When you’ve reached full capacity for busyness, malls, shopping crowds and all the rest, wandering around a calming art exhibition and a return to a relaxing Bangkok hotel can inject some vital peace and stillness into your mind and body.
When you’re in an extremely hyperactive environment, I think most of us need some kind of peaceful retreat to maintain some sort of restful balance.
Green spaces, places of worship, museums – anywhere quiet, where you can let your thoughts flow or just zone out for a while really helps.
I think I mentioned my escape from MBK shopping mall and immediate beeline straight into the nearby Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, where I cooled down and calmed down from all the buzzing and busyness of people and shopping.
The soothing quietness after all that craziness was like a much needed ‘beam me up Scotty’ moment.
I forgot all about the outside world for a while, enjoying the slowness, airiness and quiet contemplation.
There were a variety of exhibitions across multiple floors and some stretched back from the balcony galleries into larger open spaces behind the scenes.
I particularly liked the huge monochrome pieces all created with felt tip pen, very impressive.
Novotel Bangkok Platinum Pratunam Hotel
Before booking my stay with Novotel Platinum Pratunam Hotel, I’d watched a Youtube video where one of the hotel managers was doing a video with some UK travel content creators around the hotel’s prized breakfast offer – The Best in Bangkok apparently. This wasn’t the reason I booked the hotel but it helped add extra points to the scoreboard when making the decision.
Location was the main scale tipper, and being able to collect Accor Group points was an extra bonus.
When I met the manager in person, I told him I’d watched him on Youtube and complimented the food and hotel, which he was pleased to hear; I hope he gets to have more days off though, it’s long hours working in the hotel industry with little rest from what I can tell.
A banquet breakfast
As mentioned in previous posts, we know Bangkok wears lots of crowns, but one hotel claiming to have the best breakfast in Bangkok is quite a different thing altogether.
I was curious to see for myself and can confirm their banquet-of-a-buffet was more like an all inclusive evening spread than a breakfast. I think every possible thing you could want for breakfast was there somewhere and more, with food options from all around the world, not just Thailand.
You’re getting a morning banquet that could have you floored for the rest of the day – never leaving the hotel to explore Bangkok because of the sheer weight of food you’re carrying after that king sized breakfast.
You’re definitely breaking-your-fast, that’s for sure, and I can see why people who are not guests at the hotel come solely for its breakfast – worth getting up early for.
…and yes, toast, cereal, porridge etc is all there too.
Curious observation
I noticed this heavy duty weighing scale outside a hotel room door a few times during my stay….are these just left in the corridor for guests to use, to weigh their luggage?? I always have a couple of those digital ones with me…not as easy as placing the luggage on a scale though.
Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel
….and while we’re on the subject of hotels, the Hyatt Regency was a great ‘night before the flight’ hotel for one night – it’s literally in the airport so no danger of getting stuck in the crazy Bangkok traffic that everyone seems to warn about.
The only danger was bites. Make sure you use bite repellent if you’re going to sit around the pool area, there are lots of leafy trees around there – and I’m think that’s where something bit me, (unless it was something in the enclosed wardrobe where I hung my outfit for flying home…..always spray in there and give your clothes a good shake before getting changed) typical – no bites at all until the day before I fly home, that’s what happens when you get too relaxed!
On the plus side, if I remember rightly, check-out time is calculated based on what time you check-in rather than a blanket same time for all – plus, if you sign up with an email to their loyalty scheme you can also get a later check-out at no extra cost if you need it.
The room decor was a bit more on the dated side rather than modern but it was clean, very spacious and comfortable – everything you need for one night.
Nothing in this post is sponsored by the way – I just think it’s worth considering if you’re flying internationally and want that extra peace of mind before you fly….there were other hotels not that far from the airport which would have been fine, if I visit Bangkok again I’d be happy to stay in one of those (5 mins or so away), but this was the only one directly in the airport from what I could tell (Google maps).
Wishing you happy and safe travels, and if you’re heading to Bangkok, have a fabulously entertaining, amusing, vibrant and ‘never a dull moment’ time 🤗 💫
That was a great breakfast buffet