Bangkok Food Trail

The hotel's website is .

It's rated a four-star hotel, but that was probably a long, long time ago. As we walked into the lobby, we could already smell the mustiness all around. Nonetheless, the service is of an acceptable standard and the room had basic amenities. The hotel is still using keys rather than keycards. And the key holders are REALLY HUGE and HEAVY so there's no way you'll lose them. There's no in-room safe but the hotel offer safe deposit boxes at the concierge.

It’s really a value-for-money hotel, and I guess its strongest point must be its direct connection to the Ratchathewee SKYTRAIN Station. All hotel guests are entitled to a discounted 1-day BTS pass, which gives you unlimited SKYTRAIN rides for 1 day. That comes in REALLY handy, especially since the Ratchathewee SKYTRAIN station is along the Sukhumvit Skytrain line, which gives you direct access to the major shopping centres and restaurants in Bangkok. We made full use of the day pass!

Our package included daily Breakfast buffet, which turned out to be rather limited. Certainly needs a lot of improvement.

The food is contemporary Mediterranean. It’s hugely popular with people from outside Thailand because the place is just so beautiful. Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures because no cameras were allowed. They also have a strict dress code - smart casual.

Being on a high floor and in the open air, the restaurant afforded us a clear view of the city and the Chao Phraya River. The food and service were excellent. If you're ordering a full-course meal, try not to eat too much from the bread basket. The first time we were there, we couldn't resist it and ate so much, we couldn't finish the rest of the meal. There's a dessert display in the middle of the restaurant. Try the chocolate crème brulee for dessert.

This is supposed to be THE Italian restaurant in Bangkok, so we went to check it out. Reservations are essential. We shared a platter of prosciutto with melon as appetiser. I had risotto with mushrooms for my main, while my partner had a spaghetti vongole (with clams). The best test is usually the simpler dishes, such as the latter. We found the pasta a little overcooked, perhaps adjusted for the local taste buds. I didn’t quite like my risotto because it was too sweet--for some reason, I tasted caramel in my risotto. All in all, we think the restaurant is overrated.

The published opening hours are from 7pm to 12am daily, but we found out from the stall owners that some stalls actually open as early as 3pm, and by 5pm, all are open.

The night bazaar is a lot smaller than the Chatuchak Weekend Market, but it's a better choice for those who don't like the heat and stuffiness of the weekend market. Some of the stalls also operate at the weekend market. We were told that the best days to go are Fridays because that's when new stock arrives in preparation for the weekend for those stall owners who also sell there.

We enjoyed shopping there because there was a lot more on offer than in the sterile shopping malls.

It can be reached by the MRT (underground train). Get out at Lumphini Station. There are signs to the market once you are past the gates in the station.

From the Bangkok International Airport, we hired a taxi from Travel East Co., which cost us THB700. The taxi came in the form of a pretty new Toyota Camry. The ride was really smooth.

For the trip from the hotel to the airport, we decided to take a metered taxi. The taxi was rather old and not as comfortable, but the fare came up to only THB140! There wasn’t even a surcharge.