That's Suite

Whenever i'm in Bangkok, I usually prefer to stay at the Pathumwan Princess due to its proximity to the mecca of all things cheap and funky, Mahboongkrong or MBK. With an elevator that goes directly from the hotel to the heart of the mall, it's enough reason for serial shoppers to make treat this hotel as if it were an Aman resort.

For this trip, we were booked in another hotel: The Emporium Suites. Actually, it's a serviced apartment rather than a hotel. The place is connected to The Emporium, Bangkok's posh mall, and that's a plus. The lobby was very modern - with Philippe Starck looking chairs, and that's another plus. But once I got out of the elevator en route to my room, it was one plus sign after another.

First, the lobby was very imposing. They used dark wood and cream walls which gave the whole place a spa feel. One nice touch is that every floor has a different lobby configuration. I was on the 26th floor last Friday, and on the 29th floor today. The 26th floor lobby was T-shaped, while the one on the 29th was more of a complicated fork.


My floor has a foyer leading to the room. It was a nice balinese painting framed in between two glasses. It reminded me of the painting I bought in Mexico and framed the same way. So immediately, it felt like home.



Here's my room. Number 2904, which is at the end of the corridor. Being the only room, it assured me of a quiet evening. That's exactly what I need after 5 days of sleep deprivation.



Once inside, the first thing that greeted me was a full service kitchen. It also followed the dark wood theme of the lobby which made it look tres classy.



Then it was my work area. A dinner table for two. A work table. A flat screen TV, DVD player and CD player. There are speakers all around the room for that Dolby feel. Good thing I brought the Sergio Mendez CD that Alfie lent me, i'll be listening to that as I go to bed tonight.



And i'm going to sleep in this large, comfy bed. I love the fact that it didn't have a headboard. It gave it a very modern loft aura. The pillows are fluffy but firm, and the comforter is warm but not too bulky. Yes! The ideal sleeping combo.



The shower was nice. (Although the one in Discovery Suites is much better.) What caught my attention was the shower head which was the same one in my hotel in Shanghai. The nice thing about it is it makes me feel like i'm taking a bath under the rain because the water is light and diffused. Looks like i'm in for another long bath the next 2 days.



The view from my window further emphasizes my observation that Bangkok looks exactly like Makati, albeit with cursive letters rather than your usual ABCs.



There's a pool downstairs which I won't check out since I left my trunks at home. It has a nice design, but then again, people can easily watch you swim. Not cool.



Then, near the exit, there's this nice Balinese sculpture. This theme is predominant in the whole Emporium Suites property, and i'm getting the hang of it. My colleague - an avid collector of Balinese inspired art - will love this. I wonder if I should stash it in my bag and bring it to him.



...Maybe not.

At the risk of sounding like a brochure, The Emporium Suites is luxurious without costing that much. They've got fabulous suites (Grace has photos of my other suite, and I should post that once she sends it to me) which is ideal for resting, working and partying. It's near a mall, near a BTS station, near the Philippine Embassy, near Queen Sirikit Park and near a McDonald's. (Always a plus!)

And with that, it's official. Emporium Suites is now my new favorite place to live in.