They are building like mad in Bangkok and there seems to be a new hotel announced every week. Still, sometimes it is best to go with the tried and true, because new spots, shiny as they may be, still have some kinks to be worked out. At the same time, especially in a hot, muggy climate like Bangkok, old hotels sometimes have a bit of a mildewy smell in the rooms, which is a huge dealbreaker for me. While I do enjoy checking out the newest room options in the City of Angels, my favorite of the established options here is the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit due to its convenient location, stellar service and tropical pool.
The room at the Sheraton Grande Bangkok
I’ve stayed twice at the Sheraton Grande Bangkok and have had the luck to be upgraded to a suite as a titanium Bonvoy member. This was particularly lucky, I think, because both of my stays were during the high season in December and January and they were long stays (three and four nights, respectively). The suites at the Sheraton Grande are quite spacious and have a couple of couches and a great desk area if you need to get some work done. In the desk drawer is a selection of free office supplies which I have never seen before and thought was a great touch. Just behind the desk is the minibar, coffee and tea making station including a Nespresso machine, and a fruit plate. I also received a delicious passionfruit cheesecake as a welcome gift, which was a nice touch.
The bed is quite comfortable, which is not a given in Thai hotels that err on the hard side, and if the pillows are not to your liking, the front desk is happy to provide something from their pillow menu which will be better suited to your liking.
The bathroom is massive and has a separate shower and bath combination along with some very nifty titles which apparently were designed in a nearby artisan village. In addition to the master bathroom, there is also a small water closet by the entrance which comes in handy. There are also spectacular views of Bangkok from the rooms on the top floors.
The food and beverage offerings at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
As a Marriott Bonvoy titanium member, I had free breakfast every day at Rossini’s, the hotel’s Italian restaurant, although you can also take your breakfast at the other restaurants including poolside.
The breakfast spread goes as far as the eye can see and includes everything from Thai fruit like guava and passionfruit to roast beef to Alaskan salmon. There is an a la carte menu that you can order off as well for hot items like congee, eggs and pancake. We didn’t stick around for dinner given the dinner options in the city and somehow I forgot to take pictures of the breakfast!
There is a nightly cocktail hour in the jazz bar, which has free beer, wine and cocktails as well as a live jazz band. In addition to the free drinks, there is free finger food and snacks including some of the most delicious coconut chips I’ve ever tasted. The waitress was kind enough to bring me the bag so I could see the brand but I was unable to track them down.
The pool at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok
Step onto the pool deck at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and you would never in a million years guess you were in the city center of a huge metropolis. With the apsara statues spewing water into the pool and enough greenery to build a botanical garden, it feels more like the middle of nowhere Bali than Bangkok. The water sounds even drown out the traffic and the pool is an incredibly relaxing place to work on your tan and read a book. There is also a hot tub at the back of the pool area as well as a bar from which you can order drinks or food from the kitchen.
Perhaps the sole drawback to the pool is that because of all the greenery, there is a bit of a lack of recliner seats which are in the sun and not shaded by leaves. I had a routine of going up to the pool immediately after breakfast to catch some sun before the UV rating got too high and the chances were about fifty-fifty that I could grab a sunny seat as opposed to having to wait a little bit in the shade to pounce on a seat when it became available. In any event, the pool staff was extremely helpful in arranging chairs and laying towels on the seats when we were able to score a spot.
The stellar service at the Sheraton
One of the reasons that I enjoy coming back to this hotel is that the service is on another level compared to the other Bangkok hotels, and I’ve stayed at quite a number of them. Even when I think about my visit to the Grand Lady of Bangkok hotels, The Mandarin Oriental, I think that the service at the Sheraton is even more impressive. From the quick and professional front desk to the waitresses at the cocktail hour, the hotel is full of professional employees who are always looking to help one way or another. The rooms are cleaned spectacularly and housekeeping always seems to know when you’re out so you won’t be disturbed.
One of the ways this was on display was after a bit of an incident we had with the air conditioning. Engineering was prompt to come and fix it and later in the day, I arrived back to the room to discover a letter apologizing for the slip up along with a full-sized wrench fashioned out of chocolate!
The location of the hotel can’t be beat
Unlike some of Bangkok’s “centrally located” hotels where you have to trek for about ten minutes before finding yourself at the BTS station, the Sheraton features a covered walkway that will bring you to the Asok BTS station in just a minute! You can also use the elevated walkway to getr over to the Terminal 21 Mall which has numerous restaurants on the top floors although the shopping options leave something to be desired. When stepping out for a shopping trip or a bite to the mall, it can’t be overstated how convenient this is. It’s also quite a convenient place to pick up a Grab or a cab as there is a covered driveway outside the front door so your driver won’t disrupt traffic and you won’t get caught in a downpour while getting in.
The bottom line
While the hotel is not the shiniest or the newest option in Bangkok, it has been kept up very nicely and everything is in extremely good condition. On top of that, the pool makes it a perfectly option for a weekend getaway or a staycation and the extremely wide and well equipped desk make it a superb hotel to work from as well. While I would not be surprised if the hotel came up for renovation in a couple of years, it will continue to remain a very solid option until it does.