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333 Charoennakorn Rd., Klongsan
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66-2861-2888
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370 rooms, including 65 suites
The Experience
Like its Hong Kong parent, this is simply one of the world's best hotels, and like that long-established hotel, this upstart can arrange for you to be picked up at the airport by Rolls-Royce or helicopter. The gleaming W-shaped 39-story tower rises over the always frenetically teeming Chao Phraya River (although nominally on the "wrong" side) with phenomenal views, while below, its peaked-roofed boats dash across the river on never-ending shuttle missions.
The Rooms
Size, views and comfort -- all precious commodities in Bangkok; here the average guest room is an expansive 500-plus square feet, every room has a river view with floor-to-ceiling windows and even entry-level rooms have the kind of seating area other hotels refer to as "junior suites." And while all rooms are resplendent with Thailand's gorgeous silks and rich, dark woods, suites ramp up the luxury quotient even more: The Thai Suite uses native woods and silks for an updated interpretation of a traditional Thai dwelling, and the Duplex and Grand Terrace Suites have terraces with Jacuzzis and sweeping views, as well as two bedrooms, a den and living and dining rooms.
The Service
Peninsula hotels have vast computer records of guests' likes and dislikes. For one-time visitors, the staff tries to suss out and anticipate your needs. Is it your birthday? Return at the end of the day and you'll find a card and a cake waiting for you. The concierge desk will jump through hoops to make sure you have what you want. And in the restaurants, the service is like a well-oiled machine, so reliable you hardly notice it.
The Highlights
In December 2006, the Pen will open a much-demanded feature: a new spa, built in a separate three-story Thai villa in the gardens off the pool and tea pavilion. Bound to give the other high-end hotel spas a challenge, the spa's VIP treatment rooms will have floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies overlooking the river. Restaurants, however, are not in absence: The Pen has six of them, including gorgeous Thiptara, the Thai venue in a series of teak villas along the river. The river, of course, helps define this hotel, so it's fitting that there's a three-tiered pool that seems to end in the river -- it's one of the most beautiful in Asia.
-- Laurel Delp
