Bangkok Travel Guide
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The Le Meridien Bangkok's Hotel Lobby, Dissected
There are hotel reception areas and then there are Le Meridien Hotel reception areas. Frequent hotel lobby admirer, Christopher Scott Dixon, reports....
We visited the Le Meridien Bangkok the other week which is regarded as the flagship property for Asia. At first sight, it has to be said that the exterior to the hotel does not prepare you for the internal treats to follow. It appeared dark, dull and less than inviting, however, once the smiling doorman greeted us and opened the entrance, we stepped into a different world.
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A Hot Tub Near the Helipad: Inside a Terrace Suite at The Peninsula Bangkok
What do you think of when you think Peninsula Hotels? Chances are it's some combination of luxury, business travel, personalized service, Hong Kong, and helipads. For us, we've never thought of Peninsulas as being highly romantic or ideal honeymoon destinations...until we stepped out onto the deck of the Terrace Suite at The Peninsula Bangkok.
In a word: mindblowing.
Up this far in the high-rise hotel, near enough to wave up at any helicopters arriving to The Peninsula helipad (don't worry, air traffic is very rare), the views are unbelievable. But believe it—believe not only do the Terrace Suites have at least 180-degrees of Bangkok metropolis at your feet, but they've also got hot tubs, chaise loungers and a table out there. You could sleep outside if you really wanted to—but why neglect to enjoy a Peninsula bed?
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24-Hour Hotel Rooms are Rare, but Extremely Awesome
Our bed at the Novotel BKK
A couple days ago, Portfolio.com published an article that delves into the up-and-coming trend of the 24-hour hotel room. In it, the Starwood "Your24" concept takes center stage—this is when a Starwood elite member choose their own check in time, and gets the room for 24 hours from there. Alas, this isn't a totally new idea, but Starwood is the largest chain to experiment with it worldwide.
The article continues: "And, tellingly, none of Starwood's much larger competitors have matched the Your24 initiative...Not Accor of France, with 4,100 properties worldwide." Here's where we must step in to point out that Accor actually does offer 24-rooms, though we've only experienced it at the Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
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Inside a Room at The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok
Now that we've already shown you how to get there in style, it's time to actually go inside The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok. Rooms at this high-rise luxury hotel in the center of Bangkok—right on the bustling Chao Phraya River—run from $185 for a Superior King to $500 for a Grand Deluxe Suite King. Of course there are higher, more expensive categories but for those it's a "call for rates" situation.
First things first—the internet situation at the Peninsula Bangkok is the best we've ever encountered, and they're even making it better. WiFi throughout the hotel is free, super fast and—we could hardly believe it—each room has its own network. The proof of that is right here, a screenshot taken directly on our iPhone.
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At The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok: Arrival by Boat
Traffic. It's the the worst, and always when you're trying to get somewhere quickly. Many hotels in traffic-prone cities like New York and Jakarta can't do a thing about the congestion, short of sending a private helicopter transfer. But then there's Bangkok, Thailand, specifically The Peninsula Bangkok, which not only has solved the problem of traffic but made the solution free to guests. That solution? There's two Peninsula Piers on the Chao Phraya River, complete with Peninsula-branded boats going between them.
You see, the Peninsula sits on the Thon Buri side of the river, across from where all the action is happening. To connect this very active part of the city over the river, there is the Taksin Bridge. During rush hours, forget it. Therefore, The Peninsula has a Pier Lounge on the Bang Rak side of the river for you to arrive at, be welcomed, checked in and directly transferred by boat to the hotel on the Thon Buri side. It's quite a dramatic way to make an entrance, really.
Hotel Helicopters / Hotel Helipads / Bangkok Hotels / Peninsula Hotels / Luxury Hotels / → All Tags
A Chinese New Year Resolution: Fly in a Hotel Helicopter
Happy Chinese New Year! As we turn from the tame Year of the Rabbit to the aggressive Year of the Dragon, we've got Asian hotels on the mind. To be more specific, Peninsula Hotels and their badass heliports. If you're in the habit of making resolutions for the New Year—which one—then "setting off from a Peninsula heliport" needs to be one of them.
To get you in the mood to drop some dough on a flight worthy of James Bond, we've now got three exclusive looks inside different Peninsula helilounges:
· China Clipper Helilounge at The Peninsula Hong Kong
· The Seven Seas Pacific Aviation Helilounge at The Peninsula Tokyo
· Paribatra Helilounge at The Peninsula Bangkok
Photo Gallery / HotelChatter Reviews / Anantara Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Bangkok Hotels / Thailand Hotels / Hotel Renovations / Hotel News / → All Tags
Inside the Newest Anantara Hotel: The Anantara Riverside Bangkok
The hotel's Longtail Bar on its private dock
While Thailand was flooding these past few months, a hotel right on the river in Bangkok was busy renovating and changing brands. Luckily the new Anantara Riverside (formerly the Marriott Riverside) wasn't effected by the high waters and now that the country is drying off, they're ready to welcome the return glut of travelers.
Until the end of April 2012, they're offering rooms from 3,888 THB ($125 USD) per night; it's the Journey Begins package, which includes a room upgrade, breakfast, internet and discounts on the spa and further dining.
During a recent trip to Thailand at the very start of the flooding, we spent two nights at the Anantara Riverside and found that wasn't near sufficient to both explore Bangkok and enjoy the hotel's amenities. This is a place for a long weekend, a return visitor to Bangkok, or really anything more than a quickie of two days.
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As Bangkok Dries Off, a Hotel Renovates and Relaunches
Check out that pool. Would you believe that it's just outside the very middle of the bustling metropolis that is Bangkok, Thailand? Now that the city is drying off after catastrophic flooding, it's time to head back and luckily there's a new hotel to make things interesting.
Well, actually it's an old hotel. But it's a new hotel too! You see, the Marriott Riverside Bangkok has been renovated, revamped and relaunched as the Anantara Riverside.
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Who Is The Magic Doorman?
If our recent coverage of the Bangkok hotel scene hadn't already whetted your appetite to visit the Land of Smiles yourself (perhaps you could time your trip to the opening of the future W Bangkok?), then maybe this will get your travel wheels spinning. To the Four Seasons, that is.
Four Seasons Bangkok has a special trick up their sleeve, in the form of what they call the "Magic Doorman". Narongsak Khamkaew is a Bangkok-born doorman at the hotel who just so happens to be an amateur magician. Or is he an amateur magician who also happens to work at a hotel? We can't really be sure.
Either way, he bought a David Copperfield DVD on day on a whim, and now dazzles young guests with his "lightning-quick hand movements." His favorite trick? The flying card.
Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Desserts / Bangkok Hotels / Peninsula Hotels / → All Tags
Forget a Mint on the Pillow; Peninsula Hotels Has Their Own 'Signature' Macaron
Sometimes, if you're lucky, your hotel may have its own packaged cookies or chocolates to sell, or even honey, but if you're at a luxury hotel in Asia, it's a whole other ballgame indeed.
Take for instance Peninsula Hotels. It's a standard for Peninsulas (around the world) to have gift shops complete with their own private label items—from detailed tins of tea to a variety of wines. Even better are the fresh pastries and handmade sweets, like the "Peninsula Signature Macaron" we encountered (and then devoured) at The Peninsula Bangkok.
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The World's Second Sofitel SO is Getting So Close in Bangkok
Every day this month has brought worse and worse news regarding the flooding of the Chao Phraya River around Bangkok. They're not out of danger yet, and we're lucky to have just returned from Thailand at the very start of the serious flooding much further out.
When this rainy season has passed and clean up is complete, focus will again turn to the progress of the massive metropolis of Bangkok. We've already discussed the nearly complete W Bangkok, due to open in 2012, but what about the other major property not very far down the street—the Sofitel SO Bangkok?
Joining the W in a 2012 debut, the Sofitel SO Bangkok sits on the edge of Lumphini Park (green space!), and will boast a rooftop bar, something that's always popular in steamy Bangkok. This is no business-strict hotel like some Sofitels, either. The new SO brand is like the fashionable sister of the regular Sofitel, with far more design consciousness and modern tech features. The architect of the 30 stories is Thai, the interior designer of the 238 rooms is the French couture fashion designer Christian Lacroix, and each room will have a theme based on one of the five elements (water, earth, wood, metal and fire).
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Inside the Affordable Boutique Hotel That is The Luxx Bangkok
Thirteen rooms tucked away on a regular street in the busy center of Bangkok, and yet they're affordable and design-conscious with free breakfast and free WiFi. Can it be?! Yes, it's the Luxx Hotel, a tiny wonder we discovered while simply browsing the Mr. and Mrs. Smith Collection offerings in Bangkok and a tiny wonder at which we'd happily stay again.
The Luxx is what the the Smith Hotels site calls a "budget boutique" and we agree; we booked like normal online and only paid 2500 THB ($80) per night for the Studio-level room, one step down from a suite, but we were upgraded to a suite at check-in because of availability. Score!
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