We arrive in Bangkok at about 11:30 PM. One quick, cheap taxi ride, and we’re at our home in the city: the Chatrium Suites. What the Chatrium does not have in reputation (it is not as well-known at the other river hotel properties, like the Shangri-La or the Peninsula) it makes up for in modernity and polish.
The lobby is a study in 21st century Asian aesthetic: towering ceilings, dark wood, glass walls, marble floors, low-slung couches, burbling water features. The front desk staff is fresh-faced and very eager to please, and, when there are no rooms with a king bed available in the class of rooms we reserved, they seem delighted to upgrade us to a river-view one-bedroom suite.
Upstairs, the room is the most spacious we’ve ever had in the Big Mango. We have a living room/dining room, complete with everything from a high-tech entertainment center to a full-size refrigerator.
From here, a pocket door leads down a short hall to the bedroom, which is essentially a glass cube affixed to the side of the tower. Two walls are draped with thick curtains, designed to block out light and heat; when I pull them back, I reveal a sweeping 180-degree view of the riverfront and the city — a living, floor-to-ceiling mural.
Clyde’s favorite feature, though, is the bathroom, which features both a deep, sunken tub and a glassed-in shower built to accommodate roughly six people. With the touch of a concealed button, the wall between the shower and the bathroom breaks into slats, rotates open like wood blinds, and withdraws into the ceiling, leaving nothing between the bather and the bedroom but a pane of crystal-clear glass. Showtime, folks.
We crank the aircon down to Winter in Atlanta, pile up under the fluffy comforter, and put ourselves to sleep with a tiny yellow pill, which guarantees us a good night’s sleep and a fresh start on Sunday morning.
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