I've heard plenty of good comments regarding this hotel as well as mentions of how inconvenient the hotel is with its location on the other side of the river.
As our taxi arrived outside the lobby we were greeted by 3 staff as they offered to collect our luggage and escort us towards the beautiful and busy lobby located inside. I approached the Hilton Honors desk and was greeted within seconds as I handed over my Honors card, passport and credit card.
The familiar exterior of the hotel located right beside the Chao Phraya river.
We were allowed a early check in at 9am and was informed of a upgrade to a executive room on the 35th floor with fantastic views of the Chao Phraya river as we were handed our keys and escorted to the lifts.
Even though the Millennium Hilton has aged very well the room was kept in superb conditions.
The bathroom was large which featured a bathtub and separate shower with the toilet cubicle being enclosed in its own stall. Behind the vanity area there was wooden blinds that could be opened which was a great concept of space although it would be bothersome if you had to share a room with another person.
The shower stall and bathtub.
Bathroom vanity and wash area.
Toiletries by Peter Thomas Roth.
A pretty smart amenities card to remind and suggest what the hotel offers.
The work desk situated in front of the bed.
Enough snapping of hotel pictures, we decided to venture out towards the Grand Palace and join every other tourist who were there to embrace the sights of Bangkok. You guys must be thinking oh, how original of you but we just wanted to see the must see's and reserve the remaining time to shop and eat!
We caught a taxi from the hotel and asked the driver to take us to the Grand Palace and going with what the prophecy's have said he tried to take us elsewhere which was met with a firm no and I ensured he took us to the Grand Palace...... you buy opal? NO.
We arrived at the main entry point and slowly made our way towards the ticket counter and handed 1000THB (30AUD) over in exchange for our tickets inside. The place was crowded with tourists of every nation and as we made our way inside towards the palace the strong aroma of incense took over which caused the majority of people surrounding us to cough and sneeze.
Inch by inch, we made our way around the holy site, many times bumping and brushing shoulders into people. I was wary and ensured my belongings were kept in my right pocket and for extra caution I had my hand in my pocket the entire time. The heat, the humidity and the people really took its toll on you and the best thing I did all day was bring a bottle of water which kept me going! The sight was beautiful and amazing, the sun's rays shone down on the golden walls which light up the entire site which was incredible.
Surrounded by golden statues and buildings.
Beautiful scenery and infrastructure.
Water refreshened me! Make sure you stay hydrated and drink heaps of water!
Keep that condensed milk flowing!
Hold on tight when there are no buckles or seat belts.
Large cup of Durian bubble tea please, interesting flavour.
Prawn Pad thai.
Gelatine coated mung beans.
After walking for what seemed ages which was only an hour under the sun I gave up, covered in sweat and the masses of people finally broke me. For the best 1000THB spent all day we pushed and shoved our way through the crowd towards the exit as no one would budge or move to polite "excuse me's" and after saying that a few times in the heat you instantly switch to plan b. All I wanted was food and air conditioning but with a bit of convincing we walked over to Wat Pho to visit the Reclining Buddha.
A spiritual and almost peaceful morning was coming to a end as the scorching sun got hotter and my stomach getting hungrier. A coconut ice cream cart was conveniently located outside the exit point which was the exact cure we needed after a long morning.
We needed a way to get back to Siam Paragon for lunch and I wanted to go local so Tuk Tuk haggling was left to me. After five minutes of negotiating and walking I agreed and haggled a 500TBH fare down to 150TBH (my mother would be so proud). We hopped on and held on tight as our driver bolted down the roads with sharp turns dodging incoming traffic and honking his horn. He seemed to find pleasure in us holding on for life and kept honking the horn and gave us our money's worth like he was a F1 racer towards Siam Paragon.
After our need for tuk tuk speed on the roads of Bangkok I was never more so happy to be at Siam Paragon and be standing on land as well as knowing we will soon be grabbing a quick bite to eat. The air conditioning was bliss as we headed towards the food court on the lower levels of the shopping mecca. The first stop was grabbing a boba/bubble tea. I went with durian flavour as I was keen to try new things!
My hunger was settling so a side of prawn pad thai and gelatine coated mung bean fruits extinguished and bought a smile to our tummies.
With our tummies full of food we decided the rest of the afternoon would be spent back at the hotel so a taxi back to the hotel was the most convenient way for us. We had a pretty reasonable driver who took us back to the hotel and didn't tell us the Hilton was closed or want to take us on a safari tour.
The Hilton had a special two for one massage pack that included a 2 hour massage and special blue tea for $110AUD which was a very good price which saw us emerge from our rooms in our bath robes and slippers as we headed to the spa. Inside the spa room was 2 benches with a massive circular wooden bathtub which could fit a party of four.
Sari, the senior masseuse began to work her magic as she applied a mixture of scented oils and ensured she was applying the right pressure and intensity as she caressed my back muscles under candle light.
Gentle nudges...Mr Le... your massage is over now!
Oh What? crap. I fell asleep.
Sari invited us to continue and relax by taking a dip inside the wooden bathtub as she went to prepare the herbal blue tea and a fruit platter. We skipped the dip and attacked the fresh fruit's as we made our way back up to the room and decided to check out the executive lounge.
The view from our room.
Seating area in the executive lounge.
In the entrance of the lounge we were politely asked our room number by the attendant as she escorted us towards a table in the lounge. The ambiance in the lounge was relaxing which was staffed with very knowledgeable, friendly and attentive staff.
We arrived just as the staff finished preparing for evening canapés and staff insisted we help ourselves to the buffet selection. With a decent variety of food and evening drinks and cocktails we munched and enjoyed the quiet space around us.
Sweets, deep fried canapés, salad and cheese as well as other different variety's were on offer.
Food coma suddenly hit my partner and he retreated back to the room for a nap as I went down to check out the pool. I loved the deck chairs along the edge of the pool overlooking the river as it gave a nice view and definitely was relaxing and a perfect place to snooze! I noticed there was a unique sand area adjacent to the pool for kids to play in as well as a little bar set up.
The outdoor pool is a great place to relax and refresh your senses.
I realised we didn't have any plans for the evening so a quick visit to the concierge desk sorted us some tickets to see a lady boy show at Asiatique by the river. The 1.5 hour show was entertaining with a variety of different act's performed by the transgender and beautiful ladies on stage. Our ticket entitled us to a complimentary drink and fruit platter which was nice. After the show, guest's can opt to take as many pics with the performers at the exit's for a cheap 20THB!
Is it a man or a woman? 20THB for a picture guys.
A visit to China Town.
Seafood on death row.
A litre of guava juice was needed as the food was spicy.
Thai fish cakes which was delicious!
Very hot and spicy seafood tom yum.
I was hungry yet again so we ventured to china town to dine. I loved the atmosphere of the place with plenty of food stalls and varieties on offer. The temperature in Bangkok at the time of night did cool down so walking around the streets was a pleasant experience! With so many options to choose from we went with a little place on a corner that had heaps of people dine in.
Thai fish cakes which was delicious!
Coconut ice cream was a must!
Mango sticky rice to nail the hungry tummy.
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