Last March as soon as classes ended and Rochelle was done with her motherly duties we quickly hopped on a plane and took our first summer vacation in Bangkok.
The last time I was in Bangkok the new Suvarnabhumi Airport wasn’t open yet. I don’t remember the immigration line being this long. There were two immigration areas and both were overflowing with people. This was just the hallway that you pass to get to the lines.
We just arrived that’s why my travel mates were still all smiles.
Based on my research there were 130 passport control checkpoints for arrivals and it looked like most of them were open and had long queues. I’m so envious. I wish the Philippines had even a tenth of Thailand’s tourist.
After 1 and 1/2 hours of standing in line I finally got to the counter.
We took the escalator down to the taxi area and found an iridescent pink mini van that was just perfect for the 5 of us. Don’t get a ride from the many people offering you transport to the city. Go directly to the taxi stand where taxis of different makes and models await passengers. Our fare to the hotel including toll fees and tip amounted to ฿400 baht.
My friends brought light jackets and thankfully I brought a shawl mostly for the plane ride which sometimes gets cold. We never imagined we will arrive in Bangkok to 19 degrees centigrade weather. The weather remained the same and even dropped to as low as 17 degrees for two days. It was really very unusual for Bangkok to have that kind of temperature in March.
We chose to stay at the Courtyard hotel because I got a discount with the help of my friend Ariel and it was very convenient to the malls and BTS Skytrain which we never got to ride because it was cheaper for 5 people to split cab fare.
The lobby was small but the colors were bright and cheery.
The room was just the right size with two double beds. It was very clean and well maintained.
Every time we were in the room we had the tv tuned to NHK channel for updates on the Japan earthquake. We were in Bangkok on March 17 just a week after the horrible earthquake.
A unique feature in the room was this mirror on the clear glass wall of the bathroom. If you want privacy there was a shade you could pull down. Believe me that shade stayed down our entire trip.
The bathroom was a bit small and didn’t have a bathtub which was ok since I prefer a shower stall.
The shower stall was quite big and I appreciated the hand held shower which isn’t common in hotels.
Back on the ground floor was the business center, the MoMo mart convenience store and the MoMo Cafe. 
We never had a chance to try the food at MoMo Cafe since our hotel room didn’t include breakfast. We just bought bread and fruits for our daily grub.
The Courtyard was located in a small street with several hotels and apartments. It was a three to five minute walk to the main street where all the malls were located. It took another 5 minutes to reach the first mall and from there it’s mall heaven to the left, right and across.
The hotel had a free shuttle and we took it one morning to see where it would take us. We almost had cramps laughing when it took us only to the end of the road and the trip lasted for all of thirty seconds. We were hoping it would take us to one of the malls.
The Courtyard was a very nice hotel to stay in when in Bangkok. Sure it wasn’t smack dab in the middle of shopping like other hotels but it was only a short walk or taxi ride anyway. And for the price we paid I wouldn’t stay anywhere else.
Courtyard Bangkok
155/1 Soi Mahadlekluang 1,
Rajdamri Road,
Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
telephone: 66 2 690 1888
Shoot First Eat Later 
Hi,Thanks for all the lovely pictures and all the useful information as well. I am delighted after having a look at it.I feel that this is a great place to be but only for the riches for sure.
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Every where in the world where ever you go, the Marriott hotels always come forward and provide you teh best living facilities in their hotels for tourist and visitors.
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