The Credentials:
The Amari chain, part of the Onyx hospitality group, has several hotels in Thailand. The Boulevard is a four-star hotel located in Sukhumvit, east of the river in central Bangkok. The city can seem intimidating when you arrive and the airport is a long way from anywhere, so where is there to stay? Sukhumvit is rapidly becoming the place to be, with more of a buzz to the area than the river. The area is stuffed full of bars and restaurants; both traditional Thai and global cuisine.
Dine:
There are two restaurants: The Peppermill, where breakfast and evening meals are served, and the less formal Season Thai. Offering Thai dining next to the pool, the Season Thai was very soothing in the warm air of the night. Food being the main reason I visited Thailand, I can’t comment on either evening menu as we were too busy trying the street food and recommendations from a friend and former resident.
The breakfast variety was splendid. It’s all super fresh and will tempt the adventurous – I even had dhal for breakfast one morning.
Sleep:
Bangkok can feel like the city in Blade Runner. Lots of tall buildings, advertising crowding every space and incessant transport clattering around you. A nice quiet room overlooking it all helps see the wood for the trees. Our view from the 23rd floor was eye-popping. It was the kind of view hotshot execs have in films set in New York. No complaints about the bed either, which was twice as wide as the one I have at home and super-comfortable.
Who Goes There?
Although the breakfast buffet will convince you that the clientele is truly international (curry for the Indians and congee for the Chinese, for example), we saw a lot of middle Eastern travellers who had very much come to shop. Although there weren’t a lot of briefcases at breakfast, there certainly were in the lifts. Maybe breakfast, not lunch, is for wimps these days. Families and late-rising couples like us were also well represented.
Out & About:
Aside from the the must-see tourist attractions such as the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, Sukhumvit itself is pretty cool. Like much of Bangkok, it offers everything you could possibly want but concentrated in one area. Whether that be crocodile shoes, fine international dining, valium or a massage. There are all kinds of bars, from cabaret to authentic pubs and our own particular favourite, The Nest. This was a rooftop bar that looked like it had just dropped in from Ibiza, we reclined on beds watching fireworks blossom over the skyscrapers (it was Diwali) to a chillout soundtrack.
The Worst Thing:
The decor of the room was a little tired. The blue carpet clashed with the orange sofa and scarlet cushions, and the bathroom was too full of dark marble. Unless you’re a massive fan of the Eighties. In which case you’ll love it.
The Best Thing:
Probably the location. I’ve stayed by the river previously, and magical as that is, the excitement of the madness wears thin after a day. Sukhumvit felt like a neighbourhood as much populated by residents as tourists, which was refreshing. Places where the locals eat are obvious and numerous, and a curious street market springs up along the pavement of Sukhumvit Road at dusk.
The Nana skytrain station is a five-minute walk from the hotel and, what with Bangkok’s calamitous traffic, this makes getting around the city dead easy.
