Dr. HFH

I believe that it's room 5407. One of my friends stayed in it while I was there; although I did not see the interior.

Just finishing up a delightful three days here. Some observations:

The physical plant is gorgeous. The first impression of the large open air lobby with very high ceilings is one of airiness and calm. Ample smiling staff were present to deal with bags and provide cool drinks during the checkin process, which takes place sitting at a normal desk, as opposed to standing at a checkin desk. Smiling and friendly checkin agent explained the hotel a bit as well as PLT benefits. All paperwork was in order on arrival.

The grounds, too, are beautiful. While I was there, I saw from my room a wedding setup on one of the lawns. It was just perfect, -- romantic, shaded by large trees and beautiful. Given the grounds, pool and some interesting sightseeing in the general local area, I can imagine that this would be a great location for a laid-back destination wedding.

The omnipresent General Manager, Mr. Murali Viswanathan, was in the lobby area while we were checking in and welcomed us personally. He’s a lovely and gregarious man with both a quick mind and quick wit. (I know him from his previous position in Starwood.)

The guest rooms are situated in a series of long, four story buildings spread throughout the property and connected by walkways. I used SNAs and was upgraded to the Grand Deluxe Wing and thus can comment only about that. (I believe that the PLT upgrade percentage is pretty good here; but I wanted to increase my chances on this particular visit.) The room was quite large, almost too large, with very high ceilings. Off the entrance hallway is a large, walk-in closet with lots of space as well as a tall hanging rod and a shorter one, plus a platform for suitcases. Opposite, on the other side of the entrance hallway, is the bathroom, with a tub in the main part of the room, along with separate sub-rooms for shower and toilet. The shower is quite large, would fit 2-3 people comfortably, and is equipped with a regular shower head on a hose and mounted on the wall as well as a rain head. Standard LM brand toiletries (which I happen to quite like).

The room has a large balcony equipped with a large, padded lounger as well as a chair or two. The balcony looks out on the pool area. Everything in the room worked as it was supposed to, except....

Returned one afternoon to find a puddle in the front hall. It obviously came from the air conditioning unit in the ceiling above that space. I asked for assistance from the front desk; and two gentlemen from engineering came quickly with towels and a tall ladder. They opened up the ceiling and fixed the problem quickly. 10-15 minutes later someone from management called to make sure that the repair was completed to my satisfaction. This is exactly how it should have been handled. Problems occur; but it’s how the hotel handles them that is really telling.

There is a pretty good sized flat screen TV mounted on the wall opposite the bed. Viewing options were limited during my visit as H.M. King Bhumibol had just died; and all programming was pre-empted by coverage of this sad event.

The pool is large and beautiful. It’s a multi-tiered infinity-edged pool with three levels going down to the adjacent river level. There are comfortable lounges in pairs generously spaced around the pool; you never felt crowded. While I was at the pool, there were always two staff members standing discreetly off to one side watching to see if anyone needed anything. If you looked up to try to catch their attention, one of them came right over with a menu, a smile and a pleasant greeting. If memory serves me correctly, the top tier of the pool is not as deep, and thus more suitable for children.

PLT happy hour benefit is 50% off drinks in Latitude 19 Bar.

One of this hotel’s great strengths is its staff. With only one exception that I noticed, all staff members were sufficiently fluent in English to understand and be understood in a hotel context. They are genuinely friendly, too (with the same exception)! Pass a staff member anywhere in the hotel and you’ll invariably get a smile and a greeting. Ask any of them for assistance and they will be pleased to assist, regardless of your specific request and their position or job. These people seem genuinely happy in their work.

The only area I found which could use some improvement is food. We ate dinner in both Latest Recipe and Favola, and breakfast in Latest Recipe. While there was nothing particularly wrong with any of the food, I would describe it as uninspired. Note that there are both indoor and outdoor tables at Latest Recipe. An outdoor table on the balcony makes for a very pleasant breakfast experience.

There’s a small village only five minutes’ walk down the street (turn right as you exit the driveway) with some good restaurant options. In particular, I recommend Lulum for authentic Issan food. I believe that there’s also a Chinese restaurant, but I’ve never eaten there.

One interesting note was that I was speaking one afternoon with Mr. Viswanathan and I mentioned that the hotel seemed nearly empty. I wondered aloud what plans he had to increase occupancy. He replied that at that moment, the hotel was 80% full! During my visit, the hotel was always both quiet and peaceful. Even in the late afternoon, when tourists return from sightseeing and business visitors from work, with 20-30 people or more in and around the pool, it didn’t seem crowded or noisy at all. Nor did the staff seem at all overwhelmed, harried or frantic. Service was consistently relaxed and smiling.

This is a great resort hotel. It’s definitely low key, -- calm, peaceful and relaxing. The beautiful and spacious grounds, low-rise design and expansive pool all contribute to a feeling of calmness which I really liked. I would definitely classify this property as a solid five star resort.

And it’s a bargain, too. Just checked a random week next March (2017), -- THB 3,040++/night, or USD $86++/night, for a seven night stay.