hyatt_otaku

Day 1

We just got back from a whirlwind 4 night trip to Bangkok. Finally my plan to take Fridays and Tuesdays off so that when a Monday public holiday comes around I get a 5 day weekend comes to fruition. . That’s what I get for living in Japan I suppose.
I wanted to try as many different hotels as possible this time but as my username suggests I do have a psychological need to make my first stop out of the airport to the Grand Hyatt Erawan. It has kind of become a tradition that I stay there at least the first night of any stay in Thailand and it is definitely one of my favorite hotels in Bangkok.
This was my first time in Bangkok in 2 and a half years, but as I was walking in the doors and through the opulent lobby, we were approached by a member of staff who greeted me by name!! Do they take secret photos at check-in and keep them on file, in order to study who will be arriving each day at some 5 star hotels? If not, how do they do it? I’m not handsome enough to be remembered (and I certainly hope I’m not ugly enough to be remembered either). I’m only a Gold Passport Platinum member too, not a diamond.

While checking in I was handed a Hyatt polo shirt as a gift and asked if I still wanted them to screen my calls. Last time I was here it was to get a divorce, hence the screening of calls. I know that it was just a note in a file but I still felt special that they “remembered”. Silly I know but I can’t help it.
This was the second time I’ve been given a shirt, though the first one, several years ago didn’t have a collar. It seems they have gifts for returning guests every 2 or 3 stays. I’ve previously received a keychain, with the 3 headed Erawan shrine elephant (which I use to this day) and I think I received other gifts too but I can’t remember what they were now

We were shown to room 922 at the front of the hotel overlooking the BTS skytrain, racetrack and a view of the pool. There was the usual bowl with maybe 3 green apples in the room, which for some reason were swiftly replaced by several mangosteen. These were in turn swiftly consumed by my traveling companion, barely leaving one for me.

Lunch was by the pool, where I ordered the obligatory Fish & Chips (yes, I kind of have my Hyatt rituals). It was as good as expected. Not much to report there.
The pool is big and nice, but it is a “free form” pool, so if you want to do laps, you need to find the longest point in the middle. I guess it would be difficult to do laps if there were more people there. As it was low season there was hardly anyone by the pool so the staff didn’t have much to do. I wanted to take a photo over the wall looking down onto Erawan shrine and foolishly asked the staff member stationed at the pool if I could step behind the shrubbery and take a pic over the side. He wasn’t having any of it and told me I should contact the PR department if I wanted to take any of those kinds of photos. Looking back, I don’t know why I asked; I should have just went over and snapped one I suppose. It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission right?

Later I followed the path that leads from the pool and goes along the front-side of the hotel which faces Rajadamri Road and takes you to several of the i.Sawan villas, which I have never seen occupied btw.

Hidden amongst the villas, I found this little statue, right before the doors that lead into the fitness facilities and spa. I went inside and was wandering around and about to take a photo of the ceiling to floor glass paneled towel cabinet when I was told that I wasn’t supposed to be taking photos in there and that I should contact the PR guy if I wanted to. That PR guy must be really busy…

hyatt_otaku

After the grand Hyatt Erawan, the lobby of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit was pretty small and crowded. We arrived at about 2 pm and it took a couple of minutes for us to be attended to. The concierge eventually checked us in, and he took us to our room with a view of Sukhumvit, a Deluxe King and showed us around.

There was a nice sized walk in closet, and a good sized bathroom with separate bath and shower. While the facilities were fine, I thought the green tiles were quite unattractive and made the bathroom look dated.


There were a number of laundry pieces included in our room rate, which we sent off right away. They hadn’t been returned by midday the next day when we were to checkout so I called the front desk and they said they would chase it up. They couldn’t locate our items so they asked where we were heading next, so I gave them the name and address of the hotel over on Ratchada, near Hollywood and RCA. The concierge who checked us in the previous day came over and said that he lived not far from Ratchada and that he would drop them off on his way home, which he (or someone) did later that afternoon while we were out. Lucky we were still in Bangkok and not traveling elsewhere in Thailand, or even worse, if we were leaving the country that day. I wonder what would have happened if that was the case?

The pool at the Sheraton Grande is a marvelous meandering free form that twists and turns beneath a jungle of tropical vegetation with little nooks and islands upon which sun lounges are placed, great for relaxing in the shade while reading a book or hiding in a little poolside sanctuary (if you get there early enough to grab one of the little nooks). Not so great however for working on a tan or swimming laps.


There is also a Sala bar by the pool where you can sit back and relax against those triangular Thai pillows and sip cocktails or juice and also order some snacks. It’s not a swim-up bar, but you can sit right by the pool at one of the tables set up there. The Sala bar also serves as one of the choices for breakfast (on weekends), along with the Orchid café in the lobby. While it’s nice to sit outside in the morning amongst the trees by the pool, the choice is not as great as the buffet available at the Orchid Café. Breakfast at the Sala mainly consists of cereals, breads and cheeses, along with other uncooked fare, however you can order eggs and bacon and other cooked foods, which they will bring from one of the other restaurants’ kitchens. I don’t like eggs and I like to fill my plate up with sausages, bacon, hashed potatoes and baked beans so while I wanted to site outside, we opted for the buffet in the lobby.

After breakfast we made a beeline for the pools we could relax before checking out and because it was low season and probably also because it was early (before 10am) we were able to grab 1the 2 sun lounges in the most isolated spot that we had spied the day before. It was kind of like having our own private pool because you have to swim around a corner in the pool to get to the end where we were and when you get there it’s just us sitting looking at you, so most people didn’t venture that far forward and mostly left us alone.

I was shown around the hotel and taken up to one of the suites. Below are some photos of the the outdoor area of one of the suites. If you go past the table there and look down over the fence, it looks down onto the pool area, above the Sala Bar.

sobore

I agree, it's nice when the property is being proactive and looking out for you.

Nice report!

camsean

The issue with the laundry is pretty crappy indeed.

hyatt_otaku

Next up was the 4 star Amanta Ratchada serviced apartments, over on Ratchada near MCA.

We found the rooms quite pleasant. I liked the hardwood floors and the bathroom with the windows into the bedroom, with horizontal wooden blinds. However if I lived here (about 60% of the apartments are occupied by long term residents) I don’t know how long it would be before I got sick of reaching over the bathtub to open and close the blinds every time I wanted to go to the toilet. I’d probably just leave them closed the whole time.



The wireless internet connection was good, working strong and fast in the rooms as well as outside by the pool, where breakfast is served. The apartments had 2 TVs, one in the living room and another in the bedroom. You could probably adjust the TV in the bedroom so that you could watch it while you were taking a bath, but I didn’t try it.

Speaking of the bathroom, one thing that I really liked was a large rubber head/neck rest attached (by suction cups) to the bath so that you can really lay back and relax. It would probably also be appreciated if you wanted to take a bath and not get your hair wet.



The pool is long and wide, but not very deep, (1.2 meters) and there was also a shallow children’s pool at one end. As this is a serviced apartment and not a resort there is no pampering going on poolside. There are a few, but not many poolside lounges and if you want a pool towel you have to either bring your own or go to the gym and sign one out. The towels were a little on the small side and a bit raggedy, but not unusable. The poolside chaise lounges were also a little weather worn.



There is a fitness center overlooking the pool with a friendly attendant who approached me at the pool and asked if I wanted to use the steam room. I didn’t really want to but found it hard to say no as he was obviously trying very hard to be nice. The steam room was nice enough (as steam rooms go I suppose) and there are a couple of showers and nice new locker area.



The Amanta Ratchada is on Ratchapisek Road and easily accessible by MRT subway. In fact the Thailand Cultural Centre subway station is only a 3 minute walk away, and in turn, only 3 stations from Asok where the subway and Skytrain stations meet.

Coming back to the hotel at night by taxi was a bit of a problem for us as the address written on the back of the room key-card is kind of weird and inaccurate. The Amanta is on Soi 5 on Ratchadapisek Road but there is no mention of the Soi number on the card, only the lot number, 77-88. Without Soi 5 written on the card, it looks like the address is 77, Soi 88 Ratchdapisek, but taxi drivers will refuse to take you because there is no Soi 88. You are best to get an address card from the front desk before venturing out and not use the room key card as reference.

Nearby the apartments there are a number of malls and supermarkets and movie theatres within walking distance. Hollywood nightlife complex is also just up the road a little as is RCA, a popular night spot for young Thais. The areas is not a tourist spot so once when we were looking for help with directions we had trouble getting any help as nobody spoke any English in the area near the hotel, a big contrast from more touristy places.



Overall the rooms were pleasantly furnished, large, modern and clean. The area was a little bit further from the usual places travelers stay in but public transportation was very close by. Also, the price was fantastic, we paid USD80 for a night which I think was great value.

abk

not true. they checked in at 2 pm and in that hotel as in many laundry sent at that time will be returned by 6 pm the following day. i know for a fact that is true at that hotel unless you want to pay for express service and it is clearly detailed on the laundry work sheet.

zboub345

nice TR but when will you post the 4th stay??