When visiting Bangkok, we like to stay in a different area and this time, we chose Sukhumvit and the “U Hotel”:https://www.uhotelsresorts.com/our-hotels for our four-night stay – U Hotels and Resorts are a chain of hotels in Thailand, India, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The hotel has a small footprint on the ground floor where reception is. After our overnight flight we arrived at 8.15am and were welcomed with cold flannels. The hotel has 24-hour check-in which means they try and have a room available as soon as possible after arrival rather than a fixed time of say 2pm. So, if you check in at 10am, you must check out at 10am. We had to wait a couple of hours for a room so relaxed in the early morning sun at the roof top bar on the 8th floor with refreshing iced lemon tea.
Completing check in formalities included choosing a handmade soap for our bathroom and picking a ticket out of the Christmas draw box. We got a voucher for a free beer with a meal.
There were 28 superior rooms, 34 deluxe (which we were in) and 20 executive corner rooms. Room 309 (reached by two efficient lifts) was spacious. There was room for both our suitcases, wardrobe with safe and shelves, wall mounted TV, high desk with plug points and the widest bed we’ve ever seen (which proved to be very comfortable). Instead of providing a welcome drink at reception, we were able to enjoy a complimentary welcome drink from the mini bar which was stocked with beers, juices soft drinks, a ready mixed Jack Daniels with cola and complimentary drinking water. The air conditioning was efficient, simple to use and responsive. Black silk robes and slippers were provided and Wi-Fi was complimentary and fast.
The bathroom was equally spacious with a large powerful shower and plenty of hot water. There was lots of space to lay out our toiletries. Lighting was good with a shaving mirror and hairdryer which plugged in near a mirror. Toiletries were provided and a note told us if we’d forgotten toothbrushes etc, they would provide them.
The pool was relatively small, but ideal for cooling off after a days’ sightseeing. There were around a dozen loungers and lots of other tables and chairs on a raised decked area and an indoor sitting area with comfy seats and books. The nightly 5pm to 8pm happy hour was good value with two drinks for the price of one (2 G&T were 300 Baht/£7.50). It was a pleasant area with people either having a last swim and drink of the day, or others who were on pre-dinner aperitifs.
Breakfast was served in the first-floor Uzzie restaurant. As well as the buffet, there was an a la carte menu with a good choice of eggs, scrambled, poached (with chilli toast), omelette, benedict style, as well as toasted cheese and ham sandwich. The cold buffet had four juices and healthy drinks (the beetroot and celery was a great colour and tasty), cereals, breads, yoghurts (including a healthy one with oatmeal), fresh fruit, pastries and cakes. The hot buffet had bacon, sausages, tomatoes, beans etc. plus an Asian section. Whilst it may sound a little overwhelming, it was all beautifully done and not over the top. Tea and coffee were served, and the latter was excellent. We had dinner in the restaurant after a long day out and the Thai food didn’t disappoint and, with a 20% off voucher given to us on arrival, was also good value for money.
Because the hotel wasn’t huge, we quickly got to recognise the staff who are all very friendly, professional and happy to recommend restaurants.
The hotel was situated in the Sukhumvit area (said to have sleaze, sophistication, serenity and social activity) on Soi 15. It was a good 10-minute walk from the adjacent Skytrain (Sukhumvit) and Metro (Asoke), so the hotel provided an on-demand complimentary tuk tuk service. However, for other journeys, we noticed the hotel security guard, helping guests negotiate taxi or tuk tuk fares and to avoid confusion, shining a torch when people were paying fares at night.
We were very happy with our choice and would certainly return again.