Royal Ivory Nana 4

Travelling on my own was a new experience. The staff at the Royal Ivory were very friendly & kind although only one or two understood much English. They let me book in very early straight from the airport. There was a good choice for breakfast and the food quality was OK if not brilliant. Would have liked the staff to refill my tea at the table rather than having to get it myself: a small complaint. The bedroom was a good size, clean and the bed comfortable. The air conditioning was fierce and I kept it turned right down. The hotel had an air of faded grandeur - needing a bit of an uplift, but adequate all the same. There was a tailor and a hairdressing/massage salon in the reception area. Everyone very friendly although the foot massage left me very bruised - may not have been trained properly - check for qualifications if you have Thai massage. The hotel is off Sukhumvit Road (Soi 4) - a few minutes walk on very rough sidewalks - where there is every type of restaurant. From about 6pm the 'Night Market' gets set up along Sukhumvit Road till about 10 - 11pm. All sorts of gifts and crafts - barter cheerfully and hard. Also Nana Station is just round the corner and the BTS and Metro trains are cheap, clean and easy to navigate. Buses are even cheaper and pretty fast even on Bangkok roads - everyone gets out of their way. It's very hard to get any taxi driver to use their meter, even though it's supposed to be law. Don't negotiate just walk away. Use the excellent public transport system - you don't get ripped off. Overall I liked the hotel - it was adequate for my needs - and it was in a good location both to eat, shop and sightsee locally and to get around Bangkok.

Catherine Lillis-James, Bristol, UK
Solo Traveller