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I always enjoy staying in a well kept inn or bed and breakfast because of the little touches of personality that are often missing from bigger chain hotels. For the bargain conscious traveler these types of lodging often offer deals on rates without sacrificing a quality experience. The Intelligent Travel blog lists four B&B’s Bangkok with rates under $100/night. While the present Red Shirt movement protests in Bangkok will probably put a damper on tourist travel plans to that city for the moment, here’s hoping for a peaceful resolution to the tensions. If this was a good time to visit, and I had to pick right now I’d choose the LUXX XL for amenities and location- its funny name notwithstanding which may be a translation from the Thai with none of the American English connotations.
The Intelligent Travel blog review says:
Off Langsuan Road and as centrally located as you can probably get, nine-month- old LUXX XL (www.luxxxl.com; from $90) strikes a decidedly cool and hip note. Streamlined and spacious interiors feature floor-to-ceiling windows, stone bathrooms, and corrugated teakwood paneling. After a day of sightseeing, head back for a dip in the property’s infinity pool. From the hotel, you can walk to the Suan Lum night bazaar.
I like to think I’m cool and hip – and I’m a night owl so I’d love easy access to the night bazaar. In addition this B&B is just a few meters away from sky train stations and plenty of malls. The US, UK and Japanese embassies are within 10-15 minutes walking distance and the infinity pool looks very pretty.
This island is small enough that a quickie group tour can be accomplished in just a few hours. We were actually staying on the island but everyone else on the tour was a cruise ship passenger. The tour began at noon and the cruisers needed to be back at the dock by 4:30 p.m. The tours are conducted in modified, open backed pick up trucks, and it’s easy to find a guide in downtown Charlotte Amalie. We went with the guide affiliated with The Mafolie Hotel where we were staying, but if you decide to find a guide on your own downtown, go with one who has actual business cards and a phone number. This is worth mentioning because we talked to people offering us tours who did not have cards or phone numbers including one who told us he didn’t need a phone number. I say that the intelligent traveller in this day and age is always going to feel more comfortable if the guide has the trappings of a professional business set up – including a phone. Read the rest of this entry »
The best travel writing starts out in the form of letters about what the traveller saw, but ends up further and further from that first impression as it’s polished and buffed by editors. By the time the reader gets it, in many instances it’s hard to get a feel for what the traveler actually saw. So I have decided to present my notes from my latest trip to Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI. If you haven’t been, this is a duty free shoppers paradise, specializing in fine gold, silver and gemstone jewelry with a backdrop of serene, turquoise blue Caribbean waters. Here is how my day went:
Downtown
Cab arrived at 10 a.m. and dropped us downtown near the post office Basically the shopping district begins at the ocean and extends backwards in blocks from it. First we walked along the water front to the yacht club where the cruise ships come in. There are speakers all over the club grounds playing reggae music. Also the manicured landscaping is very nice. We went to a cafe there called Badass coffee – with a donkey for a logo – hah hah. It is like starbucks but indie and ironically the coffee is Hawaiian Kona instead of Caribbean, but the quality is top notch. I did not see a Starbucks anywhere on the island. The downside is that unlike Starbucks these cafes close at a ridiculously early hour – at 5 p.m. or something like that which is when the cruise ships leave.
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