I didn’t know quite what to expect when I landed in massive, overwhelming Bangkok. I’d heard raves and rants; impassioned diatribes on the brilliant street food and stern warnings about the seedier side of tourism. I planned to check out the former (and adamantly avoid the latter) before my Stray Asia tour departed for Sukhothai the next day, but since I met a new PR client on the flight over from JFK, I spent the majority of my time working in the hotel…
… but don’t be too sad for me. I stayed at the super swanky Tower Club at Lebua (yes, scenes from The Hangover 2 were shot here!) and managed to get a perfect view of the whole city from my balcony 50+ stories up. Way above the tuk-tuks and taxis, I could see rivers, temples, street food vendors and traffic traffic traffic.
Let’s be honest. After flying halfway across the world and arriving in the middle of the night, all I needed was a cozy bed (check), room service (check) and WiFi (check.) I awoke refreshed the next morning to sun peeking through the curtains, and pulled them back to find a beautiful sunrise bathing the hazy city in warm light.
After a really (long, busy) productive day, I decided to stick around the property for dinner at The Dome, a collection of restaurants a few floors up. First, I met the hotel’s GM and PR reps at Distil for a quick drink before dinner at Breeze, an open air Asian restaurant on the 52nd floor with a beautiful glass bridge high above the city.
Dinner itself was delicious, course after course. My favorite was the barbecue beef tenderloin… or maybe it was the green tea ice cream parfait. Either way, I loved this first (swanky!) taste of Bangkok.
Angie Orth is Angie Away, a globe-trekking communications specialist and entrepreneur. In 2010, she left a successful career as a travel publicist in NYC for the unpredictable life of a freelancing digital nomad. She’s passionate about travel, the Florida Gators, Shark Week, trying everything at least once and storytelling here at https://angieaway.com.
Ahhh I just saw Hangover 2 and would have recognized that balcony anywhere! So cool you stayed there. Is that your new PR client…??
Ha, no! I wish! Haven’t seen the movie yet… no theaters here in Santorini!