Bangkok at Siam Square : Closed – Plans to reopen May 24.
• Siam@Siam : Closed-Plans to re-open May 24th
• Pathumwan Princess : Closed – “Tomorrow or Monday”. No clear policy yet
• VIE – Closed. Re-opening Monday May 24th.

Sukhumvit

• Renaissance Ratchaprasong : Closed – If the government lifts the curfew, they will open “at the end of the month”, most probably next Friday May 28th.
• Holiday Inn : Closed. No staff at hotel to answer phone calls- recorded message. From their website: (We) have at this stage decided to suspend all guest services and not to accept any reservations until further notice.
• JW Marriott : Open – accepting reservations.
• Majestic Grande : Open – accepting reservations.
• Furama Xclusive Sukhumvit Hotel : Open and accepting reservations.
• Bell-aire Princess : Open
• Hotel Manhattan : Open
• Centre Point Sukhumvit Soi 10 : Open
• Centre Point Thong Lor : Open
• Amari Boulevard : Open

Pratunam

• Amari Watergate Bangkok : Open
• Intra Regent : Closed -Currently plans to re-open June 1st.

Lang Suan

• Mayfair Marriott Executive Apartments : Closed until May 23rd.
• Fraser Place Urbana Lang Suan : Open but not accepting new reservations until Sunday 23rd May, however walk-ins will be accomodated.
• Luxx XL Lang Suang : Closed Nobody answering the telephone tonight.
• CentrePoint Lang Suan : Closed
• Sawasdee Langsuan Inn Hotel : Closed
• Capehouse Serviced Apartments : Closed

Wireless Road

• Plaza Athenee- A Royal Meridien : Closed Planning on opening again May 24th.
• Centerpoint Wireless Road Hotel : Closed
• Conrad Hotel : Open – accepting reservations.

Sathorn

• Lebua at State Tower : Open
• Sathorn Vista Marriott Apartments: Open
• Banyan Tree: Open for current guests but not accepting new guests until May 31st.
• Panthip Court : Open
• The Sukothai : Closed until May 24th.
• FuramaXclusive Sathorn : Open
• Metropolitan : Closed until May 24th.

Sala Daeng/Silom

• Dusit Thani : Closed. Calls redirected to Dusit Thani Surinakarin (near the airport). No date set for re-opening yet.

Others

• Centre Point Silom : Open

Riverside hotels and Khao San Road

Hotels in these areas are open for business as usual.

Updated 8:44 pm Bkk time, Thursday May 20th 2010

Any dates given for planned re-opening of hotels are of course subject to change depending on the situation.

Ratchadamri

• Grand Hyatt Erawan : Closed Plans to re-open Wednesday May 26.
• Four Seasons Hotel : Closed- No staff at hotel, calls diverted to Ko Samui Four Seasons. Plans to re-open May 24th.
• Courtyard by Marriott : Closed. No date set for re-opening yet. Plans to re-open May 24th. Reservations not accepted until then.
• CentrePoint Ratchadamri : Closed

Siam

• Intercontinental Hotel : Closed- Not accepting bookings. No staff at hotel to answer phone calls- recorded message.
• Centara Grand at Central World : Closed – Central World was set on fire yesterday following the retreat of protesters.
• Novotel Bangkok at Siam Square : Closed – Plans to reopen May 24.
• Siam@Siam : Closed-Plans to re-open May 24th

• Pathumwan Princess : Closed – Staff say they plan to re-open in the “next 2 or 3 days”. No clear policy yet.

Sukhumvit

• Renaissance Ratchaprasong : Closed – If the government lifts the curfew, they will open “at the end of the month”, most probably next Friday May 28th.
• Holiday Inn : Closed. No staff at hotel to answer phone calls- recorded message. From their website: (We) have at this stage decided to suspend all guest services and not to accept any reservations until further notice.
• JW Marriott : Open – accepting reservations.
• Majestic Grande : Open – accepting reservations.
• Furama Xclusive Sukhumvit Hotel : Open and accepting reservations.
• Bell-aire Princess : Open
• Hotel Manhattan : Open
• Centre Point Sukhumvit Soi 10 : Open
• Centre Point Thong Lor : Open
• Amari Boulevard : Open

Pratunam

• Amari Watergate Bangkok : Open
• Intra Regent : Closed -Currently plans to re-open June 1st.

Lang Suan

• Mayfair Marriott Executive Apartments : Closed until May 23rd.
• Fraser Place Urbana Lang Suan : Open but not accepting new reservations until Sunday 23rd May, however walk-ins will be accomodated.
• Luxx XL Lang Suang : Closed Nobody answering the telephone tonight.
• CentrePoint Lang Suan : Closed
• Sawasdee Langsuan Inn Hotel : Closed
• Capehouse Serviced Apartments : Closed

Wireless Road

• Plaza Athenee- A Royal Meridien : Closed Planning on opening again May 24th.
• Centerpoint Wireless Road Hotel : Closed
• Conrad Hotel : Open – accepting reservations.

Sathorn

• Lebua at State Tower : Open
• Sathorn Vista Marriott Apartments: Open
• Banyan Tree: Open for current guests but not accepting new guests until May 31st.
• Panthip Court : Open
• The Sukothai : Closed until May 24th.
• FuramaXclusive Sathorn : Open
• Metropolitan : Closed until May 24th.

Sala Daeng/Silom

• Dusit Thani : Closed. Calls redirected to Dusit Thani Surinakarin (near the airport). No date set for re-opening yet.

Others

• Centre Point Silom : Open

Riverside hotels and Khao San Road

Hotels in these areas are open for business as usual.

Updated 9:13 pm Bkk time, Wednesday May 19th 2010

Any dates given for planned re-opening of hotels are of course subject to change depending on the situation.

Ratchadamri

• Grand Hyatt Erawan : Closed Plans to re-open Wednesday May 26.
• Four Seasons Hotel : Closed- No staff at hotel, calls diverted to Ko Samui Four Seasons. Plans to re-open May 24th.
• Courtyard by Marriott : Closed. No date set for re-opening yet.
• CentrePoint Ratchadamri : Closed

Siam

• Intercontinental Hotel : Closed- Not accepting bookings. No staff at hotel to answer phone calls- recorded message.
• Centara Grand at Central World : Closed – At time of updating this post, Central World was on fire following the retreat of protesters.
• Novotel Bangkok at Siam Square : Closed – Plans to reopen May 24.
• Siam@Siam : Open -All guests will be checking out tomorrow (Thursday). Currently unclear if they will remain open tomorrow.
• Pathumwan Princess : Closed – Decision on re-opening expected May 22.

Sukhumvit

• Renaissance Ratchaprasong: Closed – No date set for reservations.
• Holiday Inn : Closed. No staff at hotel to answer phone calls- recorded message.
• JW Marriott : Open – accepting reservations.
• Majestic Grande : Open – accepting reservations.
• Furama Xclusive Sukhumvit Hotel : Open and accepting reservations.
• Bell-aire Princess : Open
• Hotel Manhattan : Open
• Centre Point Sukhumvit Soi 10 : Open
• Centre Point Thong Lor : Open
• Amari Boulevard : Open

Pratunam

• Amari Watergate Bangkok : Open
• Intra Regent : Closed -Currently plans to re-open June 1st.

Lang Suan

• Mayfair Marriott Executive Apartments : Closed until May 23rd.
• Fraser Place Urbana Lang Suan : Open but not accepting new reservations until Sunday 23rd May. Not answering telephone tonight.
• Luxx XL Lang Suang : Closed
• CentrePoint Lang Suan : Closed
• Sawasdee Langsuan Inn Hotel : Closed
• Capehouse Serviced Apartments : Closed

Wireless Road

• Plaza Athenee- A Royal Meridien: Closed
• Centerpoint Wireless Road Hotel : Closed
• Conrad Hotel : Open – accepting reservations.

Sathorn

• Lebua at State Tower : Open
• Sathorn Vista Marriott Apartments: Open
• Banyan Tree: Open for current guests but not accepting new guests until May 31st.
• Panthip Court : Open
• The Sukothai : Closed until May 24th.
• FuramaXclusive Sathorn : Open
• Metropolitan : Closed until May 24th.

Sala Daeng/Silom

• Dusit Thani : Closed.

Others

• Centre Point Silom : Open

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A new website dedicated to newly opening hotels and resorts in Thailand has just been launched over at www.NewThaiHotels.com.

If you are a lover of hotels and resorts, especially in Thailand, this is a website that you may want to keep an eye on.

Subscribe to their RSS feed, or better yet sign up to get an email alert whenever a new post is added to be sure you are one of the first to know about new hotels and resorts opening throughout Thailand.

One of the benefits of knowing about new hotel openings is that when a lot of hotels open, they go through what is called a “soft opening“, which is basically an unofficial opening a few weeks prior to the official grand opening. This gives the new staff and management time to get used to the day to day operations of the hotel and basically practice their service on the small number of guests who are more often than not staying at a reduced rate.

So if you are willing to put up with a few wrinkles being ironed out as well as the possibility that not all of the facilities may be yet working 100%, checking out a new hotel during a soft opening might be a good opportunity for you to have a vacation on the cheap.

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I try to keep this blog focused on Thai hotels that I have stayed at so I can give people an idea of some of the great places you can find in Thailand.
However I also find that there are other things about Thailand that I want to blog about and let people know about that don’t necessarily fit in with the scope of this blog.

One of those things is news and information that would be of interest to tourist and/or people that were soon to make a trip to Thailand. It’s updated with a number of news items daily so if you are interested you may want to check it out, bookmark it or subscribe to the RSS feed.

The site is http://www.thaivacationnews.com/

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SPECIAL TOURS FOR TRANSFER PASSENGERS AT SUVARNABHUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Transfer passengers at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport making a stopover of 12 hours or less will soon be able to take short “appetiser” tours of the Thai capital and its environs in order to whet their appetites to return later for “main course” tours.

To be inaugurated on 1 June, 2009 by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Chairman Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, the “Package Tour for Transfer Passengers” project is being organised by TAT together with the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Airports of Thailand, Ministry of Transport, Immigration Department and Thai Airways International. It will be effective until 31 May, 2011.

The facility will allow thousands of daily air passengers with time to spare between connecting flights to take a wide variety of tours in Bangkok and surrounding areas. As an incentive to take the tours, they will not be required to pay the 500-Baht airport tax, upon re-checking in for their onward flights.

TAT Chairman Weerasak commented, “The campaign will give transfer passengers a chance to enjoy a brief tour of the Thai capital and nearby provinces. By giving them a quick first impression, we hope to encourage them to come back for a longer stay in future.”

“Certainly, the money they spend during this whirlwind transfer will go some way towards helping some of our travel and tourism enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized companies, and keeping Thai people in jobs,” Mr Weerasak said.

ATTA has been appointed the sole official organiser of the tours, which are of about four hours duration each.

Information on the tours will be provided to all transfer passengers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport through a number of in-flight collaterals, especially on THAI Airways International aircraft, and in the transfer halls.

Passengers keen to join the tours will need to follow these simple procedures:

* Check whether their stopover time is enough to take any of the tours (not over 12 hours), and then select the appropriate one. Full tour programme details including costs, travel times to and from the airport will be provided.

* Contact either of the two tour counters that will be set up on both sides of the Transfer Hall and fill in the application form requesting an exemption of the airport tax.

* Tour counter officials will assist the passengers with all immigration formalities and take them to join the selected tours.

* After the tour, guides will take the passengers back to the airport for their departure flight and help them with immigration formalities.

List of interesting tour packages:

* Klong Tour
Take a boat ride to the Thonburi canals, discover a part of Bangkok that remains the “Venice of the East”.

* Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha
Tour the Royal Palace complex which is still used for ceremonial occasions. Thailand’s most superb royal temple with some of the finest murals in Asia.

* Shopping Paradise
Enjoy the prime shopping area at Central Chidlom, CentralWorld, Zen, Siam Paragon, or MBK Shopping Complex. On the return to the airport, stop to visit the Gemopolis jewellery factory.

* Massage & Spa
Relax with the Thai traditional massage package, followed by a Thai herbal hot compress massage and aromatherapy full body oil massage.

* Golf Tour
Experience the high standard of golf courses nearby Suvarnabhumi International Airport such as, Kiarti Thanee Country Club, Summit Windmill Golf Club, etc.

* Erawan Museum and Crocodile Farm
The Erawan, the three-head elephant is the vehicle of the Hindu God Indra. The museum houses a collection of antiques and contributes to the preservation of yjr Thai cultural heritage. Many of these are priceless objects of art. Proceed to the world largest crocodile farm. Over 60,000 crocodiles of different kinds in various pits. Watch a live demonstration of crocodiles being caught bare-handed and enjoy the elephant show.

* Siam Ocean World
Billed as the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia, with world standard exhibits and features.

* Siam Niramit
One of the world’s largest theatres stages a lavish production exploring the cultural heritage and beliefs of the Thai people.

The prices will include an air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking guide, and admission and tour expenses as mention in the programme. Golf tours will include transport, green fees, and caddy fees.

According to the Airports of Thailand, the number of transfer passengers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport totalled 1.5 million (-9.79%) in 2008 and 446,997 passengers during January-April 2009, a decline of 9.29%.

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Agoda, one of the biggest names in online hotel reservations has consistently offered some of the lowest rates to be found online for hotels and resorts not only in Thailand and around Asia, but also for all other regions of the world as well.

Their Agoda Rewards system, which awards points worth between 4 and 7% of each booking, allows for even greater discounts on their already famously low prices. Their new Best Price Guarantee raises the bar again and practically cements them as the first choice for online hotel reservations.

The basic details of the guarantee are as follows. After booking a hotel room through Agoda, if you find the same room for the same dates at a cheaper price on another website that is viewable and available, within 48 hours of booking your room, let Agoda know and they will match the rate or beat it.

Check out the Agoda website for more details of their Best Price Guarantee and to check out their low rates for your self.

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