Amaaaaazing Thailand… Bangkok and Koh Yao Yai
We love holidaying in Thailand and keep coming back again, and again….
Last time, we chose to fly from Copenhagen on Qatar Airways, via Doha.
It was nice with halfway break at the new airport in Doha. Great facilities like free (fast) wi-fi, great shops (like Lindt chocolates pick & mix… and Tiffany…), good food variety and very, very clean bathrooms 🙂
The Qatar Boeing 787 aircraft was also very nice with lots of space, a huge selection of movies, tasty food and excellent service – not a bad combination at all!
Mobile reception/coverage and wi-fi onboard as well.
WE ARE DEFINITELY ANANTARA FAN(ATIC)S!
Being huge Anantara fan(atic)s, we were not in doubt where to stay this time,….obviously at the Anantara Bangkok Riverside.
We always make the reservation on the excellent Anantara website (to see website, click here) and to our surprise and luck, they often have a promotion (low season) on their site when we book. The promotion reads, that when you book a room category, you’ll automatically get an up-grade to the category above the one you booked.
So, during our previous stays, we booked a Junior Premier Suite, and upon arrival…. we end up in room #763, which is one of the cool corner Anantara Premier Suites. Needless to say, every single one of the approximately 110 squaremetres were breathtaking – especially the corner balcony, which boasts a magnificent view of the Chao Phraya River. I am stunned by the different lights during the day…the morning mist, the sunrise, the afternoon light, the just-before-sunset light, the sunset light, the night-light with all the lights from the city….just simply amazing!
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| A small part of the view from our huge corner balcony at the Anantara Riverside |
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| A very spacious room with a priceless view – and a shower with enough water to drown inside….. |
The location of the hotel is “on the other side of the river”, however, there is a shuttleboat service running throughout the day/evening and it takes about 15 minutes to reach the sky train station, Saphan Taksin – and from here, the rest of Bangkok. The sky train is by far the fastest way to transport yourself in Bangkok. It’s the cheapest as well, a 1-day ticket with unlimited trips costs only 120,- baht (approx. 3,70 usd).
The boats that takes you across the river are charming teak wood boats, and of course, on your way back – you get a cool refreshing towel from the cooler box – yet another small “extra” that shows Anantara’s constantly and natural attention for detail…
The hotel also offers a free “Handy” in all guest rooms.
This is a truly genius idea that we’ve never seen anywhere else.
The “Handy” is an Android mobile with a local sim card, that allows you to make free local calls as well as go online. It’s also possible to share the data on the phone, which is great, as you can share it with your own mobile and that way stay be online also when leaving the hotel.
There is also lots of useful information in the handy, such as maps, shopping- and sightseeing advices and a lot more.
Just love this!
Food at the hotel is also very, very delicious….
After recommendations from friends, who had stayed at the hotel before us, we went to the Italian restaurant, BRIO.
Being lovers of Italian food, our expectations were quite on the high side….
The restaurant itself was really, really cosy and also represents one of the things I like most about Anantara – the mastering of combining luxury and warm cosiness…. Very few hotels and restaurant master this rare combination.
Apart from Anantara hotels, only Serena Hotels in East Africa knows this combination, that we always look for and value highly when traveling.
The service in Brio restaurant was excellent, the friendly waitress had her full attention on our table and we started off with an extremely tasty bread basket….sinfully good bread!!! And yes, definitely homebaked. The menu had lots to offer and it was really hard to decide on what to order.
We opted for the antipasti for two and OMG….must be one of the best antipasti ever consumed anywhere. Extremely well prepared and tasted heavenly!
for main course I had the Hand rolled tortellini filled with chicken and porcini mushrooms.
Brian had the pizza with prosciutto and rucola.
Both dishes extreeeeemely tasty and you could taste the freshness of the ingredients used.
To have a look at the menus, click here.
No words can describe how well all the dishes tasted!
This meal was, without any doubt, the best Italian meal I ever had.
The only thing I missed was dessert….my fault. There was simply no space left.
The Benihana Restaurant is another favourite at the hotel.
During my years in Kenya, I came to love tepanyaki dinners and Benihana is just as good as good old Misono back “home” in Nairobi.
There are different menus to choose between and some yummy starters and desserts as well.
The tepanyaki chefs are good and always perform a little show for you as well!
We also love dinner on the Riverside Terrace, overlooking the river, enjoying the sumptuous buffet.
The variety here is very, very impressive and with so much to choose between, you mostly end up taking small samples from just about every single dish.
I must admit though, that the spicy beef salad and the tepanyaki styled beef (prepared by the chef as I was watching) were my favorites 🙂
Service here is excellent as well and again – I wish I could have eaten more…..
Trader Vic’s
This is another lovely restaurant at the hotel that we really enjoy.
The restaurant serves Pacific Rim cuisine, including unique tastes cooked in Bangkok’s only Chinese wood fired oven.
I must admit that the “Ahi Poke” is probably the best raw tuna I ever had….. Raw tuna with avocado, soy-ccili dressing and taro chips….. Sooooo yummy!!!
Service in the restaurant was absolutely amazing and probably the best we experienced so far at the hotel.
A couple of nights every week, there’s a liveband performing – very good music and not too close to the dining area. The bar is also very nice for cocktails! 🙂
Needless to say, the Anantara’s breakfast buffet was also a feast.
Anything you could ever imagine as a good start of the day was represented on the buffet. A great variety of western and far east asian temptations as well as really good service by the waiters.
I did love the waffles….and the pancakes a lot…. 🙂
Again, I must say that this was the best hotel we ever stayed at in Bangkok.
Why?
-The combination of luxury, warmth, and cosiness that Anantara masters so well
-The food
-The relaxed atmosphere
-The food
-The convenience of the shuttle boat to the sky train
-The great service
-The food 🙂
We simply can not wait to return to this gem! The sooner the better.
For those of you who know me well, you know that I love (good) food and, obviously, being a woman…. shopping!
SHOPPING in Bangkok is still good. We didn’t have much time this time around but we did manage to visit some great shops.
I had some fabrics from my dear friend Maria in Kenya and I had promised her I’d have some tops or dresses stitched when I got to Thailand.
The tailor, Harry’s Boss Collections, was recommended by a friend as it was nearby the hotel, just close to the Shangri-La hotel across the river.
Bobby and Harry managed to convert my African fabric into 2 gorgeous dresses that I already love! Brian also got some shirts and some really nice summer trousers.
All fitted just perfectly and we’ll definitely return for more goodies when visiting Bangkok again.
We also love CAELI JEWELRY shop, located at Central World shopping centre. The shop, CAELI , is filled with beautiful things and I can highly recommend the shop.
The selection is enormous and has a lot more jewelry to offer than what’s displayed in the shop. Whatever you want – they can make it for you as well! Isn’t that just great?
It’s also possible to shop online on the website and your order will be shipped by courier.
Caeli is specialised in diamonds and stones and yes, what can I say other than Marilyn was right – diamonds are a girl’s best friend…. 😉
Central World is located close to Siam Square, where my other favourite shopping mall, Siam Paragon.
All very easily reached via the sky train (stations Siam or Chit Lom).
I also simply love the Vuudh shops and Harnn shops in Thailand. There are plenty of them and mostly located at leading shopping malls and at the airport as well (both Bangkok and Phuket).
Their spa products are to die for. The candles….the interior room spray (GREAT for the bathroom!), the shower creams and so on…..and so on. Lovely products of very high quality. Slightly expensive compared to the general Thai price level, but so worth it!
At the Siam Paragon, it’s also possible to buy the beautiful Jaab Cards,
I simply love these cards! A bit pricy yes, but beautifully handmade and at the same time you support the Queen Sirikit Centre fo Breast Cancer Foundation as well as fair trade employment for women.
The cards can also be found at the airport.
Another great restaurant you simply must visit when in Bangkok is the Admiral’s Pub and Restaurant at Sukhumvit, Soi 24 (Oakwood building residence). It’s located just few steps from the Phrom Phong sky train station so very easy accessible.
I’ve known the hosts for just about 20 years and Khun Bent and Khun Na are lovely people and their restaurant really, really good – and cosy!
The menu consists of a good variety of Thai and international food. Am sure that the western orientated food is delicious, but I know for sure that their Thai food is amongst the best there is on this planet earth! I’ve always loved their Thai food and it hasn’t changed one bit throughout the years – still as yuuummmmmy!
More pics here and here as well 🙂
This great restaurant is open from early morning until late night and the service is outstanding, as are all the members of staff – definitely a MUST visit eatery in Bangkok!
Can’t wait to come back here!
I can also recommend the Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at the Siam Kempinski Hotel.
Being a huge fan of Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen, it’s a must to try this one when in Bangkok.
The gourmet experience is outstanding (just like in Copenhagen) but the surroundings more exotic – however, I must say that the service is a lot better in Copenhagen.
Food was really lovely though and the dessert (banana cake, salted ice cream and caramelised milk)…. just heavenly!
KOH YAO YAI
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| Not a bad place to wait for the speed boat. |
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| Inside sitting/lounge area |
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| The view from the bed, overlooking our pool and the sea |
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| Part of our pool, as seen from the bedroom |
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| Bathroom too big to fit into one picture – this was about half of it |
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| The open air shower in the bathroom. And behind the blue door ……. |
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| ………..the outside bathtub |
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| Morning walk from the villa to the breakfast. 20% increase down/uphill… |
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| Spa entrance |
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| On the way to the treatment villa |
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| Enjoying post-treatment snacks |
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| Brian swimming in our pool with the sea and sunset behind |
Best regards,
Mead Duke
on this topic last Thursday.
King regards,
Balle Dencker
King regards,
Thompson Cannon