Today, we spent the morning packing up and recovering from he night before. After breakfast, we left towards the airport, we had an afternoon flight on a 747-400. We booked business class seats on this segment, as it was only $70 more per person and it was on one of Thai’s international aircraft. Many say that when you have top tier frequent flyer status, such as I do (1K on United), you get assigned a First Class seat on Thai Airways domestic flights complimentary! So, I wanted to put this to test. You can not buy First Class seats on Thai Airways domestic flights, only business, so, they use their First Class cabin on these routes to thank their loyal customers and loyal Star Alliance elite frequent flyers. We got to the airport and BAM! First Class seats were assigned automatically. We were the first to board the aircraft to see only 6 seats, or private suites in the nose of the plane. The seats were completely high tech. Everything having to do with your seat was controlled by a touch screen monitor which was docked to your left. On longer flights, First Class passengers use this device to order delicious meals a la carte as they please as well! It was fantastic getting a little taste of Thai First. They even served a delicious hot meal during this short 55 minute flight. The aircraft was so large that half of the first part of the plane was a galley and food prep area. Years ago, they used thisbarea to prepare delicious food and fresh prime rib. Real chefs, real food. Now they store the pre made first and business class dishes which is still pretty fancy. We arrived in Bangkok excited to check out the newly opened Siam hotel, where we would spend a few nights, including New Years Eve 2013!
Our brand new car was waiting for us outside of baggage claim. The streets were empty, but the cops were out. What happens, we get pulled over by the cops…. Why, because our car was brand new and the police will check to see if the driver has all of the correct paperwork in process to register the new car. 25 minutes later, we were released and headed to the hotel. The hotel was beyond chicly designed! Everything you would expect in a top of the line, world class designed hotel in the ancient aristocratic part of Bangkok placed on the river bed. A ‘Casual Luxury’ stamp of approval. The style of the hotel is traditional Thai design meets minimal, transitionally design. Mixed into the sleek design were dark colors, beautiful heavy window treatments and smoked mirrored glass everywhere. Throughout the common spaces of the hotel, you’d find various artifacts dating back to the Ming Dynasty including a $7 Million horse and carriage sculpture, which was guarded 24 hours a day by a ready-to-protect Thai guard. The 36 or so rooms of the hotel are centered around a beautiful lush multi tiered fountain that features exotic trees planted into a black marble reflection pool on a multi level platform. As you proceed to the back end of the property, you pass through the spa, which has multiple treatment rooms hosting top massages, facials and intricate Thai and international methods of healing.
Beyond the spa, there are a few multilevel villa rooms which face the Chao Praya River or the croon. The backyard of this perfect resort has a stunning infinity lap pool, at door bar and chill out area, a pier for evening cocktails, and a delicious French and Thai restaurant. The Siam Hotel, only 3 months old, positioned outside of the city, offers a purely blissful and relaxing atmosphere, away from the wild and busy city of Bangkok. It was a great selection for our New Year’s celebration! The history and spirit of the hundreds of artifacts in the resort were certainly felt by each and every guest of he hotel. Some even thought the property was haunted, or carried the spirits of the old items. Josh and I know personally that we felt the vibe of this hotel and its history. We felt a sense of heaviness during our stay. We had tumultuous dreams every night, dreams that were so vivid, I didn’t know my mind had the power to create such ideas. Waking each day, we felt heavy and bothered. Each morning over breakfast, we would wake up and discuss our dreams from the night before. As we met other guests of this community-like resort, we learned that the other guests were also having these vivid dreams. As interesting as the dreams were, it would take hours for us to shake the bad feeling of the previous night’s dreams. Once we left the property to explore the city, the heaviness was lifted. We enjoyed the property very much, but it was intense for us.
On our first evening, we returned to our room to find that our evening butler, Kun Jill, had unpacked our bags and displayed everything away in our drawers and closets. As a luxury traveler, I have never used the unpacking services, but the amazing GM of the hotel urged us to do it. It was a dream come true. Of course, if you take care of your butler, they will take care of you. Our butlers were there for our every need. We were actually able to be mindless and not think while at the Siam. I shut off my mind and passed the planning baton on to our day butler, Kun Oat, who gave us every recommendation, shopping tip and nightlife tip we could ever ask for! At our hotel, a good travel friend of mine was staying there as well for New Year’s. We also met up with quite a few friends from New York who we found out via social media, they were bopping around Thailand as well. Now, it was time to explore Bangkok over the next four days! lady boys, massages, evening shows, street food, bargaining, tuk-tuk, negotiation, shopping, cheap, negotiation, bargaining, foot surgery, New Year’s Eve, Whitney Houston, food, bargaining, and much much more!!!
