bookings

should i book my hotel on my own, through internet, or should i choose an agent, even also from internet?

bookings

I always book hotels via the internet but I have been to pattaya many times and know the hotels where I stay. If you are thinking of staying in an upmarket hotel I would suggest you book on line. If you are looking for a cheaper hotel it might be wiser to get some information from a site like this before you decide on one . Good luck .

bookings

Hi,

If you have been a few times and you know the hotel then it will probably be okay to book online or direct.

I personally prefer to use a travel agent for a few good reasons:

1. I can pay up front and then take vouchers with me which can be photocopied (in case you lose the originals) and are totally useless to anyone else.

2. I know who to call if things get stuffed up.

3. They are professionals and should be able to plan my holiday as I request.

4. No need to hand out credit card numbers over the net.

Note: They generally only book the more ';upmarket'; hotels and their very convenient packages may not be the cheapest around.

You may be able to do it cheaper yourself but at what risk?

Have a great holiday

Niko

Booking hotels is a simple job. Some hotels have better rates if you book directly with them.

Travel agents are professional but researching and choosing a hotel yourself is also a fun part of the trip.

For a start, you may be interested to look at asiarooms.com or other sites, pick the hotel you like, do a Google search to find the hotel website and compare. TripAdvisor Hotel Section has reviews with photos which are handy.

Thank you all.

Usually, i book directly, through internet, even if i have to look around (in tripadvisor, for example) for a while, if i don%26#39;t know the hotel quite well.

I posted my question because i see many ppl saying they are happy about booking through asianrooms (that%26#39;s only an example) and saying they made a good deal, because they got a good discount.

Having your kind answers read, i think i will keep on booking by myself...

Thank you all.

The only time I ever book ahead of time is around Christmas and only through an email and w/o sending credit card info too! There are hotels that will book via email only! These are usually cheaper places though. But I am a little more familiar with Pattaya than you are.

If you are not familiar with Pattaya then book one night or two and look around for a different location or cheaper price. Depending on the time of the year you can find hotels with air, hot water, TV, security box, private toilet/shower and daily clean up for 500 baht to 800 baht pretty easy.

You should mention the price you want to pay for a room if you want some hotel suggestions. Only looking at a hotel on the internet may mean you end up choosing a place far - far away from where you want to be.

If you arrive during the ';off season'; just walking around you will be able to find cheap places to stay at. If you are staying in more upscale or more expensive places then perhaps you should book ahead of time. How much do you want to spend per night?

I like staying in places off Pattaya 2nd Road, close enough to walk to malls, bars and restaurants. I would avoid any hotels close to Sukhumvit Road because most of the tourist haunts are near or off Beach Road and Pattaya 2nd Road.

Good luck.

Thanks, Infidelal.

Well, i will go only in cold season, late January or early February...

In the meanwhile, i read reviews, look at pics and videos, you know, watering...:)

From what i can see, i should not think about average Patong (or even BKK) prices, where i should say 1.500-1.800 should be a good price for a nice hotel: good location, near the beach (if in Patong, sure), nice swimming pool, good breakfast, not noisy, friendly staff, not old building or furniture, etc.

So, i%26#39;d say i expecto to pay 1000-1400-1500 (top) baht for a night...Too much?

I think it%26#39;s the right budget. Not too much.

Even around January - February you can find nice places in the 850 baht to 1300 baht that also have pools.

Don%26#39;t worry about breakfast prices, ABF in some places starts around 35 baht. All you can eat breakfast specials at several hotels is 110 baht! (Lek Hotel and Apex have ';all you can eat'; specials open for walk-ins!)

The Arecca Lodge on Soi Diana is pretty good. Slightly cheaper, but with a pool on the roof, is the Intown Holiday Hotel on Soi Honey Inn.

Cheap hotels during ';high season'; don%26#39;t raise the prices that much over ';low season'; prices, maybe a 100 baht or 200 baht close to Christmas and New Years Day. Expensive hotels really sock it to you on ';high season'; prices!

Good luck.