The Royal Orchid Sheraton rises above the Chao Praya like a great big popsicle (with red, white and blue floodlights at night, it's hard not to make this comparison). It is still one of the best hotels in the world, or so the lists will tell you. Aside from its unfortunate profile, it offers service of a very high standard.

Lobby

The lobby is very welcoming and luxurious, with a beautiful teak staircase. It seems almost commercial looking at first. That's until you experience the service here. We did not spend much time in the lobby. I was under the weather and had just arrived from an overnight train trip from Penang. The 95 degree heat in April was not what I needed at the moment.

Rooms and Suites

After a few moments downstairs, we were taken up to a suite in the Towers on the 28th floor. Our butler brought in a tray of green tea without delay. The Towers comprise the top four floors of the building and offer vastly different service from what is offered below. The service here was even more prompt than that at the Oriental (see my review). This was perhaps largely due to the configuration of the building. Your butler will be there in seconds when you ring.

The suite was a one bedroom suite with a large drawing room in connection. The bedroom had a king sized bed fitted out with Thai silk pillows. The walls were paneled in teak, and most of the furniture was also crafted from teak. This made the rooms flow nicely into one another and set off the sensational river view rather well.

As there are 740 rooms and suites here, the service does vary between the Towers and the rest of the hotel. Still, the staff throughout is assuredly professional.

Bath

The baths were large and were also paneled in teak, with marble counter-tops and accents. Amenities were copious and were replenished regularly. We had twice daily housekeeping service. Thrice, if you include the turn-down service. These rooms may not have the history of the Oriental, but they are very,very nice indeed.

Towers Lounge

An inviting lounge on the 28th floor offers a light breakfast each morning, tea and drinks throughout the day, and a good selection of hors d' oeuvres and drinks in the evening. The staff up here know what they are doing, and are not merely parked there to watch the buffet tables. Ask them nearly anything, and they will set about getting it for you.

Dining

There are four restaurants to choose from. The Orchid Cafe is an informal place for breakfast or a simple meal. The atmosphere is casual, if the food is not exceptional.

The Pool Terrace also offers fairly basic food. The setting is very attractive, however. It is convenient to have a restaurant at hand when you are swimming.

The much more formal Captain Bush dining room has been replaced by Rossini's, a northern Italian place. As I remember the older restaurant, we merely had our breakfast here one morning. The setting was almost absurdly formal, with lots of dark paneling and crisp tablecloths, but without much character. The Japanese restaurant has been banished, in favor of Basil, another Northern Italian place. When we were there a couple of years ago, we found the restaurants and room service to be very good. Why not have room service when you have a suite as good as those found here?

Another one we did not try was the River Night Market, an attempt at duplicating the excitement and diversity of a traditional Thai marketplace. This one is on one of the terraces overlooking the river.

One of our favorite places here was the elegant Tara Thong, a regal room fashioned entirely out of teak paneling. One dines at low tables while reclining on a mat and pillows, if one chooses. More traditional tables are also available. The food here was also excellent, if perhaps not as inspired as at some of the other places we visited.

Bars

There is the inviting Suralai Bar near the lobby. Its quiet spaces are a gentle respite from the busy activity of the ceaselessly busy lobby.

Another bar called Eight Bells has been added since our stay here. This one faces the river and has a faintly nautical theme.

Pool and Recreation

The pool is one of those serpentine affairs that circles through luxuriant gardens. Only the large purple and pink orchid painted on the pool bottom struck an off-note here. The lifeguard also had very loud music blaring throughout the afternoons. There is a poolside cafe (see above) if you get hungry between laps. The fitness center is also very complete. Another odd thing was that there were no changing facilities down there either. We had to put our suits on upstairs and go traipsing through the lobby and public areas in our bathrobes and slippers--not just a little weird. With any luck, this may have been fixed.

Service

The service, as noted above, was outstanding. We had knowledgeable staff and concierges at every turn, even in the lounge upstairs. The hotel is very professionally run even if it is very big. The place just seems to steam on smoothly, like a great ship.

The hotel has been under the careful direction of Peter Thompson, General Manager and Managing Director for about fifteen years now. His eye is a sharp one, so little slips past his sure grasp.

Overall

This hotel will make you feel at home while visiting Bangkok. It belies its modernity with faith in its past. Try to get a room on the Towers floors, as these have much better service than in the main hotel.

Rates

The standard rate for the room we reserved was about $275.00. The rack rate for the suite we actually received was close to $900.00. We used Starwood points to reduce our rate by half. You ought not to have too much trouble getting in here for under $200.00 these days. The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit has now eclipsed this hotel, at least in the eyes of Starwood, if not in the eyes of the beholder. This one is still a better hotel, the rates notwithstanding.

Royal Orchid Sheraton

2 Captain Bush Lane
New Road
Siphya
Bangkok 10500 THAILAND

Tel. 66-22-66-0123

Fax 66-22-68-320

Toll free 800-325-3535 (US)




Recommended: Yes