Job Discussion Forums

[Freezer Burn]

Hey I arrive in Bangkok at around 1 AM from Seoul, Staying for four nights before heading back to Australia.

Any advice to as what to do in this situation, can I check in to a hotel that late, are the trains still running etc....

If not how much is a cab into the city?

Cheers

[desultude]

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

It's probably Don Muang, same as the airport name.

The taxi fare will run you a little more if you take the expressway, and I recommend you do.

Always have them use the meter. No exceptions.

[Volodiya]

Some taxi drivers, especially at the airport, will ask you to pay a "negotiated" price. It's always higher than the meter rate, and is not necessary (as others have pointed out).

You may have to refuse one or two offers from taxi drivers (I'm often offered the ride for between 400-500 Baht to the center of town, but the metered rate is right around 150 Baht), before finding one that will use the meter, but it's not normally difficult to do. Official, metered taxis are caught just outside the terminal, on the street, at a taxi stand. You give your destination to the clerk, and you're offered the next available taxi. You pay the taxi driver the metered price, plus 50 Baht. (Tip is optional: you can just round up the total.)

[Delsultude offered some useful suggestions for avoiding being overcharged, or inconvenienced by taxi drivers: it's interesting to read the different strategies we've worked out to deal with this issue. My most recent experiment, solving the problem of long lines of passengers waiting to take taxis (arrived at a busy time) was to take the advice of another poster, here, and go upstairs in the terminal to the departure area- where I caught a taxi dropping off passengers and was away in seconds, with no line!]

I always use the tollway, as Mr Kalgukshi suggested, but arriving that late, the traffic will be light into town and the tollway will not be needed, really: but, if you use it, the toll charges will add only 60 Baht to the cost of your ride into town.

Instead of dealing with this when you're tired, why not take a hotel near the airport that offers pickup service? You can find them and book them using the internet and avoid the taxi questions altogether. After a good night's sleep, the ride into town, and dealing with taxi drivers, will seem less challenging!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

A few additions to the good advice above:


The Skytrain and MRT Underground shut down at midnight

but that wouldn't help you much since they don't connect

directly with Don Muang Airport anyway.


Yes, you can check into your hotel late at night !

Just take a taxi from the official taxi stand;

not from the touts who approach you,

as others have correctly advised.


It may be a good time to bring this up for newbies:


NEVER accept anything from ANYBODY who approaches you;

whether it's an invitation to a bar, a good deal on precious gems

or even a taxi.


A normal Thai, by nature, will not approach a foreigner.

Those who do are professional touts, who are paid

to lure tourists into dubious establishments that

almost always overcharge for services.


In plain English: don't talk to strangers !

Better to say "mai ow" (don't need)

and just keep walking.


Touts are found where tourists congregate, by the way.

In Bangkok, that includes the airport, bus stations,

the red light zones of Patpong & Nana Plaza,

and the more famous temples as well.


For hotel reservations:


http://www.farangs.com/

http://www.hotelthailand.com/index.html

http://www.asiahotels.com/hl/Thailand.asp


note: the "mai" in "mai ow" is pronounced exactly like the possessive adjective "my"

and the "ow" is pronounced exactly like the interrogative pronoun "how" without the "h".

2 little words which, when combined, can save you a lot of grief !

[laconic]

Of course, you want to be polite, so please add "ka" or "kap" at the end, as appropriate.

[kenkannif]

Pay the 50 Baht (it's not a lot) the booth thing and you'll not have to worry about getting a taxi driver that won't turn on the meter. You'll be fine.

They have to by law use the meter and at the taxi rank I doubt they'd mess you around, and IMO it's better than messing around taking bags up and down etc. and risking a dodgy taxi!

As Laconic said no need to really use the Expressway at that time of night.

[Volodiya]

[kenkannif]

The official taxi stand should help (at least more so than getting it off the street). In my five years here with many a person coming to the school from the airport none of them have had a problem from the stand.

I don't see how you can as you'll see if the meter is on, if it's not get out and get the one behind.

I honestly don't undestand why they're being dodgy at the taxi stand....as you can just get out and report them???

[desultude]

[kenkannif]

[Volodiya]

I must look like an easy mark!

Picking up a taxi at the official stand, the drivers sometimes try to take both papers the ladies give me; I've had to snatch back the one that is to be used for complaints.

Then, as I said before, about 20% of the time they either do not start the meter, or quote me a price (usually 400 Baht). I refuse, and point to the meter, saying "meter, meter". This works, but just occasionally, the driver feels cheated out of his better fare and, possibly expressing his irritation, gives me an unusually fast ride into town. (I don't mind, unless his shocks are bad!)

[desultude]

[therock]

Go directly to the bar, get drunk then the next day check into a hotel

[Sgt Killjoy]

Ah, I would get down to MBK/Siam Square Area from the airport that night straight away. I stay at Muang Phol Mansion opposite National Stadium BTS and MBK.

I stayed at Don Muang Mansion and it is ok, but it is hard to get to and from there if you are actually wnating to stay in Bangkok for a few days and who wants to check into a hotel and then have to checkout the next day.