My Comfy and Suite Stays in Bangkok

I was recently back in Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Leadership Conference of various Habitat for Humanity offices in the region.

Yes, it’s back to business trips for me. Not that I abhor going abroad for work. There were certainly some perks, like fewer expenses. Yet, most of the time, days were spent cooped inside the hotel, not gallivanting the streets of the place you visit.

Which is why it is important that the venue of such business trips are comfortable enough to enjoy while working. For this occasion, we stayed at Rembrandt Hotel. The hotel is accessible to the BTS station and there were several little restaurants nearby where we could hang out and spend the night after a whole day of discussions. Let me tell you of these restaurants on my next blog.

Meanwhile, Rembrandt had a wonderful staff and the rooms were quite spacious. I love the welcome fruits that awaited us in our rooms. The TV set was also very advanced as we could receive messages from the front desk through our TV. And we could check the amenities of the hotel there as well.

Buffet breakfast and lunch don’t have much variety. I didn’t mind as I always dig into the fruit table, where there were small write-ups on the benefits of each fruit. Their cafe was quite small. I did like their Mexican restaurant though, with its Latino live music each night.

The view from my hotel room was magnificent. As I looked at the Bangkok skyline and the nearby rooftops with swimming pools, I felt a certain deja vu, as if I have seen the same view not so long ago.

I wasn’t mistaken. Because at the back of Rembrandt Hotel, at the next street, is where Windsor Hotel is located. As we walked along Soi 20, we passed by Windsor Hotel and I recalled my stay here in November 2010.

I stayed there all by myself in a huge suite. The suite even has a window to the hallway. The suite had a mini-bar, a working desk and living room. Before I could enter my large bedroom, there was also an expansive bathroom with its usual amenities –  tub, hair dryer, toiletries, shower, etc. Too bad I only stayed for two nights at Windsor. I would have loved to enjoy all the perks the suite can offer.

But I wasn’t disappointed when I got back to Bangkok after a short trip to Chiang Mai last year. I was billeted at the Anantara Bangkok Serviced Suites.

That was the suite life. I never wanted to go home after I stayed there. The suite was complete with living room, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. The kitchen was even fully furnished! The other blogger who stayed there even took liberty cooking in his own suite. What was even cuter was the little fish that was swimming in the small aquarium installed on my dining table.

My suite there was overlooking a park and man-made lagoon. It was so serene in the morning. The electronic appliances were also advanced as I enjoyed mood music while working on my blogs.

Anantara was also close to the BTS station and the city’s main shopping and business areas. Anantara Baan Rajprasong Serviced Suites, as they call it, boasts of 97 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Mine was a one-bedroom apartment. There was even a terrace where I could hang out and just enjoy watching the sunset.

Within Anantara was the Terrazz Cafe which is an all-day dining room on the ground floor. Whenever I take the elevator going to the lobby, I was presented with the enticing view of the pool which has a man-made waterfall.

Someday, I hope I’d be able to enjoy more of the suite life in other cosmopolitan cities.