MANDARIN ORIENTAL BANGKOK---THE WORLD'S BEST HOTEL!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

Sala Rim Naan, the world's best Thai restaurant

Oriental Spa, the world's Best Spa

Thai Cooking School at Mandarin Oriental, the world's best cooking school for Thai cuisine!


PLANET EARTH'S BEST AND MOST FAMOUS HOTEL IS MANDARIN ORIENTAL BANGKOK.

No ifs, buts or maybes.

I have stayed in some of the world's best hotels and none of them can hold a candle to Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.

If Buddha decrees I have to die in a hotel, it should be in Mandarin Oriental Bangkok where I can be part of its history. It is that good.

Anyway, everyone who stays there thinks they are already in heaven anyway so it is a matter of  how long you can stay there. Michael Jackson stayed in a suite and refused to move to another similar suite as he extended his stay and his suite was booked for someone else. I of course have no problem moving from one suite to another though my favourite is Author's Suite. There are 35 unique suites and each is so individualistic its flower arrangements, decorative items and silk bath robes are unique to each suite.

I have stayed at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok several times and can swear on the Bible and Kamasutra it is the best hotel money, love and sex can buy.

Within an hour, everyone in the lobby seems to know my name! How they do this remains a mystery. Even the lift boy will acknowledge me by name.

During one of my stays, there was a pair of twin bellboys manning the lifts and they were a sensation. There was also a set of triplets at one stage. Only this hotel could manage such a feat! 

Once they advertised for a gardener. There were 1,659 applicants including a doctor! 

It has the highest ratio of staff to room at 3 to 1 so service is immediate and flawless.

There are so many legends about this historic hotel entire books are written on it. Its General Manager Kurt Wachtveitl was a legend in his own time as he was appointed to the post aged 30 in 1967 and retired only in 2009 and was replaced by Jan Goessing who was promoted to head New York and Boston.

Most hotel general managers are men and few would expect the Mandarin Oriental to have a female GM since Kurt Wachtveitl had been so dominant for over 3 decades but this hotel already had not 1 but 3 female GMs previously! The third lady GM was Germaine Krull who was one of the original owners left in 1962.

Now, history is repeating itself as the current GM is also a woman--- Amanda Hyndman! Amanda Hyndman is the 4th lady General Manager of this illustrious hotel.

Every visitor to Bangkok should stay at Mandarin Oriental at least once or 1 day if you are on a budget. It starts from RM 1,400 for the cheapest room but is worth every satang. Then you can move into the YMCA for the rest of your stay in Kingdom of Smiles.

For those who don't have to count pennies, the hotel is having a package of RM 3,000 a night for its Mind, Body & Culinary package. 

TREAT YOURSELF THIS CHRISTMAS! SPLURGE, DON'T BE A SCROOGE, MORE SO IF THE WORLD ENDS ON 21/12/12!

www.mandarinoriental.com or +66 2659 9000

MIND, BODY & CULINARY HEAVEN AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL, BANGKOK

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok’s new Mind, Body & Culinary Heaven Package is a leisurely, luxurious programme of relaxing Asian wellness, delectable Thai cuisine and culture. The package aims to provide guests with lasting memories of an enriching stay in exotic Bangkok, at one of the world’s most legendary hotels that has been recently recognized as the ‘Best in Thailand’ by the readers of  Conde Nast Traveler, US.

Guests can experience physical, emotional and mental rejuvenation with a range of wellness sessions including private Tai-Chi or Pilates classes, yoga and meditation sessions and a deeply relaxing Oriental Signature Massage at the multi-award winning Oriental Spa, set in a beautiful Thai-style teak house nestled in a lush tropical garden on the Chao Phraya River.

Thai cuisine lovers will learn the key to creating Thai tasty delights with a private class at the hotel’s famous Thai Cooking School and then feast on the best of sumptuous Thai cuisine produced by the hotel’s award-winning chefs at the authentic Sala Rim Naam Thai Restaurant. Finally, an exotic boat ride up the scenic river to Bangkok’s magnificent Temple of Dawn, where sunrise or sunset vistas illuminate one of Thailand’s most treasured and beautiful places of worship is the perfect way to experience this fascinating city.

The Mind, Body & Culinary Heaven Package is available until 30 March 2013 and is priced from Baht 24,929++ or Baht 29,341 nett per room per night (single or double occupancy) and includes:

·         Private Tai-Chi or Pilates session

·         A 90-minute Oriental Signature Massage 

·         A 90-minute Yoga and Meditation session

·         2 pm – 5 pm: Private session at the Thai Cooking Class

·         Set Dinner at the Sala Rim Naam Thai Restaurant

·         A 60-minute boat trip to the Temple of Dawn (“Wat Arun”)

(Timing: Choice of Sunrise or Sunset)

·         Personal butler service

About Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Built in 1876 and ideally located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, has been an inspiration to a host of world-renowned writers from Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham to Wilbur Smith and John Le Carre. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok boasts an international reputation for splendid service, style and grace and facilities including eight restaurants. The hotel’s private teakwood shuttle boats provide daily access to the world famous Thai Cooking School, the hotel’s Thai restaurant, the award-winning Oriental Spa and Health Centre located across the River; as well as the nearest skytrain station (Saphan Taksin) and River City Shopping Centre.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts. The Group now operates, or has under development, 45 hotels representing 11,000 rooms in 28 countries, with 19 hotels in Asia, 13 in The Americas and 13 in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. In addition, the Group operates, or has under development, 14 Residences at Mandarin Oriental connected to its properties.

Facebook (www.facebook.com/MandarinOriental) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mo_hotels)

The world's best hotel on the River of Kings

Cooking class at Sala Rim Naan restaurant from the hotel's famous Thai Cooking School

You will be having dinner here at Sala Rim Naan with its fabulous cultural show as part of the Body, Mind and Culinary package

You will enjoy a superlative massage here at the world famous Oriental Spa

Watch the world sail by from Riverside Terrace

Garden of Earthly Delights

Some lobbies are larger and more imposing but none is as luxurious and welcoming than this one at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok which has remained unchanged for three decades

A genuine welcome

The Authors' Lounge is booked solid for afternoon tea and weddings! Its colonial architecture and double staircase are perfect for photos

A room with a fab view! This Deluxe Room is RM 1,500 a night

Something to write home about. This State Room costs  RM 2,500 a night

Executive Suite, about RM 2,500 a night

The Royal Oriental Suite is the best in Thailand though Dhara Dhevi in Chiangmai comes close. About RM 15,000 a night

My favourite Author's Suite as I love the Thai beds and lovemaking takes on a new dimension here! RM 4,500 a night

Le Normandie the world's best French restaurant outside France

Lord Jim's the world's best seafood restaurant

China House, the world's best modern Cantonese cuisine

Ciao the world's best al freco Italian restaurant with superb river views of Chao Phraya

Baan Noi the world's best Thai restaurant

Riverside Terrace is exactly that! 

The Regency Terrace is wonderful for casual dining, drinks and discourses!