Something To Chew Over
I have this theory, that when it comes to staying in hotels, that the level they charge for a room is commensurate with one's expectations of what one thinks will be provided. Inevitably I am disappointed. Or to put it another way, if you pay bugger all, you expect bugger all, but you are never disappointed.
To get round all this anguish, I inevitably stay at the President Inn, Soi 11, Sukhumvit Road. On checking in once, I asked at reception which of the following facilities I could expect to be not working : The air conditioning, hot water, or the satellite TV, only to be told that they had excelled themselves in being to provide a room offering all three!
I am saying all this as a pre ample to my greatest bone of contention, breakfast, or to give it it's proper title here in Bangkok, ABF. This is a meal that for some reason everybody seems to excel in at cocking up. My three pet hates are that the orange juice has not been freshly squeezed, the milk for the cereals is homogenized and not fresh, and the coffee has been percolated hours before, sitting in a large jug. So whilst having to struggle through my last experience of a culinary assault course, at an exclusive hotel in Khao Lak, the thought came to me of who not only charges the most for this meal, but also who produces the worst at these extortionate levels. Okay, let's be fair, and who produces the best as well.
The following are the prices for the most expensive ABFs in Bangkok, including all the service charges and taxes, without tips :
| Oriental | 1067 baht |
| Sukhothai | 894 baht |
| Shangri-La | 730 baht |
| Peninsula | 729 baht |
| Banyan Tree | 713 baht |
| Grand Hyatt | 682 baht |
| Royal Orchid Sheraton | 635 baht |
| JW Marriot | 606 baht |
| Bangkok Marriot | 589 baht |
| Pan Pacific | 588 baht |
| Hilton Hotel | 588 baht |
| Sheraton Grande Sukumvit | 577 baht |
| Conrad Hotel | 530 baht |
| Plaza Athenee | 527 baht |
| Montien | 527 baht |
| Landmark | 518 baht |
Now having gone to all the trouble of coagulating this information, it would be nice to ascertain who the winners and losers are. Living down here in Phuket, needless to say I don't have the time or for that matter the finance to mount such a culinary operation.
So the way I see it there are two alternatives, either to ask your many readers for their views, or alternatively to approach the hotels directly, telling them what you are proposing, and request a free complimentary breakfast. You could restrict yourself to only the 5 Star ones, or alternatively eat your way through the 500 Baht and above club.
Stickman says:
It is nice to get a good start to the day, but 1,000 baht ($US23 odd at current exchange rates) seems awfully expensive. "Would you like some gold in your coffee, sir"?
