Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009

Dear Friends,

It's just over 4 months more to the great Event again in Thailand. I will give you some thoughts for booking Hotels.

Pattaya A-One Hotel (The Event Hotel)
New Wing and Main room (photos on the website). The room rates my company gets from the A-One Management for the Alumni, when rooms are booked through me, it is cheaper than when you book direct from their website. An Alumni found out that higher price a few days back and emailed me.

January is a peak season in Thailand and hotel prices will be up from October of this year.

Please check with your travel agents and compare my prices. Take the best deal. We can book now and pay around end of November.

Other cheaper hotels in Pattaya
I have walked around and asked a few small tourist hotels nearby A-One Hotel, walking distant ones, and found that we cannot block rooms for some of you who prefer budget hotels; we can't block a few rooms even just for 2-3 nights. Because there are long staying guests. When just a day or two before 8th. January we find out and if there are vacant rooms, we may get them for the Alumni.

The other alternative are tourist class hotels with more rooms, but further away from A-One Hotel, which I will check which ones they are, to suit the conveniences of transport.

We have to look for a reasonable priced Tourist hotel where we can block and book at least 30 double rooms for the Yangon group. This could be away from the beach.

A-One Hotel Bangkok
This Hotel chain is outside Bangkok and you have to take only Taxi to get into the main stream shopping areas of Bangkok City. It can take you 2 hours one way to shopping areas through traffic queues. Not worth to book and stay there as an A-One package.

Arnoma Hotel Bangkok
My next research is Arnoma Hotel in downtown Bangkok, High season price for a double occupancy with Buffet breakfast at US$100.00 per night.

Give a try on that website. If we book now, we have to pay 30 days after confirmed booking. So here again, it is better to book around November and pay by December.

You can pay by credit card to my Company for any bookings. To add 2.5% on the total price.

Transportation to Pattaya and back
If many can stay in one place like Arnoma Hotel, we can arrange a group transfer from same hotel to Pattaya on the 8th. If it is a large group of 30-40, then we can arrange an air con coach for transfer to A-One Pattaya (and back to Bangkok on 10th.)

The Imperial Queen's Park Hotel is more expensive than the Arnoma Hotel. We have many, many hotels but group transfer can be arranged from one hotel to Pattaya. It is not feasible for other guests in other hotels to come to Arnoma Hotel to take the group transfer coach or mini van as waiting for them can delay the transfer departure.

If a group of six guests take a mini van from Arnoma Hotel Bangkok to Pattaya, the mini van cost is Baht 2500.00 (at rate Baht 34.50 today). About US$73.00 one way. We thought of six passengers, because of the luggages movements as well. If you leave behind the heavier lugagges at Arnoma Hotel and take hand carry luggages, then 8 passengers may accommodate the mini van. On 10th. you can come back to Arnoma to continue to stay for more as you wish.

The mini van transfer from Bangkok International Airport to Pattaya will be the same Baht 2500.00 one way. (US$73.00)

Other ways for the 8th. January transfer to a Pattaya Hotel for the night stay ahead of the Event are, taking a Public taxi from Bangkok to Pattaya or by Pattaya bound public air con coaches from "Ekamai Bus Terminal", across Soi 63 Sukhumvit Road. Coming back from Pattaya can be the same way. (Please remember, avoid taking a public coach on 9th. January morning as you will not be in time for the event.)

Most airlines from the US arrives around midnight to Bangkok Airport. I will not suggest you to take a public taxi in the night straight to Pattaya from the Bangkok International Airport. You should take an airport Limousine AOT (Airport Authority of Thailand) or AVIS or any other international car rental company limousine for safety. Prices ranges from Benz, Volvo and Japanese vehicles and mini vans.

Have you look at the tours on the MEHSA website?

The group from Yangon is interested to tour the "Golden Triangle" with the Chaingmai Tour. Yes, we can do that, extending the days of the Chaing Mai tour can bring you to the "Golden Triangle", a good view of Burma, Thailand and Laos.

All Hotel tours and transports must be paid in advance separately to our Company account. Event Registration fees only are accepted by Gloria, Alan Kyaw Maung in US$.

The event begins 0830 hours on January 9th. morning and tea, coffee and cakes, snacks will be served. Hotels already served guest with free buffet breakfast.

Some tell me their idea to drive about 0600 hours from Bangkok to Pattaya and return after the event to Bangkok. Will get back to Bangkok about 0200 hours the latest. (I did drove back once after a wedding in Pattaya from the same A-One Hotel). For the whole day trip, the only thing is to freshen up again from about 1400 hours to 1800 hours, I have not suggested any ideas yet how to cope with it. Let me check what my team can suggest.

Edwin