Royal Princess Korat Thailand - Great Hotel W/O
Written: Apr 15 '03 (Updated Apr 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful area. Unbelievable hospitality. Clean and spacious rooms.
Cons: Not many. A bit of a hike from town center - take a Tuk-Tuk.
The Bottom Line: An incredible hotel in a little-visited (by westerners) part of Thailand. Unbelievable service and hospitality. Western amenities are nice, but staff is what makes it 5-stars!
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| pilotpat's Full Review: Royal Princess Hotel Korat |
I was privileged to spend about 3 weeks in Nakhon Ratchasima, aslo known as Korat (take the last part of the first word, first of the last, and you'll get the abbreviation), in Northern Thailand. I promise a review of the entire area soon. Although Korat is a pretty good sized city, it is not as popular with tourists as places like Chang Mai and Bankok, so the western influences are minimized.
LOCATION
The Royal Princess Korat Hotel is a beautiful and modern structure that is a mile or so from the center of Korat proper. This has one drawback - it's a long walk. The walk will take you through some relatively depressed areas, but I do not think there is any danger in making that walk during the day. During the night, it might make you uncomfortable to do so alone.
However, the distance really isn't a factor, since there are always a good supply of Tuk-Tuk (named for the sound their 2-cycle motors make) drivers waiting just outside the gate for the doorman to hail. Depending on how well their night was going, I was able to haggle a price between 30 and 50 baht (US$0.70 - 1.10) for a one-way trip to the center of town, plus another 10 for the doorman. If you want a wild ride, offer to double the fare if you get there before your associates in a competing Tuk-Tuk. For those of you who don't know what a Tuk-Tuk is, its a 3-wheeled semi-open vehicle that looks somewhat like a rickshaw attached to the rear of a motor scooter. They'll fit 2 comfortably, 3 in a pinch. Hold on.
ARRIVAL
A rent-a-cop mans the border crossing-style gate to the parking lot at the Princess. Your taxi from the airport (or Tuk-Tuk if you're traveling light) drives up the hill and deposits you at a large covered entryway with huge glass doors flanked by majestic columns. Doormen are quite populous and very polite and helpful. The concierge desk sits to your left as you enter, and on your right is the large front desk. All desk personnel spoke very good English, which is good as my survival Thai covered just the basics (for more on my definition of "Survival Language Skills," check out my Travel Tips Review).
During my stay, I had several opportunities to interact with the desk staff. All were extremely pleasant and helpful. Check-in was no exception, and I was handed an electronic swipe card to get into my room after signing a check-in form that was written in Thai and English (and French as well, I believe).
The front desk also has a large bank of bank-style security deposit boxes for complimentary use by guests, with one key checked out by you and the other kept by the front desk. I believe use of the larger hotel safe is available on request as well.
ROOMS
The elevators were modern and quiet. My room was on the corner, far away from them, as requested. As I entered, the room was excessively stuffy and hot. To save electricity, the Air Conditioner and lights/TV/electrical outlets (with the exception of the one by the nightstand) do not operate unless you put your key in the slot in the hallway inside the door. Once you do that, the lights turn on and the AC cools and dries the room in a matter of minutes. However, should you enjoy coming home to a cool room, a folded-over business card in lieu of your key works to keep the AC on in your absence.
The room was clean, spacious, and quite modern and Western in design and quality. The two queen beds were comfortable with clean and relatively new linens, bedspreads, and pillows. A nightstand between the two offered individual reading lamps and an electric clock radio. Carpet was industrial but tasteful and clean. A table in one corner with surrounding chairs had outlets nearby. The phone did not have a dataport, but worked just peachy. An entertainment center housed a TV with cable (sattelite) TV that offered a couple English language news programs, a Japanese channel, and Thai programming. The minibar was stocked and reasonably priced.
The bathroom was elegant if not excessively fancy, with a hairdryer and complimentary lotion/shampoo/conditioner. Showers were hot with good pressure, and the tub was western-styled and sized (too bad, I had been hoping for a Japanese-style soaking tub).
All of this was sparkly clean - the housekeepers were exceptionally friendly, very polite, and very thorough. They spoke no English, but every morning we exchanged greetings and wai in the hallway.
RESTAURANT
The complimentary breakfast each morning was a mixture of Thai and Western offerings in a large hot and cold buffet. The fruit was exquisite, and you could always count on an ample supply of fresh shrimp - both cold and hot. Some of the Western egg dishes were thoughtfully prepared but not quite what you might expect! Dinner in the restaurant was always good and relatively inexpensive - I tried a lot of Thai dishes and was never unhappy. Note: Thais aren't really into coffee, and never have learned how to make it well. If you ask for coffee, you are likely to get a pot of hot water and a jar of instant coffee. If you get brewed coffee, often it is instant coffee put into the filter and then brewed! This means it can be quite strong!!!
A small bar down in the basement with a blue neon tint has local entertainment as well as karaoke. It's a good time to watch and partake in. Drinks are reasonable and service is pretty good.
The small lobby bar is luxurious. Drinks here come at a slight premium, but the people watching in the lobby is fun and the service is spectacular. There are a few tables with couches/stuffed chairs surrounding them as well as a few smaller tables. You can also order appetizers at the lobby bar.
POOL
The outdoor pool is medium-sized and good for lap swimming. The large patio area is comfortable for enjoying company whether you are swimming or simply watching "the scenery." Mosquito coils keep the bugs away, and the area is kept impeccably clean. The area is also used on occasion for parties and barbeques.
OTHER SERVICES
I would be remiss without mentioning the two women that run the Thai Massage parlor. This is serious massage - sort of a cross between deep massage, chiropractic adjustment, and yoga. You will be massaged literally from toe to face and leave in a puddle. These small women have incredible strength! A 1/2 hour session, I think I recall, ran about the equivalent of US$40.
OVERALL HOSPITALITY
I'll save a full diatribe on Thai hospitality and politeness for my review of the region, but the Thais in this region are the most wonderful people I have EVER come in contact with in my world travels. They put even Latin Americans and rural Italians to shame! You can always count on a cheerful greeting and polite "wai" from all you meet. Spend the time beforehand studying the basics of Thai cultural norms (you'll never be able to get much beyond the basics without living here - they're quite complex), and then while you're here, make it a point to ask a lot of questions about courtesy - you'll be amazed at the thought their culture puts into it. Besides, when you figure out the proper way to "wai" and greet, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the smiles and sparkling eyes you get in return.
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Recommended:
Yes
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pilotpat
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Member: Pat
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