We recently went for a short family vacation to Bangkok. One of those things you’d have to do is to decide on accommodations. We’ve been to Bangkok before, though perhaps something like a decade or so ago. There are many newer places to choose from, and given that accommodations are by and large quite affordable, we are spoilt for choice. We eventually settled on the Grande Centre Point at Ratchadamri.
Our interest was piqued by the lovely grand suite, complete with kitchenette and living/dining areas, perfect for families like ours. The room rate was also quite reasonable, certainly lesser than if you had to pay for two double rooms at hotels of lesser standard.
I did a lot of research, and thus had high expectations. Of course, we were careful to discount photos provided by the hotel, and look out for those posted or shared by other travellers. Many of those guest reviews were positive too. But sometimes, you never know what surprises might spring upon you.
So with still a little bit of apprehension about what would await us, we checked into the Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri and were pleased to see that what we had seen is what we were getting. It’s a really fabulous hotel.
The grande suite is a 54 square metre room. It’s pretty big, and great with kids around if they need space to run around. You get a proper kitchenette, dining and living areas. Full-height windows from the living and bedroom provide great views of the city below.
The kitchenette includes a microwave oven, an induction cook hob, a full-sized refrigerator, and a washer-cum-dryer. Cooking paraphernalia (pots and pans) has to be requested from housekeeping. The washer-cum-dryer is really convenient for doing your own laundry, and the machine runs quietly.
There’s free in-room Wi-Fi, two TVs and radio sets (one each in the living room and bedroom), fax machine (who uses it these days?) and a safe. There’s so much storage spaces that you could really live long-term.
Beyond the room, the hotel provides plenty of other great amenities: kids playroom (both indoor and outdoor), swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, gym, reading room (with mini library and books you can borrow out), resident lounge, TV room (with large TV and DVD titles for loan), etc.
All these amenities make it so comfortable to just stay put inside the hotel. You don’t have to leave the hotel if all you want to do is to relax. Another nice touch is the free flow of beverages (coffee and tea) in the hotel lobby and the resident lounge.
We did not get the breakfast option, but we did dine for one lunch in the restaurant. It was very good value for money, decent spread and quality.
The Ratchadamri BTS station is about 5 minutes walk away (or maybe 2 more minutes if you have young kids in tow). It would have been even better had the BTS station been directly connected. There’s a 7-11 store nearby, also about 5 minutes walk away.
There’s not much to do in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. Other upmarket hotels like the Four Seasons and St Regis are just a stone’s throw away. Walk another 5 minutes and you’d be across the road from Central World and rest of the main Siam area. Honestly, it’s very convenient for any able-bodied adult. It’s just that when we have to tow young kids along, everything’s 50% more difficult. Worse if they’re tired or sleepy, and need to be carried.
Our otherwise very pleasant stay was met with one incident. The air-conditioning in our bedroom was noisy, because it was randomly starting and stopping. It isn’t very noticeable until in the dead of the night when everything is quiet. Then, the starting and stopping of the motor, every half minute, became unbearable. The engineering people came to fix the air-conditioning the next day, but the problem resumed in the night again, though to a lesser extent. I suppose we were just unlucky.
The airport transfer arranged by the hotel for our return was not good. The driver was late. The cab was also old and somewhat rundown. Considering that we were paying somewhat more for this premium service, I would have expected something better. We did get to the airport on time, though, and I guess that is more important. I know this isn’t entirely the hotel’s fault, but I’d imagine the hotel would ensure services they engage on behalf of their guests would be of similarly good quality.
Overall, I will happily recommend this hotel. The grand suite is an excellent choice for families, well-equipped and plenty of space. The amenities within the hotel were superb.
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