tm_nyc

Wow, I had the same thought as Gerefan about the news that BA is not resuming flights to BKK: that's not a big loss to Thailand-bound fliers from London. I flew on BA LHR-BKK & return in biz class several years ago &, while it was not 'bloody awful', it was mediocre in every respect. Never again.

Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed, candid account of your experiences. It's great that you have a positive approach to try & see what works & what doesn't. Sorry to hear that Aswan was a disappointment but very interesting about the hammam & massage availabilities in Cairo. Also, UBER bike. What agreat idea! I visited Egypt about 10 years ago & had zero luck with shop keepers, tour guides, taxi drivers, hotel staff because they were generally older & bulkier than the kind of guy I prefer. Also, I think that it's necessary to have time to explore. It was my first time there & I was generally running around doing touristic stuff (which I loved) which didn't leave a lot of time & energy for 'other pursuits'.

My pre-Covid recollection is that Best Massage had twinky guys, while Arena definitely does not. Silom Plaza does have an escalator (which may or may not work) plus elevators toward the back so access to Arena should not be a problem. Totally agree with sydneyboy1 about the old Hero but that was then & this is now!

My impression is that Delta is the most aggressive US carrier in terms of 'post-Covid pricing". Also I think that, as reader points out, it's cheaper booking from a hub than from a smaller airport. My sister lives in Charlotte, NC & I am shocked at how much higher the international fares are there, as opposed to flying out of NY, even in Economy.

Yes, I agree that it all sounds a bit unworkable. All the booking sites like agoda are going to have to post 2 rates for Thai properties, one for Thais & one for the farang? Sounds pretty unlikely! Also, I think that Reader is right about this being another ineffective attempt by the Thai government to lure wealthy tourists & to hell with everyone else.

You have already checked the AirBNB reviews of the place. If there are a decent number of reviews & if there is no mention access problems by other renters, then you should be OK. I stayed in an AirBNB in a condo building on Silom Soi 3. The location was excellent & the studio apartment was a decent size & quite comfortable. Both the building & the apartment were well-maintained but a bit dated & tired looking. The management was aware of my AirBNB status & there were no problems about that. There was a rooftop pool that I rarely used & a 'gym' with equipment that mostly did not work. But, no cleaning service at all during my 2-week stay &, if I wanted clean sheets, it was up to me to launder them & make the bed myself. That was the only thing I did not like.

Thanks, Kokopelli! Singapore is a great airline but that non-stop NY-SIN flight, as you probably know, is 18-19 hrs long. Might be OK in (very expensive) business class but, to me, that seems like a long flight, even in PE. Traveller123, I have been hearing about crowded conditions at European airports so I would plan carefully. Schiphol in particular has been experiencing 'airport chaos', with massive security queues & flight cancellations, owing to 'staffing shortages'. So, KLM might not be the best option.

I am looking at a return to Thailand from New York in September. I'd say that the airfares I am seeing are 'challenging' so it's good to hear that things are opening up elsewhere. EVA has always been my default option but I understand that there is current requirement that transit passengers at Taoyuan Airport (TPE) show a Covid PCR test just to change planes. This is a complication that I am definitely trying to avoid.

It's Bangkok so pretty much anything could happen in a massage shop. But places like Green or Prime, where the partitions do not extend up to the ceiling, or places where there are just curtains separating the massage beds, anything beyond the occasional HE is probably not going to happen. I agree w/z909 that it's necessary to 'go elsewhere' for more. But, with Prince & Senso closed, it will be necessary to research where that might be when I return to BKK.

Excellent post, thanks! I am looking forward to go to PP in October & I am glad to get the info.

z909, I share the pain of anyone looking at airfares to Thailand right now. I am looking at departure dates from New York in September. Premium Economy is a bit more than pre-Covid but business class fares are much, much higher. The good news for you is that airlines may start adding flights between now & November, which might lower the prices. The bad news is that your dates are peak season & the airlines are taking maximum advantage of the pent-up demand for air travel & the higher fuel costs.

Air Canada is introducing 'seasonal' non-stop service between Vancouver & BKK, the only non-stop flights between North America & the LOS: https://thepointsguy.com/news/air-canada-vancouver-bangkok-nonstop-flights/

Don't know what they are doing now but Arena used to be pretty upfront about what the minimum tip was for various levels of service. I think it was even stated on their website. As for the OP's question, Thailand gets so many foreign visitors that new arrivals might not know what the appropriate tip is. From comments I've heard from masseurs, certain nationalities are regarded as poor tippers &, of course, some individuals are just very cheap when it comes to tipping.

Yes, the more, the merrier as far as premium economy is concerned! I hope that Emirates starts offering PE in the US. Because BKK is a such big hub, w/plenty of competition, it used to be that there were always good value options, like EVA PE (which I think is excellent). But with so many carriers flying fewer flights (or not flying at all) & increased fuel costs, it's a much more challenging situation. Singapore Airlines is the only carrier, as far as I can see, that is offering affordable PE fares from the US. But, as z909 points out, it is necessary to check the stopover times.

I was never a fan of Elvis either way back when, but, yes, now I recognize what a huge talent he was. I do not envy the actor who has the difficult task of playing him. But the movie is directed by Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, etc) so it should be extravagant, over-the-top fun.

z909, maybe you should leave a review on tripadvisor to alert other customers, if it is clear that the hotel was trying to rip you off. I have relied on agoda for hotel reservations in SEAsia & never had a problem so, sorry for your difficulties with them.

Totally agree with Boy69. I was last in Chiang Mai in January, 2020 & like him, I like the place a lot, in spite of its dwindling gay scene. I am also very familiar w/the locations shown in the YT video. So it's sad to see the tourist areas looking so empty & realize how it has been changed by Covid. I do appreciate vinapu's positive take on the situation & perhaps as the year goes on, things will improve. We can only hope!

Video was posted 2 weeks ago. Depressing, to say the least.

I would agree that the Thai high season starts on Nov 1. Back to the OP's question, I think that it is not certain how busy this year's high season will be at this point. IMO, it depends on how long it takes for international travel to return to 'pre-Covid normal' & how soon China gets out of its current Covid difficulties & allows the Chinese to start traveling again. The bad situation in Ukraine is another unknown. Every week brings positive news about international travel but I think there's still a long way to go.

I think that SG has done everyone a big service by recounting his experience & airing the subject of the few creeps out there who screw things up for the rest of us. Unfortunately, it shows that it's a mistake to be overly trusting in dealing with private messages & personal interactions. I am not a big fan of 'cancel culture' online or elsewhere but this guy should be banned, IMO.

My sister was visiting me in BKK a while back & together we took a 'Canal Adventure' tour (something I would never do on my own). We were met at the Wutthakat BTS station, escorted to a long-tail boat nearby & spent about 6 hours traveling on the canals west of the river. The tour included visits to a couple of temples, a market, an orchid farm, an artist's house plus lunch. The sights were interesting but not amazing. However, it was very enjoyable to travel by canal boat & see different parts of BKK, far from Silom & Sukhumvit. Ayutthaya is definitely worth a visit. I also did a side trip (by train) to Bang Pa-In Palace, which I liked a lot. It's called the Summer Palace & was used formerly by the Thai Royal Family.

Empire State!

I visited Hue in 2013 & again in 2018. I enjoyed my visits to the Citadel both times but I believe the restoration work had progressed in the interim. (Nice photos by PeterRS!) I also really liked visiting the tombs of the emperors, seven of them, built in the 19th & early 20th C, which are located outside the city.

I share everyone's concern about EVA. Their excellent Premium Economy service between NY & BKK has been my default option for 10 years+ so I am rooting for them to start flying to BKK again soon. As to z909's original question about Scoot, I would look very carefully & pay particular attention to the upcharges for checking bags & the like. If you have not already started looking, there are plenty of reviews & Youtube videos available to help you decide. You could start here: https://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/scoot/

Excellent posts! It's a pleasure to read such a detailed, well-written &, above all, honest account of the ups and downs of your travels.