Greetings from Malaysia

- Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur -

Have a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year Everybody!

I first heard of Take a Nap Hotel from Tallboyz (click on his blog link here to see the actual dormitory room). I suppose this hostel/hotel is fairly new, maybe have been operating for a year or so (considering that the website is copyrighted in the year 2007) so i have not heard of it or encounter it in the search engine. However, i can see that this particular hostel had accumulated many testimonials from satisfied customers. Just visit some of the travel forums to find out what i mean.

- Take a Nap -

After browsing through the website, i could understand why this place serves as a good starting point for traveling in Bangkok. The hostel is family run and very suitable for budget travels. Considering that hotels/hostels in Bangkok are no longer that cheap anymore, Take a Nap’s room rates is considered worthy (THB 1000 - THB 2000 per single/twin/double/4 bed room and THB 350 per dormitory bed).

Nestled in a heart of Bangkok city at the Silom district, Take a Nap Hostel is located in the central business area so you can expect a lively atmosphere for shopping, activities and nightlife. It’s a few minutes walk from both the sky train (BTS) and subway (MRT). Getting to places from the hostel is really a peace of cake.

1. MRTA(subway) Samyan Station: 0.4 Km.
2. BTS(skytrain) Saladaeng Sta.: 0.6 Km.
3. Hualampong Main train station: 2 Km.
4. Patpong: 0.6 Km.
5. Lumpinee Park: 0.5 Km.
6. Robinson department Store: 0.35 Km.
7. Central department Store: 0.6 Km.
8. MBK & Siam paragon: 2 Km.
9. Wat Traimitr: 2.3 Km.
10. Grand Palace : 5.6 Km.
11. Wat Pho: 5 Km.
12. Khaosarn Road: 5 Km.

On the other hand, i picked this hostel for my Bangkok trip because of the clean and modern rooms. The interior is somewhat interesting and refreshingly creative. Each of the 30 rooms available has an individual work of art. The room designs ranges from funky street art to a beautiful fairy tale with rooms named Happy Forest, Bang Bang, Bittersweet and Pub among many other names that exudes some creative flare. There are more subtle/less funky room graphics available such as the Bamboo, Big Blossom and In the Pink. They have every different theme possible that will suit your mood.

- Rooms -

Every rooms are equipped with bathroom, air conditioned, telephone line, cable TV, tea & coffee facilities and private safe. The lobby area is equipped with wireless internet connection so online access is no problem here. And of course, like other hostels they do have travel desk for tours, excursions and tourist bus transfer.

- Bamboo -

I’ve check out some other hostel that offers rooms that is less clean and less facilities for the similar price. In the end i settled for a twin room (Bamboo) for my parents and a 4-bed private room (In the Pink) for the sisters, Mr.Bf and i. Making a total of THB 3900 + THB 6000 = THB 9900 for a 3 nights stay per 6 person.

- In the Pink -

I see no point staying in luxury hotels in Bangkok because Bangkok is all about culture and i could easily stay in 5-stars hotels in my own country which offers similar services. Plus getting from places to places is a convenient at Take a Nap.

And oh, arranging for airport pickup earlier is a good idea if you are taking night flights like my family and i. You wouldn’t want to get stranded in Bangkok at midnight do you? LOL. Take a nap offer air-port pickups with reasonable fares, THB 800 via Toyota Innova or THB 1300 via Toyota Commuter (van).

I solemnly swear this is not an advertorial :P.

According to my countdown clock, i am 71 days apart from my much awaited Bangkok trip. Actually i’m much more looking forward to the visit to Chiang Mai than Bangkok since i’m not much of a shopping person. But never mind that, this means there are still 11 days till i can book a train ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Taking the train between cities in Thailand is a popular affair although it’s easier to fly and Air Asia flights are pretty cheap nowadays. The popularity of the train rides between the cities in Thailand puts credit on the comfortable overnight sleeper, people looking forward to making social traveling friends on the train and mostly many prefer to see the country from the ground. I heard that the view of canyons and mountains near Chiang Mai at sunrise is worth the Baht spent. Sure, we will have to expect late trains and the crowded train station but it sure beats taking the bus to experience the culture and surroundings right?

The Thai trains have 3 classes, mainly the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd class. 1st class includes modern air-conditioned sleepers with lockable compartments, washbasins and shower (soap and towel included) among other facilities. However, 1st class is more suitable for those seeking privacy and time to themselves and the 1200+ Baht - 1400+ Baht for seats in first class isn’t really worth it.

- 2nd class sleeper -

Most prefer to bunk at the 2nd class sleepers since it’s already sufficient and totally safe. Ranging from 500+ Baht - 600+ Baht (non air-conditioned) and 700+ Baht - 800+ Baht (air-conditioned) per berth, 2nd class seats would be pulled together to form sleeping bunks at night with proper mattresses and clean bedding. It’s also a relieve to know that there would be curtains hooked up to give privacy to passengers at night. I can’t imagine sleeping in the open with people in my face!

As for the 3rd class trains, it is more of a train for shorter trips with no sleeping berths. It’s a no-no for overnight trips but if you are traveling from Bangkok to nearby destinations like Kanchanaburi or Ayutthaya, it’s absolutely adequate.

- Bangkok <> Chiang Mai train fare -

Mr. Bf and i are opting for the 2nd class sleeper. We are planning to board the train at the Hualampong railway station instead of Don Muang station since we are staying with my family at Take a Nap Hostel which is near the Silom area. However, travelers could only book the ticket from travel agents which is open to reservation 60 days (2 months) before departure. So we’ll have to wait. But it is much safer than making reservation via email from the station itself which is open for booking 30 days before departure. (There are cases where customers did not receive any replies).

We selected Traveller2000 which comes highly recommended for reliability.

But of course will be some handling fee are charged as follows (the train station charges similar fees as well):
1 Person = Baht 300 per person/trip (one way or round trip)
2 Persons up = Baht 200 per person/trip (one way or round trip)

You can arrange with Traveller2000 or other travel agent to courier the tickets to your home address or arrange for it to be sent to the hotel upon arrival. Whatever it is, think and plan carefully before making payment because there will not be a full refund (there are partial refund with terms and conditions) once payment is made.

Hopefully i will have a positive experience aboard the train so i could blog about it next time

For more information on Thai trains (fares, timetables):-
http://www.seat61.com/
http://www.traveller2000.com/