J.W. Marriott Resort & Spa

It is possible to escape from the noise of the city.  All you have to do is stay at the Marriot.  It's located on the western side of the river, a couple of kilometres downstream from other hotels such as the Oriental and Peninsula.  The big difference is that the Marriott is a low rise development in lush gardens.  You wont feel like you're staying in the middle of a polluted city.

The hotel runs their own private shuttle boats to Sathorn bridge skytrain station, so getting in to the city centre is a fun trip in itself.  From this ferry pier you can also get a regular boat north up to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho etc.

The hotel has all the amenities you'd expect a luxury resort to have but for only US$100 a night.  If you like to travel in style but aren't looking forward to the prospect of having to stay in a soulless concrete  block in the city centre then look no further.   Food wise, you get franchises of well known theme restaurants - 'Trader Vic's' does great cocktails and at 'Benihana' Japanese food show. The hotel also runs it's own converted wooden rice barges which do evening dinner cruises  - well worth doing, even if you're not staying here. 

 

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The Davis, Sukhumvit

Probably the best of the new breed of boutique hotels that have sprung up.  Attention to detail, excellent architecture, tasteful, rather than tacky decor (rare in Thai hotels) all add up to making this a good option if you've grown sick of having every hotel room you stay in appear identical.

The background to this hotel is also pretty interesting, it's owned by a guy who for years was the massage parlour king of Bangkok.  He later went straight, selling his massage parlours last year, declaring war on the police - who he had been paying off for years and getting himself elected to parliament in February 2005.  He's a very colourful character, but one thing he insists on doing is that when he builds something, it's done properly and extremely  professionally.  The Davis is no exception, I met up with a guy who was staying there last year and took a look around and the place is beautiful. 

In addition to the individually styled regular rooms, the Thai style pavilion rooms would be great for a honeymoon or special occassion. The location isn't ideal as it's not within easy walking distance of the skytrain but with rooms for under US$100 a night this is another bargain stay if you're looking for luxury and individuality.

 

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The Dusit Thani, Silom

The Dusit Thani started life as the city centre's first luxury hotel.  For a while it was even the tallest building in Bangkok.  despite being around 30 years old, it is still as good as a 5 star hotel as you will find in Bangkok.  Possibly a bit old fashioned and staid compared to trendier resort style hotels or boutique places such as the two already mentioned on this page.  However, if you're looking for the epitome of Thai service with a smile, and  aplace where afternoon tea can still be had coupled with a room looking out onto Lumpini Park and a subway station right outside the main entrance then make you're booking here.  The shopping malls and nightly street markets of Silom Road are just around the corner, literally 5 minutes walk away.  The Oriental is possibly the main rival when it comes to old style luxury, but the cheapest rooms there are almost double the US$110 a night the Dusit Thani charges.  Unless you really must stay at The Oriental then why pay more?

Restaurant wise, the in-house French restaurant comes from guys who run a Michelin 3 star restaurant in Paris, so it'll come as no surprise to learn that most foodies rate it as the best in town.  Likewise, Hamilton's steak restaurant is as good as you're going to get in Bangkok.

The lobby and rooms were refurbished and modernised a year or so ago to make them a bit more high tech and brighter, they were a bit dark and dingy - a relic from the dark wood & dark furnishings fad of the late 80s.  The small bakery and cake shop on the ground floor is recommended, they do great take out salads, sandwiches etc.  Get your food here, cross the road and have  a picnic by the lake in the park. 

  

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