Bangkok hotels with the best views of NYE fireworks displays is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

Best Bangkok NYE fireworks views

All the photos on this page were taken on New Years Eve last year from the Lebua at State Tower Hotel, which was featured in The Hangover 2. I also used one of these photos for my December 2011 desktop calendar wallpaper.

While the views from the balconies of the Lebua Club rooms in the 63 story hotel are spectacular, Lebua isn’t the only Bangkok hotel which offers fantastic views of the NYE fireworks display over the Chao Phraya River.

Bangkok has plenty of riverside hotels (a full list of Bangkok riverside hotels can be found here), however not all of them are in an optimal position to view the fireworks display.

While the Lebua is not literally on the waterfront, but a block or two back, the height and the large open air balconies offer truly spectacular views of the whole river as well as the revelers in the surrounding areas. This hotel would be one of my top recommendations for New Years Eve.

Other popular hotels right on the river include The Shangri-La, The Penninsula Bangkok, and the Mandarin Oriental.

A little further up the river is the Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel. If you are going to stay here on New Years Eve I would recommend reserving one of the Executive Plus Suites, as these are located at the front of the hotel overlooking the river. While regular rooms on the downriver side of the hotel will also have great views of the fireworks, if you get a room on the opposite side of the hotel, facing upstream, you won’t be able to see anything.

Another great hotel from which to view the fireworks in Bangkok on New Years Eve is the lesser known Chatrium Suites. The spacious rooms here, like the Lebua at State Tower, feature large open balconies from which you can view the fireworks. In fact, I think the balconies here are better as the balcony guard rail is lower and made of glass, as opposed to the Lebua, which has tall concrete balustrades, which can make it a little difficult for children, or people in a wheelchair to see down to the river.

You can read my review of Chatrium Suites here.

Have been in Bangkok on New Years Eve? Do you have any recommendations for great spots to catch the Bangkok NYE fireworks show? Let us know by sharing below.

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Lebua at State Tower hotel review is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

After being featured in the Hollywood summer blockbuster The Hangover 2 which was released a couple of weeks ago, The Lebua at State Tower Hotel, and it’s rooftop restaurant and bar have been receiving a lot of attention from around the world. This blog alone has seen a 300% increase in visitors looking for info on the hotels appearing in the movie.

The panoramic views of Bangkok were one of the reasons that the property was chosen by location scouts to appear in the movie. The breathtaking views however are not restricted to the open-air rooftop venues, but also captivate guests from the private balconies of the 357 lavish suites which go all the way up to the 59th floor of Bangkok’s second tallest building.

We recently had the opportunity to stay in one of the Tower Club Suites, which are located on floors 51 to 59 of the Lebua complex. This review and the photos within are of the Tower Club Suites.

Tower Club Suites

Tower club suites are long and spacious, as you can see from the photo below and at the top of this post. Upon entering there is a living room/area with a two person sofa, a lounge chair, two coffee tables as well as another armchair with a side table.

Proceeding further into the room there is a small kitchenette, with two hotplates, a microwave oven, a coffee maker, a hot water pot, various teas and coffees, cups, glasses and a sink. There is also a refrigerator stocked with four cans each of Coca Cola, Sprite and jasmine tea.

Past the kitchenette, you enter into the bedroom area with big glass sliding doors that open out onto large open air balconies- once you sign the waiver agreeing not to throw anything over the edge, and indemnify the hotel from any losses or damages, that is. If you don’t sign the agreement, the balcony doors will remain tightly locked. You really should agree, as the views are truly spectacular.

Beside the bed is a divan couch, from where you can watch the flat screen TV if you don’t want to mess up the bed before you sink into it to sleep at night. There is also a DVD player under the TV, and work desk with office chair beside it.

Bathroom

One of the biggest surprises in the Tower Club Suite was waiting in the bathroom, namely bathroom amenities from Italian luxury brand Bvlgari. Soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, all scented with the unisex Bvlgari perfume, Au the Rouge.

Pool

There is quite a large pool which is certainly long enough to do laps, and there is also a large, shallow circular pool which is good for children to play in. Unfortunately, most of the sun-catching deck chairs are placed around and quite close to this shallow pool, so if there are kids splashing about in it, you will have a front row seat to all the action. On the other hand, if you are a parent with young children, this would be a convenient area to base yourselves.

Lebua at State Tower is part of Lebua Hotels and Resorts, a local Thai company, and the pride that the staff take in this fact is apparent from the moment you are greeted at the door.

Dining

Lebua is probably more famous in Bangkok for its exquisite selection of restaurants and bars at The Dome, perched on top of the second tallest skyscraper in Thailand. This is where you come if you want to feel like you are living the high-life while you are in Bangkok.

Sirocco is the world’s highest open air Al Fresco restauarant, located on the rooftop on the 63rd floor. Skybar is also on the 63rd floor and both the restauarnt and bar offer unparalelled views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River. Expect prices to match the altitude here, especially during special events like New Years Eve, where tickets are about USD800 per person.

Check rates for Lebua at State Tower on Agoda

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Millennium Hilton Bangkok Review is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

The Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel has towered over the Chao Phraya River skyline like a beacon since opening in May 2006, offering spectacular views from every room in the hotel. The rooftop pool and fitness facilities are amazing, and guests have a great choice of dining options, including a sun drenched  buffet breakfast right on the riverside.

Rooms

Deluxe  Rooms

Executive Rooms

Though the Deluxe and Executive rooms are both the same size at 34 square meters, there are two main differences. While the deluxe rooms have a more traditional layout, in the executive rooms, the bed has been turned so that the foot of the bed is facing the window, offering breathtaking views of the river from both sides of the bed. If you like to read a book in bed before going to sleep, you may not get very far, as the view of the night skyline, and the boats plowing up and down the Chao Phraya River may be too distracting.

Being an executive room, a larger workspace is provided, and this is accomplished by placing it behind the head of the bed. The work desk is quite wide with plenty of room for your laptop and files.

Behind the work desk and ergonomic chair, the bathroom wall has been knocked out and a floor to ceiling glass window has replaced it, providing natural sunlight into the bathroom, and making the room look and feel larger. Wooden venetian blinds provide privacy when the bathroom is in use.

Guests staying in the Executive Rooms are afforded access to the Executive Lounge on the 31st floor with free wifi, soft drinks all day and cocktails, beer and hors d’oeuvres in the evening. One thing that I particularly liked about the Executive Lounge at the Millennium Hilton was that there is an outdoor section where you can enjoy the sunset in the evening breeze from high above the city. Not many executive lounges, in Bangkok anyway, offer an outdoor section and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this one.

If I must find something that could be improved upon it would have to be the size and age of the televisions in the deluxe and executive rooms. Flat screen TVs are pretty much standard in 5 star hotels in Bangkok nowadays, but not in the deluxe and executive rooms at the Millennium Hilton, which is a shame because I don’t think I can remember the last time I saw a TV in any 5 star hotel in Thailand that wasn’t a flat screen. Even four star hotels like Amanta Ratchada have plasma TVs with bigger screens than the ones I saw in the non-suite rooms here.

Suites

Suites at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok hotel are located on the four corners of each floor. There are 32 Executive Suites and 43 Executive Plus suites, which are positioned on the two corners of the hotel facing the river. Having said that, even the city view Executive Suites have views of the river as the Millennium Hilton is on a bend in the Chao Phraya River.

The work area in the suites is more like a little office with a full sized desk, with 2 chairs, free standing desk lamp, coffee maker and CD player/stereo with remote control.

There are two flat screen TVs mounted on the walls of the suite, one in the living room (also viewable from the work area) and one in the bedroom.

Pool

Before visiting the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, one of the things I was most excited about was the pool. I had seen many photos of the rooftop pool area with the pool-side lounge-chairs placed in the water, and the view of the Bangkok skyline over the edges of the infinity pool.

What I didn’t know, as none of the pictures online showed it, was if there was a place where one could do laps. From what I could see online, it didn’t look like you could. However as you can see from the picture above, there is in fact a rectangular section of the pool that is both long enough and deep enough to get some exercise in.

There is also a play area for children and a “beach” area with imported sand from Australia, which offers semi-private, partitioned areas for relaxing.

If you are really looking for privacy though, you need to head over to the other side of the pool to an area that many guests never know exists.

Behind the pool area, around the side of the hotel you will find, discreetly hidden away amongst shrubs and greenery, three private jacuzzis, with reclining lounges for two people. The little alcoves get plenty of sun and offer wonderful views down the Chao Phraya River. You cannot reserve these little gems so it is first in, first served.

Dining

Flow is open all day and is huge. You can start the day with a lavish variety of food at the breakfast buffet, and choose to eat it outside by the river on the terrace, or inside where it is a little cooler.

We had quite an interesting and unique experience on the night of our stay at Maya, where a 15 course Tapas style Thai cuisine feast was served while we were being entertained by a contemporary Thai dance and theatrical performance.  The food was great, and though the portions were small, we were full by the end of the meal.

There is also Chinese restaurant, Yuan,  on site as well as Prime, an upscale steakhouse with an impressive wine list which is definitely on my “comeback to” list for the near future.

Have you stayed at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel? Do you agree with my assessment or do you think I missed something? Please feel free to leave any comments you may have below.

All photos © 2011 ReserveThaiHotels, except top image, which was taken by blink+

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Chatrium Suites Bangkok Review is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

The very first hotel I ever stayed at in Thailand was the Menam Riverside Hotel, about nine years ago. While the rooms were a little faded and the elevators were the slowest I have ever seen, the breakfast outside by the river terrace was quite memorable.

While planning a new round of hotel reviews late last year it struck me that I hadn’t stayed at any Bangkok riverside hotels since that inaugural visit to Bangkok all those years ago. With that in mind we decided on two riverside hotels, Chatrium Suites Bangkok and the Millennium Hilton Bangkok (Hilton review coming next week.)

Arrival

Chatrium Suites is a Dusit Thani partner hotel and is part of a complex of three buildings about five minutes away by taxi or boat from Saphan Taksin pier. The two other buildings are residences.  The suites are located in the third building in the complex, closest to the river, so if you arrive by taxi, tell the driver to drive right through to the end.

Upon arrival we were shown to an area in the lobby and seated while the front desk staff were taking care of some people checking out. It didn’t look too busy, but we were seated there waiting around the corner, out of sight of anyone for about 15 minutes. We felt like they had forgotten about us.

Rooms

When we got to our room, a Grand Suite 1 Bedroom City View, the first thing we did was head for the generously sized balcony, equipped with table and 2 chairs, and featuring a magnificent view of the Chao Phraya River. The view only got better as the day went on, culminating in the sunset view you see below.

Inside, the rooms were spacious, clean and appointed with modern furniture. There were two TVs, one in the living room and one in the bedroom.  Both TVs were flatscreen, however the one in the living seems a little small for the size of the room. Below the TV there was an audio component which plays CDs and had an audio jack, but I couldn’t get my iPod to play any music through the speakers.

The kitchenette featured a full sized refrigerator, an oven, a 2 hotplate counter-top stove, a sink and tea & coffee maker.

The bedroom was situated on a corner and the windows were floor to ceiling. You can open the curtains to fill the bedroom with natural light and enjoy the expansive river views, as seen in the photo at the top of this post.

While we stayed in a one bedroom suite, I did also take a look at one of the regular Grand City View rooms which also has a kitchenette and the same sweeping views as the one and two bedroom suites.

Bathroom

As seems to be a trend in hotels recently, the bathroom looks out into the bedroom, with wooden venetian blinds providing privacy. Just after taking the photos of the sunset that you see in this review, I jumped in the shower as I was late for a dinner appointment.

If you can, try to take a shower at sunset. With the venetian blinds open and the sunset shining in through the windows, it was a fantastic feeling.

I do however feel that I must bring up something that I think needs to be addressed by the management of Chatrium Suites.

While the tiles and the blinds in the bathroom are nice, I really think that a little more care/thought needs to be put into the bathroom setup, for a couple of reasons.

As you can see from the picture here, the soap holder in the shower is not only broken, but rusty as well. It is not very safe. Also the soap provided at Chatrium is the tiny little mini-soap bars, which fall straight through the steel bars of the holder, even if the holder wasn’t broken.

I really didn’t want to bring this up, but felt that the review would be dishonest if I didn’t.

Pool

The swimming pool at Chatrium Suites offers a number of features that are a rare find at Bangkok hotels.

People that like to swim laps to keep fit will appreciate the long pool with four lanes marked at the bottom. There are also two other pools, a kids’ pool and a sizable jacuzzi. Also, grass! While there are plenty of lounge chairs scattered around the pool, there is actually  a small grassed area where you can lay on your towel and commune with nature

The pool is located between the hotel and the river so the poolside views of the Bangkok riverlife are expansive and ever changing. Of course there is a poolside bar that serves refreshments and you can order your lunch by the pool.

Location

Chatrium Suites is located right on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The closest BTS Skytrain station is Saphan Taksin station on the Silom line.

From here you can get to the hotel either by taxi or by the hotel’s complimentary shuttle ferry. Both take five minutes. You can see the ferry wharf in the pool photo above. You could also walk if you wanted to- I did it once and it took about 25 minutes.

Overall we enjoyed our stay at the Chatrium. The rooms were nice and big, and the views were fantastic. While it is only 5 minutes from the BTS by car or boat, some people mind find it a little inconvenient to get to, since it isn’t really walking distance.

Have you stayed at Chatrium Suites Bangkok? If so how was your stay? Would you recommend this hotel? Did I miss anything that you think is worth mentioning?

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January 2011 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

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Happy New Year! The January 2011 Thailand themed desktop calendar wallpaper features Wat Arun, on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

Wat Arun is also known as the Temple of the Dawn because of the dawn sunlight that reflects off the thousands of pieces of porcelain the decorate the temple. Wat Arun is one of the many beautiful temples of Bangkok, which are a must-see for visitors to the Kingdom.

Screenshot of the iPhone January 2011 calendar wallpaper

I’ve added a new calendar wallpaper size this month for the iPhone, optimized for the lock screen. You will be able to view the calendar without swiping to unlock your iPhone.

I’m traveling around Bangkok and Phuket this month and next, so hopefully I’ll be able to take plenty of great shots for 2011′s Thailand themed desktop calendar wallpapers. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any requests, and I’ll do my best to accommodate.

December’s desktop calendar wallpaper proved to be very popular and shot up to one of the most popular posts on this blog in a number of days, with hundreds of hits coming in each day for about a week, but nobody took the time to leave a comment .

If you like this and other Thailand themed desktop wallpaper calendars that I have made, please take the 2 seconds it takes to use the buttons at the top or bottom of this post to Tweet it or like it on Facebook. I would greatly appreciate it.

Don’t forget to check back this time next month for February’s desktop calendar download. Better yet, why don’t you subscribe to the RSS feed or Subscribe to Thai Hotels Blog by Email?

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Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa Review is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

The Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa was re-branded the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort in November 2011.

The information on this river side Bangkok resort has been updated and moved to Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort review.

On “the other side” of the Chao Phraya River, a short boat ride away you will find the Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa. While it is located only 10 or 15 minutes from the heart of Bangkok, it feels like it is a world away with a true resort feeling……….

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The 6 Best Bangkok Riverside Hotels is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

The banks of the Chao Phraya river are host to a number of beautiful Bangkok riverside hotels, some steeped in legend, others quite new.

The Majestic Chao Phraya river, running right through Bangkok is a must see for visitors to the capital of Thailand. Plowed by ferry boats, teak dinner cruises and barges alike, it is still a major traffic route and a great way to avoid the notorious traffic jams that can clock up the streets for hours, while taking in fantastic views.

The hotels listed here, on both sides of the river, while all accessible by road, all have their own private pier and provide complimentary shuttle boat services to Saphan Taksin pier, which connects to the BTS Skytrain, allowing guests to easily travel to just about anywhere in this bustling metropolis.

Peninsula Hotel Bangkok

One of the classic riverside hotels in Bangkok, this hotel was built in a “W” shape, affording all of the 370 rooms of the 39 story hotel stunning views of the Chao Phraya River. The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok is often the subject of enlivened debate over which is the best hotel in Bangkok. It’s main rival of course being the next hotel on our list.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Formerly the Oriental, The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is considered one of the legendary hotels not only of Bangkok, but of all the East. It has been a favorite of the elite since it’s opening in 1876.

Of course over the years there have been many refurbishments, the latest being in 2006, providing this iconic hotel with the latest facilities and furnishings. Updated facilities include a large gym, tennis & squash courts, and two outdoor swimming pools.

Millennium Hilton Bangkok

One of the newer riverside hotels on the block, the Millennium Hilton Hotel offers stunning views of the Bangkok city skyline as well as the Chao Phraya River from it’s rooftop pool.

Voted as one of the “Top Hotels in 2009″ by Condé Nast, this towering hotel has it’s own pier and free shuttle boats to the Saphan Taksin pier, which connects to the BTS Skytrain, allowing easy connections to just about anywhere in Bangkok.

Shangri-La Hotel

The Shangri-La Hotel is located near the heart of the business district of Sathorn,  with easy access to tourist as well as business venues of Bangkok. This beautiful riverside hotel was voted one of the top ten hotels in the world and is just a few Skytrain stations away from the commercial hub of Bangkok.

Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa

The Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa is located a little downstream from most of the other Bangkok riverside hotels, and while it is accessible by road, the resort provides a pair of complimentary shuttle boats between the Saphan Taksin Pier, which connects to the BTS Skytrain, and the resort itself.

You don’t even have to be a guest to ride the shuttle boat for free, and it’s great to take a little trip down the river and enjoy the outdoor dinner buffet at the Marriott’s Riverside Terrace.

Strolling the tropical gardens or relaxing by the palm fringed pool, with a cool breeze coming in over the river, it is hard to believe that you are in Bangkok and not further south on a tropical island.

Royal Orchid Sheraton

The “Y” shape design of this hotel guarantees every guest stunning views of the river. The Sheraton features two swimming pools, tennis court, fitness center and spa.

Of course these are not the only hotels by the river in Bangkok.

For more choices, including cheaper 3 star hotels and hotels in the riverside area, but not directly on the riverbank, check out our list of Bangkok riverside hotels.

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