most important things in real estate are location, location, and location. Hotel selection is much the same. Of course, in both cases the saw cuts too deep. There are other considerations.
The most obvious is price. Set a desired price point. Next start reading reviews, here, on Tripadvisor, Lonely Planet, Travelfish, and any other sources that come up in your search. If no hotels in your price range receive favorable reviews, most likely for cities in Myanmar, you will need to adjust your price range, or lower your expectations. To get the lowest price, if you have the time, write directly to the hotel. Often you can get a discount. Some arguments for a discount include one person staying in a double room that includes breakfast, or a stay longer than that of the typical guest.
Once you have selected a few possible hotels, study location. This is important and complex. You must factor in your priorities and the nature of the city. Swimming back through your data dip, proximity to one or more of the following will be most important: historical sites, shopping, restaurants and food stalls, drinking and nightlife, public transportation, a tranquil area, or a good view. Conversely, you will avoid unsafe areas (fairly rare), and hopefully, you will want to avoid tourist ghettos.
A few examples will help. Bangkok is a large city offering treasured sites, most of which are along the Chao Phraya River, and exquisite shopping and eating throughout the city. Public transportation is the key. The prime location is near both a pier for riverboats and a skytrain station. Bangkok is also an example of balancing which may argue against the best location.
Great value, or an exceptional hotel might overshadow the best location. Price isn't only a dollar amount for participants in the Starwood or Marriot programs, points can be as important. The 5 star Sheraton Royal Orchid hotel offered well equipped river view rooms for less than 4,000 points per night. In Europe or the States, that might get you a 2 star hotel. The location was close to a public river ferry pier. Although not close to the Skytrain, there is a complimentary river shuttle to a station.
In the chapters to follow I will explain the rationale behind each hotel choice.
Cell Phones
Can you hear me now? The answer in Thailand is no. Verizon and Sprint use a network called CDMA. It isn't available in those countries. You are in luck if you have an unlocked T Mobile or AT&T phone. The GSM that those phones use is the world standard. But if you are with Verizon or Sprint, check the specs on you phone. Most of the newer smart phones are global ready meaning they work with GSM as well as CDMA.
If you have an unlocked GSM phone, you can buy a replacement SIM card to work on the network of one of the providers in the country you are visiting. You need a new SIM card for each country. The card usually costs about 5 dollars and includes prepaid minutes in excess of that amount. Rates vary, but calling the US is usually about 5 cents per minute. Your phone must work on the correct bands, usually 900 and 1800, and perhaps 2100 for 3G. A typical quad band phone will have you covered.
For data transfer and Internet, I have only used WIFI, which is widely available. But most companies offer data plans. Your Verizon or Sprint smart phone, will work fine with WIFI.
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