Milk78

I must be lucky then - I have stayed in it three times!

I am in Chiang Mai for 10 days and have an Airbnb in Nimman. I like having the extra room and facilities. If I don't want to go out and just have a lazy day in then it is much more comfortable than being in a small hotel room. I have 4 nights in BKK at the end of the trip and will be in Siam Heritage in an Executive Room for £165, including taxes. It is not the cheapest I could have got, but the rooms are pretty big, it has a kitchen facility, it is for 4 days, and I have a packed itinerary, and it is close to the bars, so it works well.

Siam Heritage is my go to at the moment in Silom. The rooms are a decent size, and have basic cooking facilites, not that I use them much but it is nice to have the option if you can't be arsed going out. I think the reception area changed a few years ago and now you you just walk past the reception to the lifts at the back. The reception is in a kind of separate glassed off bit at the front and you don't have to interact at all. There are restaurants in the enterance so people coming and going all the time. There is even a handy little bench by the key card glass doors by/ for the lift area for a boy to wait on whilst you come down to get him. The bench is out of sight from the reception. There are restaurants in the entrance, so people are coming and going all the time. go-to The rooms are a decent size and have basic cooking facilities, not that I use them much, but it is nice to have the option if you can't be arsed going out.The reception is in a kind of separate, glassed-off bit at the front, and you don't have to interact at all. I am there in early October, and it was £35 a night for their middle-grade room option.

Siam Heritage is my go to at the moment in Silom. The rooms are a decent size, and have basic cooking facilites, not that I use them much but it is nice to have the option if you can't be arsed going out. I think the reception area changed a few years ago and now you you just walk past the reception to the lifts at the back. The reception is in a kind of separate glassed off bit at the front and you don't have to interact at all. There are restaurants in the enterance so people coming and going all the time. There is even a handy little bench by the key card glass doors by/ for the lift area for a boy to wait on whilst you come down to get him. The bench is out of sight from the reception. There are restaurants in the entrance, so people are coming and going all the time. go-to The rooms are a decent size and have basic cooking facilities, not that I use them much, but it is nice to have the option if you can't be arsed going out.The reception is in a kind of separate, glassed-off bit at the front, and you don't have to interact at all. I am there in early October, and it was £35 a night for their middle-grade room option.

I have managed to avoid the Middle East layover and booked a mid September flight direct BA LGW to BKK for £620 which I thought was a pretty decent price.

Just wondering if anyone has any current experience of flying via the Middle East hubs at the moment. What impact is the war having? Etihad has some crazy low fares at the moment through to June. The reasons are pretty obvious, but I wonder what the picture IRL is....

Not gay necessarily but I know of two male massage places - The Gentle Massage in Nimman, and Sanctuary Spa. Gentle Massage is a great massage, but there is strictly no happy endings or more. It is a male on male massage and very good. I think pretty much the same with Sanctuary. It's slightly pricier then Gentle Massage but also very good male massage environment. Not places to go for sex but I like the environments. Male masseurs giving very good massages.

Has anyone used a VPN to try and get cheaper tickets?

Decided to take advantage of Amex offer and fee free for the first year and see how it goes. Hopefully bag enough points to upgrade the odd economy fare into business.

I don't normally fly with any one airline in particular but that is part of the reason for starting this thread. Having shopped around for deals on cheapest fares, by the time I add in the (often) extra costs associated with travel to the airport and possible overnight accommodation, the savings can be minimal. I am now looking for my best option - probably Etihad or Emirates, maybe EVA.

What do find to be the best credit card/ points to go for?

The prices are still very good from UK - frequent sales, and the ability to fly over Russia cuts down the flight time. The cabin, although older, was much better than I expected it to be. The in flight entertainment is shockingly bad, which is not an issue as I just load up the iPad. The airport in Shanghai that China Eastern flies into (I think there are a couple of airports in Shanghai?) is really dull. Often when the flight arrives (early or late) the shops are shut and it is very difficult to restock on water/ snacks for the long leg back to the UK. The security screening on transfer is the worst I have experienced anywhere (no joke). Having done trip a couple of times now, I think I will look at alternatives.

Having now been there and back again from the UK a few times, I have tried a few different routes/ airlines into BKK and Chiang Mai. I have always found SWISS and Austrian pretty decent - not direct but the transfer is easy and efficient. Recently, I have flown China Eastern which has the advantage of being much cheaper than everybody else, but the Shanghai transfer is always pretty shit. Just wondering what others' favourite routes and airlines are - do you always fly direct or do you take the cost saving and add a transfer on route? I am tempted by Ethiad. I have not done the UK-Thailand route but recently went to Sri Lanka with them and it was very good.

I always found that the groceries in that supermarket were on the pricey side, I am surprised the boys shop there - or is it the convenience factor of always open and close?

Yes, my last stop before the trip to the airport and flight home 😪