Swissôtel Nai Lert Park, Bangkok: Review
PUBLISHED June 25th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 12th, 2017 05:20 am
Before Swissôtel Nai Lert Park, I never thought that I would ever apply the term ‘urban retreat’ to any hotel in the concrete jungle of Bangkok.
I stand corrected.
The heart of this five-star, five-story property is definitely the lush eight-acre tropical garden – for which we have Thailand’s first developer and public transport pioneer K. Nai Lert to thank – and the large free-form swimming pool in the middle of it all. Made for those blazing hot days that Bangkok is known for, don’t worry if you find yourself inexplicably drawn to the area – we did, too.
But I digress.
First impressions – having been around for 3 decades, the hotel doesn’t look shabby (and upgrading works are due to happen at the time of writing) but you can expect mishmash of old school and contemporary elements, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The lobby is large and airy; more importantly, seats are plentiful in case you encounter a queue while checking in.
Another benefit of picking an older hotel like Swissôtel Nai Lert Park is, of course, larger rooms. The basic Classic Rooms start at 36 square metres (388 square feet), and our Swiss Business Advantage room – the second room type in the system of four room types and six suites – was visibly more spacious at 40 square metres (431 square feet).
Our room was styled in neutral and muted tones with furnishings reminiscent of years bygone. We don’t know if it’s intentional but it had a rather positive effect of nostalgia, reminding me to family vacations I went on as a child.
All rooms come with basic amenities you’d expect of a five-star property like free WiFi, minibar, electronic safe, work desk, and hot-drink making facilities. The pillows were a little on the flat side but were perfectly serviceable so you can be assured of decent sleeps. Our only bad experience with the always-impeccable service occurred when we requested for extra towels, which were delivered promptly when we phoned housekeeping the second time after waiting 20 minutes.
Intent on keeping fit in the city of angels? The garden is also home to the Amrita Fitness & Health Centre, and they offer complimentary aerobics classes and yoga seshs. If you so desire a ball game, they have an outdoor tennis court and an indoor squash court too!
One of the best parts of staying at Swissôtel Nai Lert Park is the location. Nestled in the embassy quarter, the hotel is a mere 8-minute walk from Ploenchit and Chidlom BTS stations. So not only are you near the Ratchaprason shopping district and the nightlife of Sukhumvit, the delicious street food stalls of Lumpini Park are also within easy reach.
Whether you’re in Bangkok for business or leisure (it’s always a mix of both for us), give Swissôtel Nai Lert Park a shot – it might just win you over for good.
P.S The folks at Swissôtel are also in the midst of renovating K. Nai Lert’s heritage home onsite, which is to become a museum and event space paying tribute to the man, playing up the cultural and historical importance of the land itself, so we’ll be back to check that out!
