Three Hidden Gems in Bangkok

by Tynan on

With a title like that, it may surprise you that this article has absolutely nothing to do with ladyboys. I’m a little bit ashamed to say that when I first headed to Bangkok, I didn’t expect much beyond backpacker bars and a ubiquitous haze of sleaze covering everything.

Boy, was I wrong. Bangkok is an incredible place to visit, and possibly even to live. I’ve only carved two weeks out to visit this year, but next year I’ll be back for a month or two.

Here are some hidden gems that I discovered in Bangkok that really made my stay a whole lot better.

1. The Atlanta Hotel

The Atlanta Hotel is simultaneously a hilarious spectacle and an awesome place to stay.

It was built in 1952, and at that time was THE hotel to stay at in Bangkok. It had the first hotel swimming pool in the city, for example.

It’s now a bit run down and is a budget hotel, but it still has some of the features that made it great in the first place. It’s in the best area of Central Bangkok, still has the original pool, which is a full meter deep, and has a great restaurant that’s open until midnight.

The best part is still the pool area. There are three nice hammocks and a bunch of tables where you can order food from the restaurant. I’ve spent many a day writing on my laptop while eating a $1.50 fruit plate by the pool. And yes, there’s free wifi.

The rooms are basic, but they get the job done, especially for somewhere in the ballpark of $20/night.

What makes it hilarious? Their vocal and pointed aversion to the sex trade. Check out this five foot tall sign.

Get more info at their site at http://theatlantahotel.bizland.com/

2. Rajawongse Tailor

I had no intention of buying a suit, but when I found out that George Bush (both of them, actually), regularly got suits made from Rajawongse Tailor on Sukhumvit, I had to visit.

Victor and Jesse, the two owners of the shop, are as charismatic and friendly as two guys could be. I found myself stopping by to chat any time I passed their store.

I got carried away and had a white tuxedo made, and I couldn’t be happier with it. They did a great job measuring and fitting, and the end result is far better than any other suit I’ve worn.

Suits go for $350-$450 including high quality Super 150 wool/cashmere fabric. If you’re on a budget, get some Egyptian shirts made for around $30 each. A friend had two made and they looked amazing.

Their shop is a fun place to hang around and rub elbows. Just by association you become friends with everyone else in the small shop, many of whom are higher ups in big companies, or even different governments.

Their site is at http://www.dress-for-success.com/

Tell them Tynan sent you. They somehow remember everyone’s name.

3. ChefsXP

I still don’t understand how this place stays in business. After coming across it I all but stopped actually going out to restaurants.

ChefsXP will deliver food from any of 50 or so restaurants they feature. The cost? 60 Baht, which is right under $2.

Crazy. They don’t even mark up the food cost or charge you more if you order from more than one restaurant.

Even though some of the restaurants they cover don’t take credit cards, they’ll take yours and pay cash to the restaurant. Ordering online is a snap and they’ll deliver straight to your hotel.

Combine this one with Atlanta’s poolside, and you’ll find yourself in paradise.

My favorite restaurants that they deliver from are Beirut and Indian Tandoor.

Once you get to Bangkok, order at www.chefsxp.com

Luxury Hotels of The World: The Lalu Hotel (Taiwan)

by Tynan on

To fully experience Taiwan’s natural beauty, there’s one destination that is universally praised: Sun Moon Lake.

It’s the largest lake in Taiwan, and is so beautiful that Chang Kai Shek, Taiwan’s first president, built a house there to vacation.

In 1997, after an earthquake destroyed his house, the lot was purchased and after five years of construction Taiwan’s only six star hotel, The Lalu Hotel, was built. Shortly after it joined the ranks of Design Hotels, a premiere group of international boutique and luxury hotels.

I recently had the chance to stay there for a few nights and meet with the manager of the hotel to get the full tour.

When, after waiting a full six months, the chairman received the blueprints from the architect, he was furious. They showed a very simple design with long straight lines and no curves at all. For what would become the best hotel in Taiwan, it didn’t seem very fancy.

The chairman was calmed down and after some convincing agreed to build the hotel according to the blueprints. The result, as it stands today, is a building which relies on high quality materials and workmanship, rather than gimmicks or fancy veneers.

This attitude doesn’t stop with the architecture, but rather is echoed throughout the entire experience of staying at The Lalu.

Instead of waiting to be checked in, we were ushered to a couch in the lobby lounge, where we were served tea and almonds. When the room keys were ready, they were brought to us and we were led to our room.

The hotel is built on a hill which leads down to Sun Moon Lake. All of the rooms have huge balconies with tables, chairs, and daybeds on them, allowing you to enjoy the incredible view of the water whenever you’re in your room.

The stained Cambodian teak floors of the room extend out to the balcony, creating a seamless transition when the full width sliding glass doors are opened.

Restaurants

The restauraunts were excellent. They have a Chinese restaurant, a Western restaurant (confusingly named “The Oriental Brasserie”), and a Japanese restaurant.

Our first visit to the Chinese restaurant was solid, but not noteworthy other than the view of the lake. The second time we visited was amazing. Particularly good was the eggplant and basil dish, which was so tasty that we ordered another plate of it after we’d finished the first.

Dinner at the brasserie was also excellent. My friend’s steak was among the best he’d ever had. I couldn’t find anything on the menu that meshed with my vegan and whole food diet, but the chef prepared a fantastic vegetable and pasta dish for me which was surprisingly well thought out and inventive for a last minute diet-appeasing dish.

Complimentary breakfast is also served buffet style at the brasserie. The huge selection ranged from sliced local fruits to grilled fish to traditional Taiwanese porridge. Even as a vegan the selection was so great that I had to get multiple plates to try everything I was interested in.

The Spa

I’m so ticklish that I usually avoid massages. However, the Lalu offers Indian Ayurvedic massages which sounded so interesting that I had to try one.

I chose the strangest sounding one, which consisted of a head, neck, and shoulder massage coupled with twenty five minutes of pouring warm oil on the forehead.

The prologue to the massage was is adventure in of itself. When we arrived at the spa we were guided to the locker room.

Calling it a locker room is a gross understatement. Besides the usual array af lockers, the facility contains Japanese onsen style sit-down showers, a huge black stone hot tub with adjoining cool plunge pools, a cedar sauna, and a steam room.

After a quick shower and sauna I changed into my robe and was led to the massage room. Once there I was seated in a chair with my feet soaking in a cedar bucket full of warm water, smooth stones, and rose petals. Next to the chair was a pot of tea and some biscuits.

After a quick fifteen minute visit to the steam room in the massage room I got on the massage table for the Ayurvedic massage. I enjoyed the treatment a lot more that I thought I would, and even considered braving being tickled and going for another one the following day. The warm oil on my forehead seemed strange, but I was undeniably relaxed by the end of it.

The Teas

I should take a minute here to talk about the tea. It seems like everything at the Lalu is accompanied by some sort of tea to match the activity.

At the spa the tea is light and refreshing, at the pool it’s a sharp energizing ginger tea, and at check in it’s sweet and satisfying.

My favorite tea by far, however, is the green tea delivered daily to the room. I’m a bit of a tea snob, especially with green teas, and I can easily say that it was the best green tea I’ve ever had. The best way I can describe it, which totally fails to do it justice, is to say that it tastes something like fresh steamed artichoke heart.

Every day I found myself using the room’s electric tea kettle to heat up more water to resteep the leaves.

My only regret at the Lalu was that I didn’t have a chance to visit the tea house next to the pool. I tried to go one day, but the rain had closed it down.

Activities

It would be easy to spend your entire trip within the confines of the Lalu, but this would be a serious injustice to the Sun Moon Lake area.

The landscape around the lake is a verdant mountainous jungle, punctuated by a temple and nine story pagoda atop a mountain across the lake from The Lalu.

In the middle of the lake is a tiny island which was once the top of a mountain before dams built during the Japenese occupation raised the water level of the lake. At any given time during the day there are a handful of boats docked around the island, with a few more coming and going.

A road leads around the lake to its various attractions: temples, hiking trails, fishing, a tea research facility, and a peacock garden.

We rented mountain bikes from the Lalu and made it to the Wen Wu temple and to the peacock garden. Even if you’re a jaded traveler who has seen more than his share of temples, the Wen Wu temple is still worth visiting for its intricate design and breathtaking views.

The peacock garden was also interesting, although the peacocks were in cages due to the cloudy weather.

The next day, sore from biking and a visit to the Lalu’s adequately equipped gym, we went down the street and rented electric scooters to get around.

Visiting the pagoda, built by Chang Kai Shek as a tribute to his mother, is a must for it’s 360 degree view as well as the fun of ringing the giant bell at the top.

The Service

The service at the Lalu can best be described as perfect. The service is friendly and attentive without ever being overbearing. This comes as no suprise after Joe Tsang, the general manager, told us about the thorough training every staff member goes through.

Almost all of the staff speak English, despite the fact that only 5-8% of the visitors are from the US.

A perfect example of the service was a staff person named Mondo. I’m not sure what his actual job was, but when he saw us about to go biking he ran inside and got us water bottles and maps. Every time we saw him he would happily tell us about the area, ask about our bike ride, or apologize for the bad weather.

Having interactions like that really made us feel like we were guests, rather than customers that had to be catered to.

Attention to Detail

The attention to detail at the Lalu is legendary. More than just trivial afterthoughts, these considerations create an uninterrupted experience of genuine luxury and decadence.

A few of the more interesting things:

  • The shampoos, conditioners, and other shower acoutrements are housed in handmade ceramic jars
  • Two cages of songbirds hang near the entrance. At night they are replaced by lanterns.
  • The swimming pool, which is the longest in Taiwan, is cleaned daily by a scuba diver.
  • Honey served at breakfast drips from an intact honeycomb into a pot.
  • The mountain bikes for rent are perfectly washed and presented on a wooden floored showroom.
  • Chang Kai Shek’s house was reconstructed on site complete with his office furnished with his original furniture.
  • Everything smells amazing, including the balconies which are supplied with incense that’s lit at turn down service every night.
  • Fresh orchids are potted in every room.

Final Thoughts

After visiting the Lalu Hotel I understand why almost forty percent of their business is from repeat customers. Staying at the hotel is overwhelmingly relaxing and taking advantage of the activities in the surrounding area makes for a substantive and satisfying vacation.

My one complaint? The free internet in the room was distractingly slow. Then again, not being able to sit in front of my computer all day pushed me to get out of the room and enjoy everything the Lalu and Sun Moon Lake had to offer.

To read more about the Lalu or to book a room, visit their site at http://www.lalu.com.tw/

Can I have an extra pillow? I mean prostitute, of course

by Iva Skoch on

I learned something new today. Apparently, the coded way for a hotel guest to ask for a prostitute is “Can I have another pillow?” At least that is what Matt Rudd says in his very funny Times article about his life as a concierge in a 5-star hotel in London. It is well worth reading, even if one pillow is typically your speed. The whims of some luxury hotel guests are entertaining, to say the least.

Just in case you were wondering, the concierge is not supposed to arrange anything illegal, be it drugs or “extra pillows.” Miraculously, call girls apparently do make it into hotel bars and staff discovers indecent behavior in the bathrooms quite regularly. At that point, a staff member can suggest the couple might want a room next time. That, of course, is perfectly legal.

Upgrade your Priority Club account with free Ambassador Status

by Grant Martin on

If you travel with any regular frequency, hopefully you’ve started stockpiling rewards points. Whether these are frequent flyer miles with an airline or reward points with a credit card or hotel chain, it’s surprising how quickly things will add up when you’re on the road.

Most rewards programs have tiers of earning and rewards — American Airlines, for example has Gold, Platinum and Executive Platinum. At each of these levels, one earns and can redeem their awards at different rates. The problem is that you have to travel a certain amount to obtain each level. In AA’s case, you have to fly 25k, 50k or 75k miles to reach these tiers, so most people won’t reach these levels and be able to reap the benefits.

Occasionally, however, one can sneak into higher brackets by participating in a promotion or being granted “status” by a customer representative. In the case of a new Priority Club promo code that came out, this is the case.

Priority Club is the frequent traveler rewards program of the Intercontinental Hotels system, home to Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza and a few other, smaller chains.

Apparently by going to the secret promotion link and plugging in code 5446 you can catapult from your lowly plebeian status all of the way up to Ambassador Status in one, swift, ordinary-traveler-smiting move after staying in an IC hotels group three times before June 30.

And what do you get with this hifalutin Ambassador Status? According to members of the underground, you get “5,000 bonus points along with the usual perks of the Ambassador Status – Weekend Night Certificate, Guaranteed room upgrade to superior, Extended check-out (4 p.m.), Special check-in desk, Gold Elite Reward Status, and fresh fruit and mineral water upon arrival”

Not a bad deal for three nights in the next few months.

I’m not really sure how widespread or publicized this promo goes, or whether it was ever meant for the general public. So if you do decide to indulge, register as soon as you can before they yank the promo.

Inexcusable hotel negligences

by Abha Malpani on

There are some stories you read and can’t help but go “how the hell?!” This is one of them: how did a 4-star hotel manage to get nitric acid mixed into the orange juice of a toddler? As a result, the two-year old suffered burns in her mouth, throat and upper respiratory organs, all of which may have long-term damage.

Apparently, a clear solution of dish-washing detergent strong in nitric acid was mistaken as water by the hotel barman, who was asked for diluted orange juice. Even though this was an unintentional mistake, it was fatal and inexcusable.

I Googled for other incidents of inexcusable hotel negligence, and what I found mainly talked about filthy room conditions, bad quality of food that resulted in food poisoning, swimming pools causing ear infections, and lack of security facilities resulting in theft. I was relieved I didn’t find a list of life-threatening mishaps.

The worst I’ve had at a hotel was at dinner when one of the chicken cutlets I ordered had a stapler embedded in it. I could have choked on it and died! OK, OK not meaning to be dramatic, but stories like this can completely kill the pleasure of travel. What’s worse is that there is absolutely nothing you can do to avoid them.

Although no amount of complaint can reverse the physical harm done to the two year old (they expect her parents to sue the hotel), here are some ways you can approach the hotel management to at least get the best form of compensation from them in case of more general cases of negligence.