Best and most affordable

[jed§]

24 minutes ago, Zeb said:

Canterbury Tales on Soi Chaiyapoon have advertised rooms that look very good @ B500 per night.

I haven't actually seen the rooms or stayed there though.

Thanks, Zeb - yes that's right. Dave must have dropped his prices - used to be between 6 and 700, even 8 for larger rooms. I have stayed there and it's decent. It has been very noisy though at night, well into the small hours, in the rooms I chose, which were at the front, I have to admit (I like a balcony) I like to have a doze in the day with fresh air coming in but it was too noisy to do that as well. Tried ear plugs - didn't work. I'm looking into his rooms at the back though. It might be an option.

Since, 2013 when I first stayed there, the 'Poon' has got very busy. It's a great street though, don't get me wrong, and Dave and his family who run it are really nice people, very willing and helpful. 

I've been looking at and considering, Sutus Court (swimming pool!) Retox and the Chaiyapoon Inn. All reasonably priced. I don't like going past a reception area with girls though - it puts me off, especially when I'm taking 2 at the same up to my room and even more so if one of them is an LB. The looks you get!! I also believe that some places don't like that - the 2 girl thing.

Dave's is ideal from that point of view, guest house, no reception, discreet entrances (mostly)

 

[jed§]

Another thing I'd like opinions on is this - I am a naive person btw - I've been on a lot booking sites, looking, and they say things like "hurrry, only 2 rooms left at this price" and "too late, this one has just been booked"  or "5 people are currently looking at these rooms"

My brain is telling me it's all bullshit. Is that true. Am I right? Is it better to contact the hotel/guest house directly. 

[ocka]

1 hour ago, jed§ said:

I've been on a lot booking sites, looking, and they say things like "hurrry, only 2 rooms left at this price" and "too late, this one has just been booked"  or "5 people are currently looking at these rooms"

Clear your browser cookies before making the booking.  The cookies tell them if you have looked at the site more than once.  Repeat visits make you look eager and so the site will jack the price up or tell you that the cheaper rooms are not available.

[docbunsen]

3 hours ago, jed§ said:

Another thing I'd like opinions on is this - I am a naive person btw - I've been on a lot booking sites, looking, and they say things like "hurrry, only 2 rooms left at this price" and "too late, this one has just been booked"  or "5 people are currently looking at these rooms"

My brain is telling me it's all bullshit. Is that true. Am I right? Is it better to contact the hotel/guest house directly. 

It's usually a bit of a scam , even when Agoda, booking etc are sold out if you contact the hotel direct you will get a room . Ive only been caught  out once,that was in the UK , never Thailand.

[davidge]

You could get a condo for a month for your budget - probably not including electricity though. I know you’re staying only 3 weeks, but it still may work out cheaper. If Nirun isn’t too far out for you then well under 10k is easy to find. Just need to check the Internet situation. Obviously more expensive the more central you are, but pretty easy finding 7-8k a month now (even short stay) if you go a little further out - and are prepared to walk a bit to get a baht bus.

Edit: did a quick look on AirBnB for 3 weeks in November and a few in Nirun at around 400 baht a night, another behind TukCom and some on Pratumnak.

[Hotlanta]

A trick I did was use Google Maps street view, and rode around the city on Google and saw all the guesthouses listed, many had websites that I wouldnt ever have known about.  I'm sure there are some diamonds in the rough, but I personally would go for ~600b/night minimum.

11 hours ago, ocka said:

Clear your browser cookies before making the booking.  The cookies tell them if you have looked at the site more than once.  Repeat visits make you look eager and so the site will jack the price up or tell you that the cheaper rooms are not available.

I have seen this conspiracy bebunked many times.. They also tell you to use a VPN pretending you're from a poorer country, again myth.  The "2 rooms left!" thing is just a pressure sale. 

[ocka]

3 hours ago, Hotlanta said:

I have seen this conspiracy bebunked many times..

Believe what you like,  but

1. It's not a "conspiracy",  just a sales technique, and,
2. Whatever you may have seen online,  it did not "bebunk" (sic) the technique because I have personally confirmed it myself.

When booking a popular hotel in Pattaya last year,  my second visit to a well known booking site quoted a higher price than the first.   After clearing cookies in my browser, the original low price was restored and I booked at that price.

Anyone can test this approach at zero cost to themselves.  If the method doesn't work they have lost nothing.

Clearing cookies is a simple , easy, harmless task.  Why did you make this special effort to prevent someone from doing it?

[Hotlanta]

4 hours ago, ocka said:

Believe what you like,  but

1. It's not a "conspiracy",  just a sales technique, and,
2. Whatever you may have seen online,  it did not "bebunk" (sic) the technique because I have personally confirmed it myself.

When booking a popular hotel in Pattaya last year,  my second visit to a well known booking site quoted a higher price than the first.   After clearing cookies in my browser, the original low price was restored and I booked at that price.

Anyone can test this approach at zero cost to themselves.  If the method doesn't work they have lost nothing.

Clearing cookies is a simple , easy, harmless task.  Why did you make this special effort to prevent someone from doing it?

Sorry you're right.  I remember reading a lot about the incognito/cookie/cache myth but I forgot that was in regards to airfare. There are hundreds of replies in the linked threads below about it from airline personnel and even a dare with $$$ reward to the winner who can prove incognito+airfare isn't a myth.  But hotels seems to change a bit from my little trial. I just tried Agoda D hotel for early October and Incognito mode made it $1 less per night from $27 USD to $26, 2 other hotels I tried stayed the same.

 

[pattayamongererhaha]

On 4/28/2018 at 12:40, jed§ said:

Another thing I'd like opinions on is this - I am a naive person btw - I've been on a lot booking sites, looking, and they say things like "hurrry, only 2 rooms left at this price" and "too late, this one has just been booked"  or "5 people are currently looking at these rooms"

My brain is telling me it's all bullshit. Is that true. Am I right? Is it better to contact the hotel/guest house directly. 

It IS bullshit put up there to goad you into feeling like that hotel is a sought after commodity and that you need to have it since others are taking it too.

[jed§]

Thanks to everyone for all the advice on this and airline tickets too. It's what the forum is all about. In the end I went straight to the source to book both; well almost. A travel agent - I went in person - and by contacting the residence's owner where I'm going to stay. In both instances the cost was the same and maybe even less than the booking sites I've been on.

The travel agent phoned up the booking site I'd found the cheapest flight price on because they were connected to each other anyway and I got £30 off. Are they all just one huge giant global company which controls everything but which makes it look like there's a free market. Maybe it's Facebook?? Everything is controlled by FB Fuel, house prices, airline tickets, the air we breathe.....who we get married to, how we vote, how we feel, what we think....George (Orwell) was right.....

Oh no!

[spider0064]

I've used kattesire house a number of times which I think is around 500 a night, can be found on booking .com but can get a better price going direct and lower still for extended stays.

Also English rose as others have mentioned, also many along Soi lengkee at these prices.

[spider0064]

On 20/04/2018 at 19:36, Patts Luver said:

I stayed once in a condo, city garden pratumnak, and paid 350/day incl. water and electricity, but it's far from the action in the city. you would need a motorbike.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15257280

 

 

 

 

That looks great for the price, I would certainly consider this or similar for an extended stay of a month or two.

[barmatt]

On 4/28/2018 at 15:10, jed§ said:

Another thing I'd like opinions on is this - I am a naive person btw - I've been on a lot booking sites, looking, and they say things like "hurrry, only 2 rooms left at this price" and "too late, this one has just been booked"  or "5 people are currently looking at these rooms"

My brain is telling me it's all bullshit. Is that true. Am I right? Is it better to contact the hotel/guest house directly. 

My experience with Agoda I have found if they say "last room at this price"  it is correct. Myself and a mate were booking rooms for the same hotel at the same time,.I booked the room before my mate did then he tried to book it as well but the price had gone up considerably. He ended up booking another hotel.

[jed§]

Ok so place to stay organised - almost exactly what I was looking for and flight booked as well - got a good price for that - direct, Thai Airways, decent departure and arrival time. I decided these 2 things to be worth paying a bit more for then I don't waste a day waiting to set off and I get to Pattaya early enough to make a day of the 1st day. Previously, I've arrived mid to late evening and that still means paying for that night's stay.

Next, I mentioned at the start that I'm not exactly flush this year and so might have about 2 - 2.5 thou baht per day ave. spend. I've never been that low before but I'm hoping it will do. I doubt if I'll be joining a gym this time, but I might especially if there's one which is central which does daily rates. Maybe, Tony's does. If not I might give the gym a miss this time, do some indoor exercises in the room and take a skipping rope and do that on the harder sandy part of the beach. I haven't found it great before anyway. It takes me a week to get used to the heat and I won't be there long enough to justify a 3 week membership. 

Next I've got to come up with a bucket list.....

[Scuba+]

Ok so place to stay organised - almost exactly what I was looking for and flight booked as well - got a good price for that - direct, Thai Airways, decent departure and arrival time. I decided these 2 things to be worth paying a bit more for then I don't waste a day waiting to set off and I get to Pattaya early enough to make a day of the 1st day. Previously, I've arrived mid to late evening and that still means paying for that night's stay.
Next, I mentioned at the start that I'm not exactly flush this year and so might have about 2 - 2.5 thou baht per day ave. spend. I've never been that low before but I'm hoping it will do. I doubt if I'll be joining a gym this time, but I might especially if there's one which is central which does daily rates. Maybe, Tony's does. If not I might give the gym a miss this time, do some indoor exercises in the room and take a skipping rope and do that on the harder sandy part of the beach. I haven't found it great before anyway. It takes me a week to get used to the heat and I won't be there long enough to justify a 3 week membership. 
Next I've got to come up with a bucket list.....

I recommend forgetting the gym, head to Pratamak hill (mountain-viewpoint area), some outdoor gym equipment and great exercise going up and round the hill. Lots of people use it every day and its free. I cycle there and its the best intense exercise I've ever done

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

10 hours ago, jed§ said:

Ok so place to stay organised - almost exactly what I was looking for and flight booked as well - got a good price for that - direct, Thai Airways, decent departure and arrival time. I decided these 2 things to be worth paying a bit more for then I don't waste a day waiting to set off and I get to Pattaya early enough to make a day of the 1st day. Previously, I've arrived mid to late evening and that still means paying for that night's stay.
Next, I mentioned at the start that I'm not exactly flush this year and so might have about 2 - 2.5 thou baht per day ave. spend. I've never been that low before but I'm hoping it will do. I doubt if I'll be joining a gym this time, but I might especially if there's one which is central which does daily rates. Maybe, Tony's does. If not I might give the gym a miss this time, do some indoor exercises in the room and take a skipping rope and do that on the harder sandy part of the beach. I haven't found it great before anyway. It takes me a week to get used to the heat and I won't be there long enough to justify a 3 week membership. 
Next I've got to come up with a bucket list.....

I recommend forgetting the gym, head to Pratamak hill (mountain-viewpoint area), some outdoor gym equipment and great exercise going up and round the hill. Lots of people use it every day and its free. I cycle there and its the best intense exercise I've ever done

Good advice.

[jed§]

23 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

On 5/9/2018 at 17:25, jed§ said:

Ok so place to stay organised - almost exactly what I was looking for and flight booked as well - got a good price for that - direct, Thai Airways, decent departure and arrival time. I decided these 2 things to be worth paying a bit more for then I don't waste a day waiting to set off and I get to Pattaya early enough to make a day of the 1st day. Previously, I've arrived mid to late evening and that still means paying for that night's stay.
Next, I mentioned at the start that I'm not exactly flush this year and so might have about 2 - 2.5 thou baht per day ave. spend. I've never been that low before but I'm hoping it will do. I doubt if I'll be joining a gym this time, but I might especially if there's one which is central which does daily rates. Maybe, Tony's does. If not I might give the gym a miss this time, do some indoor exercises in the room and take a skipping rope and do that on the harder sandy part of the beach. I haven't found it great before anyway. It takes me a week to get used to the heat and I won't be there long enough to justify a 3 week membership. 
Next I've got to come up with a bucket list.....

I recommend forgetting the gym, head to Pratamak hill (mountain-viewpoint area), some outdoor gym equipment and great exercise going up and round the hill. Lots of people use it every day and its free. I cycle there and its the best intense exercise I've ever done

 

23 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I recommend forgetting the gym, head to Pratamak hill (mountain-viewpoint area), some outdoor gym equipment and great exercise going up and round the hill. Lots of people use it every day and its free. I cycle there and its the best intense exercise I've ever done

Of course, I forgot and I went there twice last time, although it was late afternoon and a bit stifling - nice cafe at the exercise area too. Maybe I'll go early this time. And the semi wild dogs are fun too, around the hill.