Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Review
- brittanypanter
- 2016年1月15日
- 讀畢需時 3 分鐘
Photo: Hotel exterior, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
As we step foot into the hotel’s lobby it’s immediately evident that the Mandarin Oriental is one of Bangkok’s most luxurious (and likely priciest) hotels. And when you can lay claim to being the oldest hotel in the city and having homed some very famous writers, including Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham, you understand why the hotel's moniker, the Grand Dame of Bangkok, has stuck.
Photo: Hotel lobby, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Traditional Thai design and contemporary touches are woven together here while the Mandarin Oriental stays true to its historic roots, which were first embedded in the city in 1876 when it opened its doors as The Oriental Bangkok.
Photo: Delux room, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
The attentive service the hotel is known for presents itself as soon as we approached the check-in desk. A quick exchange of passports and luggage for a floral garland and we were whisked up to the 12th floor for our in-room check-in and room introduction. The hotel offers 393 rooms and suites spread across three wings: the 16-story River Wing; the Old Wing, also known as the Authors’ Wing; and the Garden Wing. The latter two are currently undergoing renovations to restore them to their original splendor and should be completed by the end of this month.
Photo: Floor butler, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
We stayed in a deluxe room which was served by a personal butler. Located on the higher floors of the hotel’s River Wing, the room afforded fantastic views of the river and neighboring historic buildings. Elegantly appointed with teak furniture and silk, the rooms were classy and modern with a passing nod to Thailand. The spacious bathroom came with the hotel’s own branded amenities, which included the ever-important talc powder (not something you see everywhere these days). Our butler, who sat at a station off the elevator, was incredibly attentive and personable throughout our stay, addressing us by name and ensuring we never even had to unlock our own door.
Photo: Sala Rim Naam, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
The hotel’s eight dining outlets include French fine dining restaurant Le Normandie; The China House, which serves up Chinese cuisine in a stunning Shanghai-inspired Art Deco interior; seafood restaurant Lord Jim’s; The Verandah coffee shop; the Riverside Terrace, an international all-day dining restaurant; Thai restaurant Terrace Rim Naam; Ciao Terraza, classic Italian; the Authors’ Lounge; and The Bamboo Bar. If you only have one night in Bangkok (cue the song) we recommend Sala Rim Naam for an authentic Thai meal accompanied by traditional dancing then The Bamboo Bar for a nightcap or two.
Stay tuned to read more about our dining experiences.
Photo: Spa at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
After a long day enjoying the sights of Bangkok, check out one of two outdoor pools or the Oriental Spa, which is across the river (the hotel’s fleet of boats ferry guests across) along with the gym, tennis and squash courts, a jogging track and fitness center which offers daily fitness classes. The spa is home to 15 treatment rooms and suites along with and yoga and meditation rooms.
Photo: Riverside dining at Riverside Terrace
Of course Bangkok has no shortage of luxury hotels, The Peninsula sits just across the river in fact, but the selling point of the Mandarin Oriental is the 140-year history. You don’t have to have an overactive imagination to see yourself transported back in time here. A lavish meal enjoyed at Riverside Terrace on the banks of the Chao Phraya River will take Bond fans back to the 70s when he sat on this very terrace in “The Man With the Golden Gun” (although Foo Yuk isn’t on the menu). In the lobby, as the shades descend along with the late afternoon sun, the silhouettes of diners enjoying the last morsel from their afternoon tea cast shadows over the brilliant orange backdrop, a sun under which Maugham was perhaps inspired to write “The Gentleman in the Parlour”. In the evenings, The Bamboo Bar will transport you to the mid-twentieth century when Bangkok’s well-to-do denizens flocked to the bar to sip and socialize alongside the likes of Louis Armstrong, Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn.
Photo: Pool at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
By the end of January, the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is scheduled to have completed the final stage of its ongoing renovations, and with late winter temperatures in the city hovering around 28C, it is an ideal time to visit.
