Just wanted to give a quick update on The Siam... we checked in December 21st and were scheduled to leave after Christmas, but ultimately extended our stay as being there was simply sublime. I don't know how Nick does it, but one would think that during a pandemic and with Thailand opening and closing every other minute, the guest experience would suffer... quite to the contrary -- we've never had a better stay there. Although, yes, obviously they had a hard time, but won’t show it to a guest. Which says a lot.
They lost a few team members along the way but I saw so many familiar faces and all of them were so warm, kind and caring that you hardly want to leave the hotel. Yes, it is still really that good. Think it comes down to their butlers and very caring team at Chon. Cannot imagine The Siam without butlers and thankfully we don't have to.
We had a very late check-in at 10 PM and these night-time arrivals are always difficult -- not at The Siam, where Nick was still there and Khun Gub even insisted on starting unpacking at this hour. Of course, the entire villa set-up was sheer perfection. We had sent some luggage ahead of check-in at the hotel, including purchases and everything had already been set up. A dream.
So what's new? All of the villas are being refreshed, carefully so. They sensibly kept what was already great and enhanced some necessary aspects, all of the woodwork was touched up; new fabrics for the sofa; all cushions have been replaced including the ones on the daybed outside; the pools got new filtering systems and they also changed faucets in the bathroom including new, matte-black sinks (which are very sexy). The villas are supremely comfortable and there’s nothing better than spending the afternoons there, lounging between the sunroof and the private pool.
What hasn’t changed is their generosity, I would argue The Siam is actually really great value. From breakfast to their villa-only complimentary afternoon treats, the spirit of generosity is everywhere. The new breakfast at Chon (but they will serve it anywhere) is incredible, we tried a lot of the new breakfast dishes and they are all great. Loved the Smashed Avocado Toast and their new Acai Bowl. The Coconut Waffles are still on the menu and are still a favourite, though they are much more funky now with bacon and Dulce de Leche ice cream, which works astoundingly well. Off menu requests were always catered to, if they could and most of the time they could. Nothing was too much trouble. One night at 10 PM I felt like having Mango and Sticky Rice and as fate would have it, they ran out of mangos… in every other hotel, an alternative would have been suggested or the request would have been denied but clearly not at The Siam, where at 10 PM they sent out someone to pick up Mangos from a famous store and actually delivered shortly thereafter…
They also brought back the opening chef of hotel, Blair Mathieson, to work through all of the menus and revamp them. I love the results. They have already launched The Story House menu, which is currently available at Chon, until the proper venue is open in the old space of Café Cha. The menu is modern and old at the same time, in a good way. I love that they do their own food, no celebrity chef, no Japanese restaurant, think proper "home style“-cooked dishes, basically the essence of old Aman, but naturally to a very, very high standard. Sitting at Chon, I also noticed that all of the music had been revamped, so instead of old Thai music, they now play more atmospheric and modern sounds. It works. I was worried about the Thai menu as Chef Damri left to open up his own restaurant, but luckily it was still solid.
I was equally happy to see that Khun Oh is still reigning over the Spa. As good as ever and thankfully, Sodashi isn’t going anywhere. They still have both Sodashi treatments and their Ayurvedic menu, of which I tried a few treatments, such as Shirodhara. The Siam has a great flow and I think that really makes the experience, you can have a fantastic workout in their gym, including private Muay Thai lessons, have a Sodashi shower afterwards and proceed to one of the best Spas in the world. Then you cruise down the river on their custom boat. Bliss!
What makes The Siam so great is that it feels intimate, it’s anything but commercial, it’s home. Nick is everywhere and always connecting with his guests, as are the butlers, who still serve you in your villa or at any of the restaurants, whenever they can. One of their next projects, aside from a proper Story House launch, will be to revamp the gym with new equipment, they will soon open up the restyled Vinyl room and touch up the Spa I think. It’s hard to find faults — I am not sure if Bensley do their own lighting but they could really have a good look at the lighting throughout the hotel, some of the pendant lights in the villas have really cold, harsh light and the same is true for some of the recessed ceilings in the other buildings. With a great lighting designer, they could do so much more with the existing architecture, which would totally elevate the experience. But those are tiny details and right now, I just can’t wait to return.
For those wondering, the team's mind-reading abilities are still there, they remembered preferences from years ago. We mentioned once that we loved the banana chips they used to have -- four huge packs of them appeared shortly thereafter in the villa. Years ago we had pictures taken on-site, they contacted the photographer to obtain a picture from him, framed and gifted it us, along with a Christmas card.
Hopefully the closed border situation isn’t too hard on them. The Siam remains the top, top, top choice in Bangkok and Thailand. I am not the least bit interested in Aman’s Nai Lert project, considering the sheer excellence in Dusit, by the river.
We also stayed at the new FS Bangkok on this recent trip and dined at Capella and MO, so if anyone has questions, happy to answer them.
