I am traveling to BK for business, I've never been there before. While there, I would like to spend some time on the beach since I understand that the temperature is in the high 80's this time of year. Any suggestions? Also, I have a choice of where I want to stay, the company wants to put me right in the heart of the city, but I would rather be somewhere more scenic. Could I possibly stay at teh beach and commute in BK daily? Or is it a stretch? Thanks!

The nearest beach that has ease of access is really the Pattaya stretch although there are some closer beaches but they are close to quite industrial ports so not really that attractive.

There are probably some southern beaches that would be around 2 hours but the transport options (unless you have a car and driver) are not as frequent as the Pattaya options out of Ekami Bus Station.

You can get to Bangkok from the Pattaya area by car in around 2 to 3 hours but almost half of that will be through Bangkok traffic.

Bangkok is a nice enough city (at least I like it) and the beaches are close enough to get to on Friday evening and back early Monday.

Personally I would stay downtown unless you can find a hotel on the BTS or underground system. Travelling times in Bangkok are horrifiic by car.

Hope this helps

Stekmer

Some of the bangkok hotels have lovely spa and pool facilities. Being on the river is a bit cooler but the thing about the traffic is a problem. Where in Bangkok do you need to be?

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Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

Thanks for your answers. I will need to be at the IBM building on Phaholyothin Road at least 3 times a week, so a 2 hour commute to the beach is a little too much! :)

I wouldnt mind going to a spa, but I prefer the beach since the weather is so warm, but I guess a beach will have to wait until I am on vacation.

By the way, does anyone have any hotel recommendations near Phaholyothin Road or within 15 minutes commute? I have a per diem allowance of $150 for hotel and food, so I would prefer to stay somewhere within budget. I have read Expedia and Tarvelocity reviews, but they vary depending upon user experience.

Thanks for your help!

Try the reviews on sawadee.com you should get somewhere nice to stay on that budget. Without getting my groovy map out I don't know where that is. How long will you be there for?
You could try to tag a few days together that you don't have to be there and then "escape".
course cost depends on time of year as well.

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Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

Thanks jaxw17, there are a good number of hotels and reviews on that site, very helpful.

I will be there for around 2 weeks, but I will have the weekends off and maybe 1 or 2 weekdays as well. I sure would like to try and get some sun when Im there. I have bad psoriasis (skin condition like eczema) and could use some sun and salt water.

Well, thanks again for the info. If anybody on this board has a day or two to act as a tour guide, or knows of anyone that has free time, please let me know. I have never been to Asia before, and to be honest, Im a little nervous! I will arrive on Saturday Dec 1, 2007 and fly out on Thu, Dec 13, 2007.

Hi Rob,
We recently stayed at Centrepoint Silom which I highly recommend for a 2 week stay.
You can get a huge one bedroom apartment with kitchen and laundry facilities within your price range. It will be much ,more comfortable than cramming yourself into a hotel room for 2 weeks. The room has an audio system and DVD player and if your work is anywhere near a skytrain station it would be ideal as the nearest station is less than a 5 minute stroll. It is on the river and on top of a department store, next to a night market and has a reasonable breakfast, great pool and gym.
For a weekend getaway, you can fly to Phuket or Krabi for under $100 return with Air Asia and go to much better beaches than you would experience at Pattaya, but if you dont want to fly, I would recommend HuA Hin as the beach there is better and water more swimmable as Pattaya bay is polluted. You can get there in a little over 2 hours by road.

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Hi Rob
"Could I possibly stay at the beach and commute in BK daily" - the BKK / city centre drive and flight / trip to the beach each way and day would be a drag IMHO. If you were to do a beach for me Samui would take some beating as say Chaweng has some great hotels on the beach, where the fresh fish restaurants set up on the beach each night and Samui airport is a breeze in and out. As Phaholyothin Road has several skytrain stations along it, I would look maybe at where you fancy the most that is also on or very near a skytrain station

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Be warned, as with any forum, picking a fight with the admin guy is not recommended!

Just watch for having to dodge the rain at that time though in Samui.

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Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

Thanks again for the info. I think I might just stay local for this trip, or maybe a day (or two) trip to Phuket if I can get a reasonable fare.

Im leaving tomorrow and have never been on such a long plane ride. Do you folks have any recommendations how I can avoid losing my mind? Im sure there will be one or two movies, but Im not sure how to keep my mind busy in between. Thanks!