The Raya Surawong Hotel, Bangkok

[mauRICE]

I see this hotel receives generally positive reviews from our esteemed members and I've suggested it to friends of mine who are new-ish to Bangkok. They like the location and it's within their budget. They told me that for a couple of hundred Baht more they could get breakfast with the room. Any feedback about the breakfast buffet and anything else worth knowing about the hotel would be most welcome. I did tell them that no visit to Patpong and Silom Soi 4 would be complete without paying homage to Guido's pussy and they've promised to give it a few strokes. 😉

[vinapu]

I stay there 3 nights previous week (16-19)for umpieth time. Booked room with breakfast as it was extremely good deal for just 3$ more for two! As for their question I'd say it depends. More sufficient than fabulous but there' s selection of Asian dishes plus regular fried eggs, toast, cereal as tea and coffee. Some fruits and greenery a well. Some cooked  dishes are changing daily. 

[mauRICE]

33 minutes ago, vinapu said:

I stay there 3 nights previous week (16-19)for umpieth time. Booked room with breakfast as it was extremely good deal for just 3$ more for two! As for their question I'd say it depends. More sufficient than fabulous but there' s selection of Asian dishes plus regular fried eggs, toast, cereal as tea and coffee. Some fruits and greenery a well. Some cooked  dishes are changing daily. 

Thanks, vinapu. For $3 for two, "sufficient" sounds great! Buffet seems to cover all the basics and I can't imagine my friends being big eaters anyway.

[Keithambrose]

30 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

Thanks, vinapu. For $3 for two, "sufficient" sounds great! Buffet seems to cover all the basics and I can't imagine my friends being big eaters anyway.

can't imagine my friends being big eaters anyway.

 

Perhaps they are better at swallowing?

[macaroni21]

It's been close to two years since I last stayed at Raya. The breakfast is good value in my opinion but as always, what's value for one is not value for another. My recollection is that it is essentially comprised of Asian dishes, more Chinese than any other kind of Asian. You didn't say if your friends are farang or any other nationality. I don't remember bacon, ham, sausages, cheese, yogurt or the kinds of things that westerners expect, though there was the ultra-processed food also known as "cereal" (unhealthy stuff, if you ask me). If your friends are OK with noodles and stir-fry dishes, then fine. If they're looking for a western or (God Forbid!) american pancakes, then they'll not be so happy.

Even among Asians there can be problem if they're Muslim. I recall distinctly my recent stay in a 3-star Hanoi hotel which served quite a comprehensive spread for breakfast. There was a Muslim Malaysian couple who couldn't find anything to eat except bread and jam. Not even the scrambled eggs because the hotel added bacon bits to the eggs (it was delicious, by the way). Anything with meat they couldn't take (not just pork) because the animal had not been slaughtered with Muslim rites, and that kind of thing.

[mauRICE]

5 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Perhaps they are better at swallowing?

Only when they forget to bring their dentures. 😏

[mauRICE]

4 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

The breakfast is good value in my opinion but as always, what's value for one is not value for another. My recollection is that it is essentially comprised of Asian dishes, more Chinese than any other kind of Asian. You didn't say if your friends are farang or any other nationality. 

Thanks for sharing your experiences at Raya, @macaroni21. My friends are fellow Malaysians but I don't think one's nationality or ethnicity necessarily determines one's food choices, especially when travelling. That would be akin to saying that all Black Americans like fried chicken and watermelon and must have them wherever they go. 😏  Even religion is not necessarily a determinant; some are strict  adherents, some aren't. No, they aren't Muslims but one is a vegetarian. I checked with them and they're happy with the options that you guys have shared. Besides, one can't ask for too much at that very special price!

[jason1975]

12 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

Thanks for sharing your experiences, @macaroni21. My friends are fellow Malaysians but I don't think one's nationality or ethnicity necessarily determines one's food choices, especially when travelling. That would be akin to saying that all Black people like fried chicken and watermelon and must have them wherever they go. 😏  Even religion is not necessarily a determinant; some are strict  adherents, some aren't. No, they aren't Muslims but one is a vegetarian. I checked with them and they're happy with the options that you guys have shared. Besides, one can't ask for too much at that very special price!

Foodland is near and convenient!

Even though I stay at Raya sometimes, I don't opt for hotel breakfast.

I like to walk to Foodland to get breakfast. 

[mauRICE]

37 minutes ago, jason1975 said:

Foodland is near and convenient!

Even though I stay at Raya sometimes, I don't opt for hotel breakfast.

I like to walk to Foodland to get breakfast. 

I don't bother with breakfast buffets either, not unless they come with the room. I don't go to buffets generally as I can't eat that much and eschew excess. And when on holiday travelling I tend to get up late and by the time I get up, shower and get dressed breakfast would usually be over. My breakfast is usually something savoury/eggs, a piece of toast, fruit and coffee. More than enough for me to start the day. 😊 Lately I've been doing intermittent fasting and forgone breakfast altogether.