The welcome
Passing through Bangkok during the unrest earlier this year, I felt sure I’d be safe at The Peninsula. It has a fleet of vehicles available at a moment’s notice and its helipad could come in handy, too. A planning email includes a map, weather forecast, link to a Luxe city guide and instructions on meeting the Peninsula’s driver at the airport. The BMW has free Wi-Fi and menus for everything from my choice of music in the car to room service if I want to order before my arrival at the hotel, where I’m brought to my room for check-in. On the desk there’s a hotel update on the protests, offering help with adjusting travel plans and assuring guests that our safety is “of paramount importance”.
The neighbourhood
The late-1990s tower looms over the Chao Phraya River, across from the Saphan Taksin skytrain station. While you can drive to the hotel through the unremarkable Klongsan neighbourhood in Thon Buri, most sights are best reached by crossing the water in the hotel’s free riverboat shuttle, an easy and highly Instagramable ride in one of its restored rice boats.
The room
My grand deluxe room, with wood panelling, Thai silk curtains, fresh flowers and a walk-in wardrobe, has a triangular floor-to-ceiling window alcove with an expansive view of the river. The desk in the alcove, with a fax machine, makes me want to do business 1990s-style (sadly, I can’t think of anyone to fax). The spacious marble bathroom feels opulent, although the shower stall is small by UAE standards.
The service
The staff are beyond efficient, anticipating my needs like mind-readers (every time I move my head to look for service, someone is on their way). Before it’s time to leave, they tell me they’ve decided it’s best to take an alternate route to the airport: all I need to do is get on the riverboat and a Peninsula car is waiting for me on the other side with my bags already loaded.
The scene
Designer couples dine out or brunch with their children and nannies in tow; businessmen lounge at the pool with laptops.
The food
The all-day dining River Cafe & Terrace, with two outdoor, glassed-in cooking stations offering Asian and western dishes, is a great place to watch the passing boats. For something even more atmospheric, have dinner in an old teak sala (pavilion) in a torch-lit garden at Thiptara, featuring upscale Thai dishes, super-fresh seafood and organic rice (phad Thai goong sod, 420 Thai baht [Dh48]; tom yum goong mae-nam, 440 baht [Dh50]). Mei Jiang, an award-winning Cantonese restaurant, has a chef’s table.
Loved
The Peninsula Spa by Espa, a three-storey, colonial-style temple of wellness, may be this spa-worn scribe’s best ever. The Herbal Discovery (9,500 baht [Dh1,076]) included a workshop on Thai herbs that were used in my aromatherapy massage, followed by lunch outside near the river. A chilled coconut with a silver spoon was waiting for me in my private changing room.
Hated
Normally I might not like being a boat-ride away from the city centre (the shuttle runs from 6am till midnight), but in this case, it was a blessing.
The verdict
You couldn’t be in better hands.
The bottom line
Deluxe rooms cost from 15,300 baht (Dh1,725) per night per night; The Peninsula Bangkok, 333 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan, Bangkok, Thailand (www.peninsula.com/bangkok; 0066 2 861 2888).
mgannon@thenational.ae
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