Karina's story of having dental implants in Thailand.

On my first visit to Bangkok for the surgery in May/June 2007 I stayed at a hotel chosen by a third party. I was too unwell to do my own research and I paid the price of my stupidity. I ended up in a truly vile hotel that had none of the services I had requested of the 3rd party.

For my second visit to have my porcelains made, I was able to do my own research and found a place far more suitable to my needs and I really wished I had been able to stay there on my first trip.

So my recommendation is Centre Point Petchburi 15.  Below is the review I wrote for a travel site - which gives you a good idea of the services and the area.

Centre Point was about 60TB in taxi fare back to the Smile Clinic on Asoke Road.

I also visited some friends hotels and would also recommend The Grand President Executive Serviced Apartments on Soi 11 off Sukhumvit Road. They are walking distance to the Smile Clinic on Asoke Road and surrounded by hundreds of 7/11's, pharmacies and great restuarants.

If the work you are having done means a lot of appointments at the Smile clinic then I recommend staying within walking distance of them to save you the taxi fare. But if you are only having 1 or 2 appointments at the clinic and all the other appointments are at the Spec Lab - then it really doesnt matter how far you stay from either location.

Centre Point is located in a little Soi (15) just off Petchburi Road directly opposite the huge Pantip Plaza.

I had a Junior Suite for 16 nights. It was a great sized room for such a long stay - especially since I was undergoing medical procedures every second day and so I was relaxing in the room every other day. (not into shopping or sightseeing so I cant really comment on those aspects).

Room contained:

• King size bed (one mattress - not two queens pushed together) - good firm mattress and good selection of medium to firm pillows.
  

• Lap top sized safe.
  

• Umbrella and torch.
  

• Plenty of cupboards and wardrobe space.
  

• Dinner & Breakfast settings and cutlery for 2.
  

• Little 2 burner stove top with cooking pots and frying pans.
  

• Multiple cooking utensils, bottle opener etc.
  

• Microwave.
  

• Kettle.
  

• Toaster.
  

• Full sized fridge/freezer (which I noted was on a different power supply to the rest of the room so it remains on when you leave the room).
  

• Two water bottles per day.
  

• Sink, dish drainer, tea towel.
  

• Stereo that was also a 3 disc dvd player, good sized TV.
  

• Good sized desk with USB cable for the free broadband.
  

• Balcony with sliding door.
  

• Small dining table with two chairs, desk chair, single seat sofa and double seat sofa, large coffee table.
  

• Good amount of lightning choices.
  

• Bathroom contained large refillable plungers of nice quality shampoo, shower gel, and body lotion. Nice good sized plush towels, hand towels and flannels/washcloths.
  

• Good strong hot shower over a bath.
  

Check in was smooth and prompt. I hadnt been prewarned about the necessity to swipe a credit card for the value of 2000 baht per day for the full amount of days of the stay but as they assured me they didnt actually hold the funds from your card - I was ok with it.

All staff, from the reception, the bell boys, the guards, the housekeepers etc greeted you warmly every time they saw you and always stopped for a chat.

There is a little C Mart (like a 7-11) that has a back entrance with room key card access from the foyer of the hotel. It stocks some favourite brands from anyones home such as icecream, cookies, alcohol (for Aussies there were even Tim Tams !).

There is a normal hotel laundry service, but there is also a coin operated laundry available.

Very pretty clean pool and spa area on floor F (same floor as the restaurant) - about 6 or 7 floors up. Well appointed gym and childrens play room.

Particular positives:

• I liked that there was a boom gate at the entrance which prevented the entry of cab and tuk tuk touts. When you needed a taxi the security guards summonsed only metred cabs and let them in. The guards also confirmed your destination and passed it on to the driver so there was no miscommunication.
  

• The entire hotel and grounds were spotless. Kept beautifully clean throughout my stay.
  

Negatives:

• Restuarant and room service menu does not include alcohol or deserts.
  

• Breakfast buffet is very bland and unexciting, unpleasant having to walk through the smokers to get to the indoor section.
  

• Reception on the TV was pretty much lousy. Every station bar a couple were extremely snowy. There were signs in the lifts regarding this so it may have been a temporary problem. I took plenty of DVDs to watch.
  

The area:

Well I wasnt exploring much due to my medical appointments but this is what I can tell you.

• Burger King just diagonally opposite the hotel entrance (handy for a point of reference when coming back in cabs). There is a great pizza & salad place a couple of doors down.
  

• Pantip Plaze (IT stuff) is diagonally opp Burger King on the other side of Petchburi Road - access is via the big up and over walkways.
  

• KFC and a nice bakery beneath Pantip Plaza.
  

• On Petchburi just beyond the entrance to the C Mart is another sizable 7-11, a chemist/pharmacist, multiple markets and stores. There is also a large botox place - if you really feel the need!
  

• Plenty of massage places and little cafes as well as the usual food stalls.
  

• Pratunum markets and the bigger Pratunum Plaza are a 5 minute stroll down Petchburi.
  

All in all I was extremely satisifed with this hotel/serviced apartment. It had everything I needed for the duration of my stay and it was clean and tidy with lovely staff. I would definitely stay here again if I was to return and would definitely recommend it to friends.

Forgot to mention that on a couple of occasions I had to call reception for assistance with the broadband connection (I lost the ISP) and my safe (I locked myself out of it!) - they were at my door within 2 minutes and fixed the problems immediately.

Photos of my Centre Point serviced apartment.

Clockwise from left: Bathroom, Bed and kitchen and entrance (note second door goes to adjoining room - handing if travelling with others), Cupboards, desk and wardrobe, hotel foyer and taxi waiting area, bed and lounge area, wardrobe with large safe (fits laptop and extra's).

Photos of my friends Grand President serviced apartment.