Luxury at the Peninsula

Back to Bangkok today - *sigh* I want to relax on the beach some more! I booked a late morning flight though so I could take advantage of the included breakfast. Good bye beautiful view!

My bags were all packed, I checked out without a problem and the car took me to the airport. I was able to upgrade to business class for a minimal fee. It was much more comfortable! The breakfast wasn’t so great – it gave me heartburn for the rest of the day (was an omelet type thing with fake crab in it). I did manage to have a little cat nap though.

At the airport I just went right over to the airport limousine counter. I still don’t understand why people queue for over an hour to save a couple dollars. I lucked out with my car too – I got the British cab! It was cool! I’ve never been in one before, so it was a novelty. It took about 40 minutes or so to get to the hotel. I have been really looking forward to this because the Peninsula is supposed to be the best hotel in Asia.

I arrived at the hotel and checked in. My bags were delivered to my room on the 22nd floor. All I can say is that my room is awesome! It has a great view of the river, and everything is done top notch. The bathroom is absolutely huge – and yes, there is a tv to watch in the tub! The glasses are crystal, the bed is like a feather pillow, the couch has down cushions, and there are electronics out the wazoo including free internet. Yippee! Of course, based on how much I spent on internet at the Banyan Tree, I could have stayed here. Shoot! This hotel is awesome!

After exploring the room, I wandered over to the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, today is Coronation Day (I forgot) so it is closed! I’m too lazy to get up really early tomorrow to come and see it too. So I went to Wat Pho instead, which is just down the street. It has the giant reclining Buddha. All I can say is that Bangkok is hot! The sun is merciless. I was only out for a bit and I could feel myself burning. I took tons of pics at Wat Pho though. Funny, because when I was in Bangkok several years ago, Wat Pho was only so-so (although the massages were amazing). Of course, this was because we had gone after we had seen the Grand Palace, which is just stunning. Well, not having the comparison this time, I can say that Wat Pho is also beautiful.

I briefly thought about going to Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), which is directly across the river, but it was just too hot. And I didn’t want to end up with a sunburn. As it is, I have fifty million freckles on my face now. So I just wandered back to the hotel and went for high tea. I was a bit disappointed though. The one in Hong Kong was just so much better. This one didn’t match it. It was still nice, but not over the top like in Hong Kong.

Back in the room I jumped into the tub and watched tv for a while. It was wonderful. I should note that this is the first time I have ever liked the shampoo and soap at a hotel. Usually they leave my hair bristly and my skin dry. The ones at the Peninsula were really nice. And then the towels. The towels were giant, fluffy beach-sized things. Oh, please can I stay longer just so I can enjoy bathing?

After drying my hair I went down to have dinner at Thiptara, which is the riverside restaurant at the hotel. It is right beside the river (I got a table right there too!) and there are torches lit for light. It was very nice and scenic. I had a delicious green curry for dinner – you can even specify how spicy you want it. I was also surprised that you could choose brown rice. I’m not one for white rice, so this was good. I also ordered the hotel’s special drink, but it was too strong and I didn’t really like it. Oh well. The food was delicious though.

Sated, it was back to the hotel and off to bed. I did read a bit on the couch. All I can say is that down cushions are a fabulous idea. I melted into that couch. Makes you not want to leave your room! The last thing I did though before hopping into bed was put my shoes into the cubby hole so they could be shined for me for tomorrow. Ahh, what service!