Hotel review: Banyan Tree Bangkok

I travelled in March and stayed in the Serenity Club room with club access, which starts from £154. Other fabulous rooms start from £97.

Overview

A beautiful property that’s centrally located touting arguably Bangkok’s most iconic rooftop bar.

Rooms are spacious and elegantly decorated with thoughtful sustainable amenities and toiletries, there’s a well-equipped gym, outdoor pool and daily timetable of complimentary activities such as Muay Thai and body stretch, with a fabulous spa to relax in; I recommend the Thai Classic for a blend of traditional Thai stretching and massage.

Food is varied and well executed and staff are amenable and attentive. If you choose a room with Club Lounge access, as I did, you’ll have access to free-flowing light snacks, drinks and evening canapés. The hotel is the ideal place to stay to explore the vibrant city of Bangkok.

Décor and vibe

The expansive city views over Bangkok city shine from floor to ceiling windows to outdoor dining spaces. A traditional Thai vibe is infused from decorative local design to daily artisan people in the lobby demonstrating their crafts, for instance Thai fruit carving or Phuang Malai (floral garlands) making.

Expect centrepiece features like the transparent, lit up bamboo sculptures in the spa and a focus on natural materials such as carved wood. Colours range from neutral to striking black for contrast and Thai features are weaved in where possible, to create a soothing environment which is respectful of its cultural context.

Services and facilities

• Room service
• Pool
• Laundry
• Parking
• Fitness centre
• Sauna
• Steam room

Rooms (and suites)

A warm welcome is immediately created from the neutral creams and light browns, both paint and wood, with light cream carpets and various shades of green in the scatter cushions.

Seating is generous and sustainability is evident from the bamboo toothbrushes to the own brand toiletries in chemical and lead-free, local ceramic containers, so there’s no wastage.

The eco-friendly Tha-Sara palm leaf-patterned bathrobes and cute slippers are a nice touch as is the daily changing scent in the in-room incense sticks and oil burners.

Local ancient scenes are depicted in artwork above comfortable beds and the room is kept fresh with flowers and daily fruit; an ‘exotic fruit guide’ demonstrates the health benefits.

The neutral ceramic tile-clad bathrooms are spacious in size and bath salts are provided should you want to take a soak and a high-tech loo does more than simply flush — a nice blend of modern amenities and traditional decoration.

Food and drink

The highlight has to be Vertigo restaurant which has enviable views over Bangkok, in the jam-packed atmosphere with crowds ordering creative cocktails and mocktails from the in-house mixologist in the bar section, you can sit adjacent to enjoy a meal.

I ordered ‘The Horizon’ mocktail as colourful as the city lights beneath to accompany a soft shell crab salad, followed by succulent snowfish and lemon butter cream sauce.

It’s a common sight to see guests standing on tip-toes, waiters holding up their portable spotlights to help as they take the obligatory Instagram shot towering over the city.

You can opt for a cruise with Banyan Tree cuisine for something different, or go to Bai Yun for tempting Cantonese dishes or street food snacks and a Thai beer at Saffron Sky Garden, Thai food at Saffron restaurant or international all-day dining at Romsai restaurant.

Breakfast time offers an array of local and western options, I chose local, so had flat white rice noodles with a rich massaman curry, followed by a bright green croissant, which was flavoured with natural pandan, there are eggs made a multitude of ways, fresh in-season juices – I loved the guava, as well as an in-house café making coffee just how you like it.

More information

For more information and bookings, visit the hotel website at banyantree.com/thailand/bangkok.