The highlight of my recent trip to Bangkok. Basically the whole idea of this trip was to surrounded around this hotel and the promotion that was really so tempting. If you did follow me on my earlier post in this trip series you will know how tempting it is. With the wanderlust cells indoctrinated in me, there was no way that I would stay in Singapore. There is both sides to staying in the area that Conrad was it. Conrad was actually part of the All Seasons Place in the embassy area. In fact the US Embassy was just a stone throw away. It is slightly away from the main shopping area in Siam and Central World but easily connected through walkway with a average 15 to 20 mins walking distance. Although slightly out of the way, it is also more convenient since you cabs would make more sense to you, with the streets surrounding the hotel not as jam as the main one along Siam and MBK, you can get out of the area much faster. Besides, the hotel also has a complimentary shuttle service to sent you to the BTS Station, Phloen Chit. I really prefer it’s location to the others that I have stayed in the past. Besides taking cab, I even walked to the Platinum Fashion Mall area and also the iconic Terminal 21 Mall. All in less that 20 to 30mins.
I arrived from the airport through the airport express train which cost 45 Baht each and also a taxi from the rail station to the hotel. It takes roughly about 45 mins in total and this will be the best fuss less way to reach the city. Although we did had a bad experience right after reaching Bangkok, the taxi driver tried to scam us off by quoting double the meter price for the short distance. He even refuse to budge till we say 3 to 4 times to let us out if he won’t on the meter. In fact he lost out on a couple baht since he didn’t on the meter after driving for like 5 mins. We will greeted whenever we go in the hotel and never once I had to open my own door, not as if I mind doing it myself. They were full of smiles and polite. There was a dedication in the main lobby to their Kind whom past away a couple days earlier. After confirming the reservation, I was promptly escorted to the Executive Lounge for the check in process. The Lounge was bright and quaint. It might even seems a bit hot with all the sunlight coming in. I was offered a drink while the staff took my passport and credit card to complete the check in process. I will cover more about the lounge in detail later.
Just to recap a little, Visa Luxury Hotels were offering a one free night with a minimum of 2 night stay and with that they were throwing in the normal benefits that came with when you book with them. This includes:
- Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available
- Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, when available
- Complimentary continental breakfast daily
- $25 USD food or beverage credit
- VIP Guest status
- 3PM check-out upon request, when available
This equates out to about S$130 per night for a King Corner Room. I was a little disappointed when they say that my room would only be available at 4pm, but have been upgraded to the Executive floor with lounge access. We will offered to rest and have breakfast while waiting. After retuning in the evening and collecting the keys from the lounge, upon entering the room, turn down services was already done. The room was huge, measuring about 53 SQM. It had a turn entrance along the corridor with the mini bar first and then the room on the right. With the toilet on the left. The room at a high level of 27th floor had a towering view over the surrounding area, from low houses to similarly towering office skyscrapers. I had a unblock view far into the skies.
With a coffee table and a couch next to the ceiling to floor window, the plush king size bed was adjacent to it. Along a elephant soft toy and a packet of rice chips as a welcome amenity. On the left of bed, nearer to the entrance was a desk with many sockets and a nice ergonomics office chair to accompany it. Immediately behind it was a separately wardrobe and also the luggage area. The shear size of the room really made it comfy and spacious.
Something great about the room was the bottled water and fruits that they offered daily. Being a tropical countries they really showcase it by alternating the options with bananas, tangerine…… They even remember my request for more water and since then, the H2O sure isn’t lacking anymore. The toilet were decked out in white and brown marbles. Offering a bathtub in addition to an awesome walk in shower with impressive water pressure and also a rainforest shower. Did you guys know how much I love rainforest showers, they are simple that marvellous, just like taking a shower under the rain. It is also something that I can’t have in my daily life. The toilet also had windows that gives you come accompany while taking a soak. Conrad offers Aromatherapy Associates Refresh Collection bath amenities. They smell of spices and were really fitting for this location.
Besides the room, the other shear side of the hotel would be at the Executive Lounge. The offerings were simply divine. Besides the room, the lounge was the place that I spend most of the time. With an Executive room you would have access to the Lounge and the following amenities:
- Breakfast from 6am to 10.30am on Weekdays and 11am on Weekends
- Afternoon Tea from 2.30pm to 4.30pm
- Evening Cocktails and Canapes from 5.30pm to 7.30pm
- All day refreshment
- Unlimited Local Calls
- Complimentary Pressing of 3 Items
- Late Check Out till 4pm
- Complimentary usage of Meeting Room for 2 hours
I would first share on the breakfast offering. I had breakfast almost everyday in the lounge. You sure can’t deny having the first meal every morning over a cup of coffee and made to order eggs. The first impression you get was a bright lounge, although it surely were understaffed. Most of them were serving customers as well as working the desk with customers queries. The lounge seems to be okay on someday while on certain days it really does get packed. Then you will see many tables with dishes uncleared and left alone. The offering were pretty substantial for a lounge breakfast with many varied choices. From sausages to french toast and bacon. There were also an asian choice with stir fried noodles or rice and also steamed dim sum. Something worth pointing out were the made to order egg station where they would whip out fried eggs, omelettes and even poached eggs, all customized to your liking. You could even have muffins with poached eggs, just how I like it. Furthermore, the lounge has cream cheese and smoked salmon which were just so delightful. However the pastries offered were stale and disappointing.
I only had afternoon tea once, on the second last day of my stay since I was pretty tired and trying to relax in the hotel. I had an extremely delightful time in the lounge, catching up on some shows on my laptop with an iced cold green tea. The main issue about the lounge I had was the way they communicate the offering to the customers of their beverages. If you are there the first time, you won’t know the drink you could order from the staff since there isn’t any menu, neither was it made known to you by the staff. The afternoon tea was pretty chill, seemingly quiet throughout. They had cakes, fruits, some mini sandwiches. They highlight was obviously the warm scones that they had. They were a gem, paired together with clotted cream and jam.
The Evening Cocktails and Canapes was literally the most extravagant offering they had throughout the day and similarly it’s also the most crowded time for the lounge. I mean, how could you miss chuckling down cocktails after cocktails. First I shall touch on the canapes, actually, in fact it was just like a mini dinner buffet. There was hot snacks, such as satay, fried fish, dumplings. Then there was also a couple of cold bites, such as soba, sushi and even marinated snacks. They even had salad and cheese available. The gazapos was literally amazing. I especially love the watermelon one! Something that I would like to point out would be the alternating dishes they serve each night, there was at least some changes, unlike the breakfast which almost the same stuff would be served for everyday.
Then the drinks! I mean, who can resist the temptation of a free bar. There is something that I would like to touch on first! There was no information on the beverages that was served or the drinks you could order since you would presume that the only beverages offered would be the couple choices of wine they display in the buffet counter. In fact there is a cocktail list which you could get from the staff and also order soft drinks, juices, beer from them. The long island iced tea was the best, totally irresistible. I mean, 2 hours was practically too short for all the cocktails they had in the menu. Mai Tai, Mojito, Metropolitan, Manhattan, Martini. You name it! While the spread was pretty substantial, it is still not a substitute for a full dinner if you are hungry.
The hotel also had a pretty hype pool and spa area on the 7th floor. I walked past there once and there were many people enjoying the sun and water, you could even had a cocktails while dipping in the pool. Most of them were Westerners, with the Asians well thinking of the goods they could grab at the Platinum Fashion Mall. Part of the rate, there was a F&B credit in your account where you can use it at any of the hotels establishment. I rarely had the chance to use it. On the last day I just partially used it as the cafe to grab a smoothie and some cakes. Although the credit can’t be used towards the room service. The 25 USD F&B Credit was actually pretty redundant since had most of my in house meals at the Executive Lounge, sometimes even the Evening Cocktails with Canapes were a substantial substitutes for my dinner.
Furthermore, it was a flexible rate with only a one day cancellation policy. My only regrets was not making much more bookings before they cut the promotion earlier than stated. Even though the distance might be a concern, a good tip would be using the linkage among all the shopping malls in the stretch. This way you would be able to walk in comfort with air conditioning and also look at some stuff too. Next up, I will be covering on one of the best massage place in town. After all, Bangkok and Massage do goes along with each other.
Seeing The World In Steps 