Category: Lodging

Where To Find Bangkok’s Best Luxury Hotel Deal

by Anil Polat | Oct 10, 2024 | Lodging, Money | 1

Tucked in a quiet corner of a busy Bangkok neighborhood, there is a hotel that’s exceptionally comfortable, elegant, and a true oasis in Thailand’s capital city. With the right approach though and a few tricks, you can book a stay here for under $80 a night.

Here’s where to find that hotel and how to get a great deal on accommodation in Bangkok. You can watch the video above and then read on.

Heart Of The Action

Sukhumvit is a bustling district on Bangkok with high rise buildings dotting the skyline. A major artery of the city Sukhumvit Road goes through the heart of Bangkok and where popular celebrations like Songkran are most active. Between a quiet laundry shop and nearby a hospital is Ad Lib a hotel that’s decorated with hanging green vines, large glass walls, and remarkably quiet considering its location.

The breakfast buffet is impressive and the rooms new with spotless mattresses and comfortable pillows. There’s a pool, gym, several bars and restaurant but the Ad Lib never feels like overbearing. The open design and friendly staff all add to the experience of being relaxing while at the same time making it easy to drop into the bustle of Bangkok’s beating heart.

Getting The Best Rate

One key piece of advice to getting the best deal at the Ad Lib is to never book from a third party site. Always book through the Ad Lib’s main site, where you’ll save at least 20% than booking elsewhere. I often find rooms listed for $120 in some places to regularly be $90 directly from Ad Lib. The site also has another perk which are the very frequent sales and promotions they run. Those included, you can find rooms for $75 a night or less. An amazing deal considering the level of luxury you get at Ab Lib and when compared to the cost of nearby luxury accommodation.

All Kinds Of Travel

To me, the Ad Lib is the perfect type of hotel if you want to recharge at the hotel during a trip to Bangkok or if you want a comfortable base to explore the city from. It’s comfortable enough to be the hotel you never have to leave but also situated in a place that gives you access to all Bangkok has to offer. An upgrade hotel experience and a competitive alternative to Airbnb in Bangkok.

Where To Stay In Paro, Bhutan

by Anil Polat | May 9, 2024 | Lodging, Pictures and Video | 0

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan isn’t the easiest to visit but if you’re flying in it will be through Paro. Home to the country’s only airport, Paro is the gateway into Bhutan. A historic city of just over 11,000 people it’s worth more that a stopover and one of the most unique places to stay is fit for royalty.

Hotel Olathang

Literally made for a king, Hotel Olathang was originally created for the guests of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s coronation in 1974, also making it Bhutan’s oldest hotel. Reservations aren’t possible online, you’ll have to call to make a reservation so don’t rely on last minute planning. Although Bhutan doesn’t get many tourists, around certain times of the year there are events (like March’s Paro Festival) and bookings can fill up fast.

Royal Rooms With Variety

Because of its original purpose as royal accommodation, Hotel Olathang’s rooms are separate buildings on a large mountain property overlooking Paro. Many of the hotels in Paro are higher up but only a short 10 minute cab ride into town, with each way costing roughly $3-4 USD.

The design of each room is different with several options for larger groups and the newer tent rooms, ideal for summer stays. Walking is a must at Hotel Olathang as the stone walkways to the rooms may not accommodate wheelchair access. Reception is a separate building a few minutes walk from the furthest room and that’s where you’ll find the hotel’s restaurant as well.

Bed And Breakfast

Hotel Olathang does offer a breakfast that’s not included with all of the rooms but you’re not missing much if you don’t pay for it. The breakfast is a mix of eggs, beans, tea, and bread plus or minus some miscellaneous additions. Where you’re short on time for an early morning to a place like Tiger’s Nest, it’s better than no food at all. Same goes for the dinner at their restaurant but if you have the time, you’ll certainly get a better meal in town. You can also order to the Hotel Olathang which reception will happily help you with.

Best Of Bhutan

Hotel Olathang has incredibly helpful staff that can arrange drivers, pickups, and provide you with a lot of local tourism expertise. Located in the mountains just outside of town gives you incredible views, a peaceful environment, and fresh air. Hotel Olathang is close enough to town where you don’t feel isolated and the wifi is surprisingly fast. Finally, when it comes to the prices the rates at Hotel Olathang are quite reasonable ($50-70 a night) when compared to other accommodation in Paro.

How To Avoid Airbnb’s Latest Fee

by Anil Polat | Feb 8, 2024 | Lodging, Money | 2

A few days ago Airbnb changed their Terms of Service to introduce a new fee that will come into effect on April 1st 2024. That fee will add 2% to you next booking but there’s an easy way to avoid it and actually save even more money.

Conversion Fee

The new guest service fee of 2%, before taxes, will be added on the total rate if a booking is made where the local currency differs from the currency set in your Airbnb account. That means if your Airbnb account has a currency set in US dollars but the villa in Spain you’re booking is listed in Euros, there will be an additional 2% fee added at check out.

Airbnb hasn’t made it clear if this fee will be shown separately or just added under the generic “fees” you see at checkout, but know that it will be in there where there’s a currency conversion.

Avoiding The Fee

To get around the new 2% fee, all you have to do is change the default currency your Airbnb account is set to so that it matches the local currency of your next destination. Log into Airbnb, click the globe icon, then currency, and then change the currency. For example, if you’re looking for an Airbnb in Bulgaria you would change the currency into Bulgarian lev and if the place is in Spain, that would be Euros. Airbnb doesn’t make it clear what currency the host listing is in so you just have to look up the local currency in a given country if you’re not familiar and adjust it accordingly.

Why This Saves More Than 2%

After April 1, 2024 this trick will save you 2% in fees but changing the currency to match the local money will save you double or more because of another clause in the Airbnb terms – one that’s been there for a long time. When you book an Airbnb in a currency that differs from the currency a host as set, Airbnb converts the listing price from local to your currency, using rates they determine. In many cases this rate is not in your favor and hardly the best conversion and can add 3% or more to a booking where the currencies differ.

You should always change your Airbnb account currency to the local one when booking internationally to save at the 2% conversion fee and then another 2-4% in conversion rates. While you’re at it, make sure you keep an eye on Airbnb cleaning fees as well.

An Upgraded Hotel Experience: Sonder Apartments Review

by Anil Polat | Feb 1, 2024 | Lodging | 0

Sonder is a short term apartment rental service for people who want amenities most hotels don’t have but want the consistency in experience Airbnb lacks. I recently rented a Sonder apartment in New York City and found they take some of the best from Airbnb and hotels but the end results aren’t as good as they could be. You can watch my full review in the video above or read on.

Sonder Rising

Sonder was founded in 2014 and now operates in 40 cities around the world with the aim to be a the homestay of hotels. They basically buy up apartments in cities where Sonder operates, then registers them as hotels. Most Sonder listings look a lot like traditional temporary accommodation from the outside but when you walk in you find mailboxes for individual units, like you would an apartment while there are services like complimentary toilet paper and housekeeping, hotel style.

Many Sonder rentals have kitchens, refrigerators, and laundry machines but that’s not always the case, so you’ll want to review the specific rental amenities before booking.

Online Experience Excels

One thing that Sonder does well is the booking experience. You can search for apartments on their site or mobile app and rentals can be booked for days, weeks, or months. Trying to figure out what’s available isn’t always clear though as Sonder likes to show you a lot of choices in a given location without automatically removing options that are already booked.

Once you do find a place though Sonder lists out the total price you’ll end up paying, including taxes, fees, and any discounts. Having the final price listed makes for a much better experience when booking with Sonder. In contrast, Airbnb tacks on cleaning fees can be as much as the rental rate and hotels too can throw some hidden fees at you in the last minute. With Sonder you know how much things cost throughout the apartment search.

Checking In Sonder Style

Check in and check out times are similar to hotels and you can adjust them by a few hours for a small fee if you’re arriving early or need a late check out. Once you’ve booked the Sonder app is the best way to manage your stay. You’ll get the access code to the building and your room, as well as the option to use your phone as a mobile key to get inside. The address is listed as are requests for services like cleaning or to report any issues. You can also get in touch with support who are quick to respond and everything else you need like wifi passwords are all in the app as well. (The wifi is also very fast, around 350 Mbps download.)

Sonder isn’t like The Blueground, a premium long term apartment rental service I’ve previously reviewed, where the furniture, kitchen, and appliances are all better quality and the shortest rental term is one month. So although you can rent a Sonder for over 30 days and you get discounts the longer your stay – especially past 45 days, I’m not sure in every location Sonder has a presence it’s the best long term accommodation option for travelers.

When To Sonder

Sonder is a good option for more expensive cities, like New York City, where you’re going to be staying for more than a few days. If you’re staying for a day or two, having a kitchen and fridge you can stock up probably won’t save you much money versus eating out, you should do some pricing comparisons with nearby hotels and and Airbnb.

But for stays of a few days or a week or two, where a trip to the grocery store is going to save you money on food over time, particularly if you want to cook or save money on laundry fees, than a Sonder might be a better choice in those circumstances. Their rates are pretty competitive with hotels and they’re usually in or very close to popular touristic parts of the cities they operate in.

Sonder is an option to check out if you want the hotel experience plus the perks that might save you money where it’s available. For longer stays though, especially over a few weeks, you might want to expand your search to some other booking sites.

Use This Trick To Get 10% Or More Off Every Booking.com Reservation

by Anil Polat | Oct 26, 2023 | Lodging, Money, Pictures and Video | 0

Making reservations for hotel accommodations can often seem like a budgetary afterthought since you’ve already spent so much time trying to find the best deals on flights. You then get to the hotel part of the equation and well, it’s often last minute so you have fewer options and with less obvious money saving hacks, you end up paying more than you should.

Within 24 hours to spare however you can use this trick to save 10% or more through Booking.com.

Look Don’t Book

First, start searching for accommodation on Booking.com. Set your actual travel dates, look through the reviews, and find a place to stay like you normally would. In case you have a Booking account you can login but it’s not a requirement for this to work. Once you’ve settled in on a hotel or other type of rental, click the “I’ll reserve” button and let it take you to the next page.

Add your name in the fields provided and importantly, make sure to give a valid email address.

Once you’ve done that, scroll all the way down to “Final details”.

Almost, Not Quite

After you’ve clicked the “Final details” button, you’re going to not do anything else. Yet. The trick to getting the incentive bonus from Booking is to not do anything for 24 hours. Since you’ve entered a valid email address, Booking knows how to get in touch with you. Their system seems to track near-bookings, that is, reservations that got very close to completion but for some reason you left.

With that in mind to try and get your business in about 24 hours Booking.com will send you a discount code for around 10% off.

One Time Use

It’s not a huge discount but 10% off is better than nothing and for more expensive stays that can really add up. The discount code is one-time use only and usually comes with an expiration date, so don’t let it sit in your inbox too long. To continue looking for discounts though make sure you compare prices with other rental platforms and check for conference discount codes.

How To Spend 3 Days In Guyana

by Anil Polat | Aug 17, 2023 | Advice, Green, Lodging | 0

Located in the north part of South America, Guyana is a country that isn’t the easiest place to plan. There isn’t a lot of current information online, things change on the ground rapidly, and tourism is barely an industry here. You might be interested in visiting the rain forest, 85% of Guyana is blessed by it, wanting to travel to unique destinations, or coming on a business trip as part of the ongoing oil boom.

No matter what your objectives, here is your introduction to Guyana.

Accommodation Expectation

Lodging in Guyana is relatively expensive, especially in the capital city of Georgetown. Rates hover around $100, often regardless of the quality, though there are good places to stay if you book early. In general, the few big chains in Guyana, like Marriott, overcharge obscenely. Your better off looking at local accommodation like the El Dorado, which has large rooms, classic design, and is centrally located. Also in Georgetown is Fireside Suites, more of an apartment style rental, with some of the best staff and service you’ll find anywhere.

Outside of Georgetown, accommodation in the jungle is less prevalent but there are good options at reasonable rates with more being built in expectation of more tourists.

Starting In Georgetown

Small but bustling Georgetown is a city you can efficiently get a feel for in a couple of days. Start by eating at Shanta’s Puri Shop for the classic any-time-of-the-day snack, roti. That flattened and fried lentil patty filled with curried chickpeas and optional meats is a Guyanese classic and Shanta’s is considered one of the best places to enjoy local dishes. You can then head to the Bourda Market (a guide is recommended) to catch a flavor of daily life, then grab a meal at Bettencourt. Known for its creole home foods, Bettencourt is an excellent spot for a large lunch of cookup – flavored rice with meat or fish, washed down with a coconut water.

Additionally you can head to the National Park and hand feed wild manatees (free) and visit Aagman for some of the best Indian food in the Americas. Oasis is an option for breakfast as well if you’re in the mood for a more European vibe but if you’re heading to Guyana, don’t get stuck in the cities.

Kaieteur Falls

A short 45 minute small plane ride from Georgetown, Kaieteur Falls are the world’s single largest waterfall drop. The journey will take you over the rain forest, where the pilot will take a few strategic turns to get you aerial views before you land. Once on the ground you’ll be taken by a guide to hike through the jungle (about 2 hours total) and learn about the plants, medicines, and nature of the area. Along the way you’ll stop at several lookout points and get amazing views of Kaieteur Falls as you hear about the local legends that give them their name.

Guyana is a country full of things to eat, see, and do but not the most porous when it comes to travel information. This guide is just a start to your trip that can take you to many places, often unplanned.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More