The Thais that Bind:
Our 20th Anniversary Trip to Bangkok.
Our 20th Anniversary Trip to Bangkok.
Logistics and closing comments
The Peninsula Bangkok
One of the attractions of Bangkok, to be honest, was the ability to take a
sizable step up from our usual type of accommodation (in Europe, we’re
generally 3* B&B types), without necessarily breaking the bank.
The first decision was that we wanted to be along the river—well, just
because it seemed like the right thing to do for a first trip to Bangkok. We
looked at all the usual suspects but decided we really couldn't pass up the
Peninsula. Suffice to say that we loved the Peninsula—virtually everything
about it.
Having the frequent boat service across the river to the BTS station, the
Pen pier and the Oriental was very convenient. Because the Pen has
multiple boats, we never waited more than about five minutes at any
location. And, the boatmen were always so pleasant, often inquiring about
our plans and offering suggestions. We never felt like we were staying on
the wrong side of the river.
We didn't select a package with breakfast. The buffet, of course, looked
wonderful. But, we’re not big breakfast eaters, and as it was we almost
killed ourselves with food on this trip. A full breakfast buffet every day may
have done us in. The Pen leaves a bowl of fresh fruit in the room every day.
That, combined with a 40 baht brioche from the gift shop down stairs, was
plenty to keep us going through lunch every day. We were a bit surprised
that there was no tea/coffee equipment in the room. On our first morning,
Chris asked the concierge if it might be possible to get a coffee maker, and
within ten minutes, one appeared, along with a canister of ground coffee
(none of those coffee-bag things here!) sufficient for the entire week.
The Pen has an array of nice looking restaurants, but we were seeking
more of a non-hotel dining experience and did not try any of them—except
for a light and casual lunch outside by the river one day. As an aside, the
restaurants never looked to be very full.
We enjoyed the pool a couple of times; after all, it was a vacation. Both
times, we had no trouble getting one of the salas, which are very nice.
Another thing we really enjoyed was our river view--watching the endless
boat traffic on the Chao Phraya.
We only had a couple of minor quibbles. The housekeeping schedule was
a bit erratic. The first day, our room was not made up until almost 5pm.
Three out of five days, we returned to the room in the afternoon only to find
the housekeeping sign on the door—a bit inconvenient, but we’ll live with it,
as they’re very thorough. Oh, and there’s no ATM on site. The closest one
is at a 7-11 down on Charoennakom Road.
Some final thoughts
Any regrets? We knew about Loi Krathong in advance of booking and tried
to make that work, but we were unable to confirm air upgrades at booking
for the days right after it. Didn’t want to go there (the waitlist)...so we
reluctantly planned around a departure early that morning.
Is it crazy to do this short of a trip? It's probably not for everyone, but for us,
absolutely not! Our philosophy is: when you get your opportunity, go for it!
Was this enough time for a first visit to Bangkok? Probably not--and that's
just from a purely sightseeing perspective, not considering shopping
possibilities, etc. We left with various things still on the list. While we did a
lot, we also didn't try to over-schedule our time. Aside from the days out
with Tong, we generally weren't in a hurry to get out in the morning. And, we
took a few hours here and there to enjoy the resort and pool. It was really
nice to settle into one hotel for six nights and not have to pack up and move
frequently.
See all of our Bangkok photos
our travels
home
contact us
The Peninsula Bangkok
One of the attractions of Bangkok, to be honest, was the ability to take a
sizable step up from our usual type of accommodation (in Europe, we’re
generally 3* B&B types), without necessarily breaking the bank.
The first decision was that we wanted to be along the river—well, just
because it seemed like the right thing to do for a first trip to Bangkok. We
looked at all the usual suspects but decided we really couldn't pass up the
Peninsula. Suffice to say that we loved the Peninsula—virtually everything
about it.
Having the frequent boat service across the river to the BTS station, the
Pen pier and the Oriental was very convenient. Because the Pen has
multiple boats, we never waited more than about five minutes at any
location. And, the boatmen were always so pleasant, often inquiring about
our plans and offering suggestions. We never felt like we were staying on
the wrong side of the river.
We didn't select a package with breakfast. The buffet, of course, looked
wonderful. But, we’re not big breakfast eaters, and as it was we almost
killed ourselves with food on this trip. A full breakfast buffet every day may
have done us in. The Pen leaves a bowl of fresh fruit in the room every day.
That, combined with a 40 baht brioche from the gift shop down stairs, was
plenty to keep us going through lunch every day. We were a bit surprised
that there was no tea/coffee equipment in the room. On our first morning,
Chris asked the concierge if it might be possible to get a coffee maker, and
within ten minutes, one appeared, along with a canister of ground coffee
(none of those coffee-bag things here!) sufficient for the entire week.
The Pen has an array of nice looking restaurants, but we were seeking
more of a non-hotel dining experience and did not try any of them—except
for a light and casual lunch outside by the river one day. As an aside, the
restaurants never looked to be very full.
We enjoyed the pool a couple of times; after all, it was a vacation. Both
times, we had no trouble getting one of the salas, which are very nice.
Another thing we really enjoyed was our river view--watching the endless
boat traffic on the Chao Phraya.
We only had a couple of minor quibbles. The housekeeping schedule was
a bit erratic. The first day, our room was not made up until almost 5pm.
Three out of five days, we returned to the room in the afternoon only to find
the housekeeping sign on the door—a bit inconvenient, but we’ll live with it,
as they’re very thorough. Oh, and there’s no ATM on site. The closest one
is at a 7-11 down on Charoennakom Road.
Some final thoughts
Any regrets? We knew about Loi Krathong in advance of booking and tried
to make that work, but we were unable to confirm air upgrades at booking
for the days right after it. Didn’t want to go there (the waitlist)...so we
reluctantly planned around a departure early that morning.
Is it crazy to do this short of a trip? It's probably not for everyone, but for us,
absolutely not! Our philosophy is: when you get your opportunity, go for it!
Was this enough time for a first visit to Bangkok? Probably not--and that's
just from a purely sightseeing perspective, not considering shopping
possibilities, etc. We left with various things still on the list. While we did a
lot, we also didn't try to over-schedule our time. Aside from the days out
with Tong, we generally weren't in a hurry to get out in the morning. And, we
took a few hours here and there to enjoy the resort and pool. It was really
nice to settle into one hotel for six nights and not have to pack up and move
frequently.
See all of our Bangkok photos
our travels
home
contact us
The Peninsula's fleet carries guests back and
forth across the Chao Phraya
forth across the Chao Phraya
The Peninsula Bangkok
We saw many preparations for Loi Krathong, but
sadly we had to leave early that morning
sadly we had to leave early that morning
