Hilton Hotel Sukhumvit Bangkok had me swooning over a love story. Picking up from where I last left off on my recent Thailand trip, I checked into the Hilton Hotel Sukhumvit Bangkok the night following my stay at DoubleTree.
If you’ve been following this blog, you’d know that I’m a sucker for boutique hotels and accommodations that have “personality”. I don’t feel much towards anything standardised and templated. The previous Hilton Hotels I’ve stayed at give me the impression that the brand’s target audience is business travellers seeking consistency of comfort and standard after a day of corporate meetings and whatever business schtuff it is that they are traveling for. I’m talking about straight-laced, no frills, proper setup and amenities, immaculate to the point of sterility… in short, not the demographic I belong in.
So I am delightfully surprised to discover that Hilton Sukhumvit, newly opened in Bangkok, has a beautiful concept which is consistently executed throughout the hotel, down to the details. While this is still a Hilton, ie. proper 5-star hotel with high-quality service and an expected standard, what I personally really enjoyed is the somewhat boutique feel of it. Like, a refreshing breath of fresh air, not stuffy and uppity like most business hotels.
What do I mean by this? To start, there’s the love story between Jay, an Italian-American gentleman who travels the world in style and Daisy, a rotund and sassy New Yorker with a penchant for reading. This cute love story is subtly carried out throughout the hotel. In the hotel lobby there are oversized and miniature sculptures of our hero and heroine, from how they met to how they fell in love.
In every guest room, there’s a bronze sculpture of Daisy. All the public bathroom signs in the hotel sport a His and Hers abstract rendition of Jay and Daisy. My favorite is the larger than life sculpture of Jay and Daisy at the rooftop swimming pool, just chilling together (she’s reading a book, while her puppy snoozes by her side).
Mondo
Jay, as I’ve been told, is a world traveler. So it’s no wonder that there are vintage suitcases seen all over the hotel as part of the decor. At Mondo, the ground level restaurant, I get a glimpse of Jay’s debonair personality from the display cases of books, cigars, old maps, and other knick-knacks. Even the Mondo menu is fashioned after a passport. Cute touch.
The impeccable decor makes me feel like every item has been carefully curated and I love how everything comes together so beautifully, with sophistication. And it’s in this setting where guests can enjoy afternoon tea sets at Mondo. I really enjoyed the homemade bread basket, btw – served with pumpkin aioli and white asparagus dip. Them twisty breadsticks are so crispy and light, I could snack on that all day long.
Chalkboard illustration of New York City’s urban jungle as an accent wall… *wistful sigh* (I haven’t gone back in over six months and I’m starting to feel sorely homesick.)
Scalini
In a separate post, I’ve written about my dining experience at Scalini – the hotel’s Italian restaurant. A few more photos below of the decor. I love that chunk of oversized chunk of raw gold nugget sitting by the staircase leading to the restaurant. One day when I live in an industrial studio loft, I want one of those!
The Library
The love story between Jay and Daisy took place during the Prohibition Era, and as such The Library – Hilton Sukhumvit’s meeting room/event space, reflects the decor of this time period. The aged leather chairs, plush couches, wooden tables, and light fixtures have all been selected to reflect a bygone era. Read more about Prohibition Era here; I did and it gave me a headache, so I drank a glass of red to make myself feel better.
Spotted a chunk of words on the glass window there which somewhat resonated.
Once you start thinking about financial security, you’re beginning to run the risk of corroding your true self as an artist. Once you start thinking about money, once you start thinking about security, I’m not sure you’re going to be able to take the risks you need to take. You want to stay clear of that; let that part, hopefully, take care of itself.
So you see what I mean? Hilton Sukhumvit has an awesome personality, there’s nothing generic about it, and I’d say it’s “boutique hotel”-like.
Anyhoo, I’ve got one night in Bangkok and it spelled one thing: PARTAY! We checked out Nest, a rooftop bar and lounge on Sukhumvit Soi 11. It’s not a huge place, but cool enuff for me as I got to kick off my sandals to feel sand between my toes, recline in a bed-style seating pod, smoke shisha, groove to the beat, and sip bottle after bottle of wine. Work and play, play and work!
In the last twelve months I’ve been traveling a lot. The pages in my passport are filled with stamps and while the book itself doesn’t expire for another handful of years, and there’s already been additional pages affixed to the back, it looks like I may have to apply for another round of addition soon as the empty pages currently are dwindling rapidly.
Don’t you think that traveling is some kind of love story in itself? Whether traveling solo, together with someone special, with family or as a group, the notion of discovering new experiences fills the heart with joy and excitement. To me anyway, traveling is spiritually fulfilling in an otherwise bleh existence. I feel very lucky to have the luxury of all these jetsetting.
I love being in love, I love romantic stories, and I love rooftop bars. I’ll be back soon, Bangkok! ;)
… to be continued.
xo,
MB.
Planning your next vacation in Thailand? Take advantage of Hilton Worldwide’s ‘Explore More of Thailand with 25% Less’ promotion! Through 30 November 2014, guests can book and save 25% on room rates for stays between 15 October 2014 and 15 April 2015 at participating Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton properties in popular city and beach destinations in Thailand. For more information on this promotion or to make reservations, visit en.hiltonhoteldeals.com/discoverthailand.
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