This review includes consideration of:
The Peninsula
The Sukhothai
Mandarin Oriental
Ariyasomvilla
Banyon Tree Bangkok
Shangri-La
There are a few general statements to begin:
- some reviewers justify NOT staying near the river by saying it smells. NOT TRUE. Riverside is an absolutely lovely, relaxing setting by which to relax, dine and stay. There is no question that I would chose this as an advantage over other hotels packed in an otherwise dense town, filled with luxury sitting next to poverty, and dirty general areas. Every hotel you visit, and it doesn't matter which one, will be affected by this juxtaposition of rich and poor, glittering clean and dirty.
- for the city hotels situated next to the BTS Skytrain, it is an advantage, however, the 3 prime river hotels, the Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and Shangri-La are all a very short walk away. The Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental (Shangri-La is smack next door) offer a lovely, traditional Thai river shuttle which makes it a pleasure to go the the BTS station.
One disclaimer about my review, I am primarily writing about the appearance and feel of the common areas - the lobby, restaurant and pool, as I only stayed in the rooms of the Peninsula and Sukhothai. I'll start with the others first.
Mandarin Oriental: nice hotel, but is a bit cramped and over decorated with what I feel is asian targeted decor and frilliness. when we went in the...This review includes consideration of:
The Peninsula
The Sukhothai
Mandarin Oriental
Ariyasomvilla
Banyon Tree Bangkok
Shangri-La
There are a few general statements to begin:
- some reviewers justify NOT staying near the river by saying it smells. NOT TRUE. Riverside is an absolutely lovely, relaxing setting by which to relax, dine and stay. There is no question that I would chose this as an advantage over other hotels packed in an otherwise dense town, filled with luxury sitting next to poverty, and dirty general areas. Every hotel you visit, and it doesn't matter which one, will be affected by this juxtaposition of rich and poor, glittering clean and dirty.
- for the city hotels situated next to the BTS Skytrain, it is an advantage, however, the 3 prime river hotels, the Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and Shangri-La are all a very short walk away. The Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental (Shangri-La is smack next door) offer a lovely, traditional Thai river shuttle which makes it a pleasure to go the the BTS station.
One disclaimer about my review, I am primarily writing about the appearance and feel of the common areas - the lobby, restaurant and pool, as I only stayed in the rooms of the Peninsula and Sukhothai. I'll start with the others first.
Mandarin Oriental: nice hotel, but is a bit cramped and over decorated with what I feel is asian targeted decor and frilliness. when we went in the lobby was jammed with Asian guests, seemed primarily local Thai's, Japanese and Chinese. That's fine. Nothing wrong with Asian's, but I think the hotel appeal's more to their style/taste. I also found the decor a bit dated, as though this was the height of opulence in the 60's, 70's.
Shangri-La: Lobby is quite large, but again felt quite 60's, 70's. Many chandeliers which were of hotel ballrooms of that era, with long shards of crystal forming an upside down cone. Pool area was nice, though not that intimate or as nice as the Mandarin or Peninsula
Ariyasomvilla: Rated as the #1 hotel on trip advisor, but I think this is huuuuuugely misleading. This hotel is charming, but small, and is really targeted towards the more budget conscious traveler, with common areas which are relatively small and often open to the outside, which can be a bit uncomfortable during hotter times of the year. Don't get me wrong, very charming, but just can not offer the amenities and comfort of the others, but is often 50% cheaper.
Banyon Tree: Very nice...More
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