simagu

The basic rooms aren't worth the money IMO, but the deluxe ones (or whatever they're called) were nice. The pool is pretty small and crappy and was filled with loud drunk russians (maybe I was just unlucky) but if it's not one of your main criteria then it's not a bad option :) Edit: Thought this was a slightly more recent post, so perhaps you stayed already. If so, please share your impressions as other BM may be wondering the same, cheers!

There's not denying that you can still get great deals using Airbnb renting BKK apartments and new condos in particular, but after a couple of bad experiences such as facilities that were promised (pools, gym, etc.) being out of order, last minute cancellations by the owners, one condo being unavailable when I arrived at 11 pm, and above all the terrible service that Airbnb provides as opposed to companies like Booking or Expedia if you experience issues, I've given up on them. I'd rather pay a little more on a hotel and know what I'm getting and this is just one further example that Airbnb is usually more trouble than it's worth.

Had both great and horrible experiences with airbnb in Bangkok. If you stay a long time and book in advance, you can get a very good deal in a new condo (pool, gym, etc.). However, I've also had two bad experiences (a last-minute cancellation, but at last I knew in advance) and one where the owner had not left the key in the mailbox as agreed. After a 7 hour flight, in 40 degree weather, you can imagine my frustration. Furthermore their service is horrible as I could not reach them (they did not provide a number on the reservation so I had to find it on the internet and then call them long distance in the USA), so without a local sim and data I would have been utterly screwed. Despite the fact that I had called and emailed the owner several times before being able to reach airbnb, they still asked me to wait another hour for the host to reply and later provided me with ridiculous alternatives in the same price range in horrible locations, I mean such a process is ridiculous since I booked months in advance to get a good deal and location, so naturally the good deals and location in the same price range will all be gone. After sweating the extra hour, they then finally agreed to refund me and offered me a 50$ discount (basically peanuts as I had made a 2-week booking in a luxurious condo) on a future booking. Experience probably made me lose $500+. The most frustrating experience in all of this, besides the loss of time and money of course, is that they did not let me leave a review and they had relisted the apartment within an hour. I have heard numerous other stories about people staying in moldy apartment with cockroaches where airbnb did not refund or let them comment on the host if they left before the end of the booking date, so a lot of the reviews that matter most are not there... Basically, I find the risk is a lot higher with airbnb and if you have any kind of problem the service is terrible. I've had much better service in the past with Agoda and usually find that listings are much more accurate on booking sites than airbnb. I prefer apartments to hotels for long stays, but will never use airbnb again!

Read this a day too late. Feedback on the hotel would be appreciated, cheers!

Knew it was a bit risky, but had a bit of time to kill and was curious about whether or not the Agoda secret deals were worthwhile. Then I found the following video which is pretty much spot on: I'll spare you the procedure as the video explains it well, but today's 4* sukhumvit deal with 1880+ reviews is the Mermaid hotel. The number of reviews was very precise (the Mermaid was at 1884 reviews when I made the booking), so that is probably the most important factor to look at. The only other possible hotel, which I preferred, had 50 more reviews.. In any case, I'm glad I've tried it, but in the end you save VERY little money compared to sites like Hotwire in other countries. In this particular case, I saved only about $15 over 3 days for such a big gamble and despite their claim that the deal could save you more than $20 per day, so it's pretty much a scam. Also, if you're not careful, you may end up in a really crappy location: the other 4* currently at the same price is most likely the golden pearl hotel which is near Bang Chak BTS. I'm sure it's nice, but it certainly not an ideal location if you want to spend the night at soi cowboy...

It's been a while, but I remember it was a little basic but fine for my needs. Staff and owner were friendly as well.

I don't undertand why you would buy this stuff from a street vendor when there are so many pharmacies that keep these products in an air-con environment and are more than willing to sell them to you. Also, the other advantage of buying from a pharmacy is that it will still be there tomorrow, so if you are sold some fake garbage you can always go back and tell them. Won't change anything, but at least it may feel good. On the other hand, if you're happy with the stuff they sold you, then you know you can return to the same pharmacy whenever necessary. And odds are pharmacies will be cheaper than what you paid...

I recently rented a studio/condo in a big building on AirbNb and brought a "good" (and very naughty) girl back regularly and no one cared. They even let her use the parking for free. Unlike a hotel, I don't see why the staff would care unless you are causing problems or bothering neighbours. You're renting out the place, so you can do whatever you want unless there are rules to the contrary. Receptionists in these places have other things to worry about and if you break something, it is the owner of the apartment/condo that will suffer the consequences, not them.

Did you get an answer from your neighbour? I seriously doubt they'd let you do through a US checkpoint with a bottle of liquor, sealed or not, unless you're transiting through the same terminal and don't need to go through any of the endless search routines. And honestly, even if I was told that I could do it, I probably wouldn't risk it. The amount of money you'll save is not worth the trouble. On the other hand, if I was coming from Cambodia or the Dominican Republic, I would consider bringing back a few bottles as you can save quite a few $ (usually a lot more than half the price). In those rare cases, I usually place a few bottles in my checked luggage and tell the customs agent flat out what I've got and provide a receipt (I don't lie about what I have). I know they can charge additional costs, but in most cases, when they see what a pitiful amount it is (I think I had a receipt of about 30$ for 5 bottles of Rhum from the Dominican Republic), they often just seem annoyed and end up letting you keep it without extra charges. I think it really depends on the customs agent you get. That being said, another possibility may have to do wuth where you've cleared customs. For example, if you leave from Montreal, you clear US customs at the Montreal airport even if you are still on Canadian soil, so your luggage should go directly to its destination. This may explain why I was told I couldn't buy any liquor as I was connecting to the US, and then onward to Tokyo and then Bangkok without picking up my luggage in the US. However, If you are doing the same kind of trip going backward, for example from Japan to Chicago, it may be possible to purchase duty-free liquids and other items in Japan and then add them to your checked luggage which you will need to pick up your luggage upon arrival at the US. I remember having done this in the past. I also agree about your duty-free comments. I think genuinely good deals are a thing of the past and it's just become a big scam in most countries to suck a little bit more money out of your wallet during the numerous hours you spend waiting before boarding the plane. Might save a couple of $, but rarely anything significant. Duty-free Thailand and Duty-Free Cambodia are good examples of trying to screw you on departure and arrival by leading you to believe that you're getting a great deal when you're not. In Cambodia, airport duty-free prices are actually more EXPENSIVE than prices in local stores as the tax on liquor is minimal compared to Thailand.

Strange, thought I had already answered. I did not bring anyone as I had gotten serviced elsewhere... I also did not see anyone bringing girls in or girls hanging around the lobby. My instinct is that I doubt they would had said anything if I had walked in straight past security and the check-in counter and headed straight for the elevator, but can't say with certainty and that's the annoying part about signing such a form... Probably depends whose on duty and whether they want to earn a few extra baths.

I've tried it a couple of times under the same circumstances. Go figure, you have a few too many and suddenly you find yourself surrounded my more and more lovely ladies, so what can you do??? Like you, I've also done half a pill (and I bought the Sidagra 50s, so that would pretty much be the same as a quarter of a 100 kamagra if my math is not so bad) and it worked just fine. I found Sidagra made me a little less nauseous than Kamagra, but it's probably all in my head as I have not had any problems with Kamagra Jelly besides the taste that some of them have.

May have been a duty free store employee fearing that they had made a mistake by not charging the right amount or forgetting to charge something, or a customs employee that realized too late that you may have brought in more than the acceptable limit (which I believe is one bottle). Of course that's just a guess, but I do admit it's odd.as Bangkok's main airport does not seem like the type of place that lets employees run in and out of secure areas to try and scam people... That part usually begin once you've left the airport or start taking 10 bath tuk tuks :P

Sorry if I wasn't clear, meant that it was strange that this happened AFTER "clearing customs", i.e. when customs should no longer have been a factor. And was the girl wearing some kind of offical uniform, that's the part I was curious about. While there are a still a few touts running around, I find that Bangkok airport is rather well organized for the most part.

Technically, they don't call it "clearing customs" for nothing, so your story is indeed quite strange. And you say she was wearing a customs uniform?

Loads of pharmacies will have it OTC, just not the big brands like Boots. I just wouldn't buy it off the street. I personally get nauseous rather easily, but that does't seem to be the case for most people (any one else have this problem and a solution btw?). I've tiried taking it with dimenhydrinate (dramamine) to lessen that effect, but can't say it has been much of a success. I find that taking a smaller dose generally does the trick and it's not like I can't take more if it proves necessary, but IMO 100 mg is too much.... For other side effects I believe many people have experienced long-lasting erections. However, I am not a doctor so if you have pre-existing conditions or allergies, I would make sure to do some research beforehand and just take a smaller quantity at first to see if you react. Lots of online info!