We had a quick stay at the Amari Boulevard Hotel for an overnight in transit between Siem Reap and Chiang Mai. As a result, we can't comment on the pool, restaurants, etc.

The hotel itself was just OK. We were upgraded to a deluxe room with a balcony. Balcony was very nice but since we were there for a very short time, we didn't get a chance to enjoy. The room was reasonably clean although the sheets were slightly stained but not "dirty" (i.e., sheet had been laundered). Check-in was smooth.

The location of this hotel is the real reason we are unable to recommend the hotel. We arrived at night, which is the wrong time for a first impression. The hotel appears to be located in a red light district, unbeknownst to us when we booked. Lots of women on the street and the bars around the hotel appear to be more go-go oriented than otherwise. Therefore, keep this in mind if you are looking to book this hotel.

We booked The Amari Boulevard via Expedia, and got a great rate of £144 for three nights. Having already stayed in some expensive places, we needed to cut the budget a bit. We knew not to expect too much at that price, but even so, I can't help being a bit disappointed.

We arrived late in the evening, having taken a taxi from the lovely relatively new airport. If it's your first time in Bangkok, make note of the side-street (Soi) number. Sukhumvit Rd is very long and the hotel entrance is on Soi 5.

Check-in: So much for the 'Land of Smiles'; receptionist could not have been more po-faced. Still, we were checked in quickly and went up to our room (on 8th Floor). I'd seen the TA reviews before, and knew the room stock is mixed. We had one of the unrefurbished rooms. We'd been in the room for several minutes before I twigged that we had twin single beds. I'd booked a king, and as were were on honeymoon, singles weren't what we wanted!

Back to the foyer and another unsmiley receptionist. She did, however, move our room, to a double. Again, it was very dated. The bathroom looked very much like those in the London hotel I worked in 20 years ago. The bedroom was a bit better. However, it overlooked a bar on Soi 5 (Gullivers) and we could hear booming music. Too tired to ask for yet another room move, and fortunately, the music stopped by 1am.

We woke the next morning, having had a rotten sleep. The bed was one of the most uncomfortable we've ever slept in. Can't figure out why; it didn't seem old or lacking in support, but was dreadful.

The hotel is 25 years old. The foyer has had a refurb, as have the deluxe rooms, but the 'superior' rooms are in dire need.

After 3 nights there, we were glad to leave. The bad bed meant we'd had little sleep the entire time.

There are good points, though. The lobby bar has wi-fi access. All you need to do is buy a beverage to be given the password and you can connect your laptop for up to 4 hours.

Right across the street is a great little supermarket, which is open 24 hours. We used it a lot for drinks and snacks. It also has a small 'short-order diner' for want of a better expression. We had some very good - and cheap food there.

Above the supermarket is a Thai restaurant. It looks like it's a bit of a tourist trap, but the food was surprisingly good. Service was very sullen, though.

Soi 5 does have some seedy looking bars, but they are easily ignored. We treated ourselves to a foot massage each evening (much needed after a tough day sightseeing). There are thousands of places to choose from, with very variable quality. A lot of the masseuses look very bored. Best we found was just off Soi 5, around the corner from the hotel, called BahnThai, I think. There are girls on the street corner, with signs. I was initially put off by that, but we had some great massages there, better than most.

Upshot is, to stay at the Amari, I'd recommend upgrading to the Deluxe rooms, which seem much nicer. I only wish we'd done just that.

We stayed at the Amari for three nights in late February/early March as part of an Asia trip. The hotel itself is okay with good service and facilities. We were upgraded to a superior room which was well fitted out and clean. The buffet restaurant was good but the Thai restaurant is not worth the money and is very expensive for average food. The gym is not that good with old equipment in a small room. The biggest drawback of this hotel is its location - it is right by Nana skytrain station (good for transport links) but miles away from the temples and main tourist sights of Bangkok. In addition the area is quite seedy (old European men with young Thai girls everywhere....) which is amusing but not necessarily what you want when on holiday so if you are easily offended, this is definately not the area to stay! If I go back to Bangkok, I would definately stay in a hotel on the river as it is much nearer the tourist sights and generally nicer, although the transport links are not as good to get round the rest of Bangkok.

I stayed three nights at the Amari in early March.

Not having been to Bangkok before we thought we would try the Amari based on its hotel class combined with reasonable price. In general this is an ok hotel. I don't have any substantive grumbles (although its close proximity to Bangkok's seedier areas of town would probably top the list) but I don't think it has a real "wow" factor. If looking for a clean and comfortable hotel at a reasonable price, this is probably for you. That being said, if I were to return to Bangkok I would probably look to stay along the river.

We arrived at the hotel using one of the airport shuttle buses (the A3 I think) and whilst it did drop us off on sukhumvit road near the hotel, we were on the wrong side of it. To cross the road was a logistical nightmare - up and down steps/escalator to reach the skytrain level - not easy with heavy suitcases. If I were to do it again, I'd take a taxi (which we did on the way back). This would definitely been a faster and nicer experience (although admittedly slightly more expensive).

A warm and friendly welcome greeted us but unfortunately the non-smoking double room we had requested did not. We could have a non-smoking twin or a smoking double. We looked at the smoking double but soon rang reception requesting to change room as it smelt very strongly of smoke. The change to a non-smoking twin was quick and significantly better.

Decor wise the room was a little tired but it did have all the facilities you would expect - including free water on a daily basis.

We went to the Thai restaurant on the roof which was expensive but quite pleasant. As this was the start of our Thailand trip we later found out that you could get just as tasty food for less than half the price at street level!

We also visited the buffet which was a much more reasonable affair in terms of price and equally as tasty. We would definitely recommend this for those on a tighter budget.

Overall, this was a clean, friendly and centrally located hotel.
Plus sides: warm service and close proximity to Nana station and transport links. Down sides: average (rather than excellent)facilities and poor location if you want to avoid the sex industry of Bangkok.