Best Western Premier Amaranth
Suvarnabhumi Airport
68 Moo 2 Kingkaew Road,
Bang Phli, Samut Prakan,
10540 Thailand
Phone: 66 (23) 159393
Website
I stayed a couple of days at the Best Western Amaranth to have a rest between my busy flying schedule, and I am was happy with its convenient location, great facilities, good price and great service. The hotel is located in a quiet area, with not much happening around beyond the traffic, a fact that turns it into an oasis of peace in the middle of the always busy Bangkok.
The hotel is located at about 10-15 minutes drive from the airport. It is very spacious, with a shiny uber-clean lobby and common toilets, a restaurant, a spa, and a pool with bar included. There are separate premises for conferences and business meetings, as well. The common gardened areas are beautiful, with lovely ponds full of water lilies and the Amaranth dragon sculptures. The hotel is by a big road, and there isn't much to see around. However, this is a transit hotel and if you are coming on holidays, you would probably want to go elsewhere. However, the concierge and tour desk have a nice selection of day and half day tours around Bangkok.
Suvarnabhumi Airport
68 Moo 2 Kingkaew Road,
Bang Phli, Samut Prakan,
10540 Thailand
Phone: 66 (23) 159393
Website
I stayed a couple of days at the Best Western Amaranth to have a rest between my busy flying schedule, and I am was happy with its convenient location, great facilities, good price and great service. The hotel is located in a quiet area, with not much happening around beyond the traffic, a fact that turns it into an oasis of peace in the middle of the always busy Bangkok.
The hotel is located at about 10-15 minutes drive from the airport. It is very spacious, with a shiny uber-clean lobby and common toilets, a restaurant, a spa, and a pool with bar included. There are separate premises for conferences and business meetings, as well. The common gardened areas are beautiful, with lovely ponds full of water lilies and the Amaranth dragon sculptures. The hotel is by a big road, and there isn't much to see around. However, this is a transit hotel and if you are coming on holidays, you would probably want to go elsewhere. However, the concierge and tour desk have a nice selection of day and half day tours around Bangkok.
My room was huge, with a wonderfully firm King Size bed, work and rest areas, plenty of storage room and natural light, a decently sized flat screen with plenty of local and international channels, coffee/tea making facilities, and an alarm clock. The toilet was rather average regarding size and facilities, but spotless clean, and with a complete set of toiletries, as it used to be before hotels decided that the less is more. For most travellers, the more toiletries the better, and the Amaranth understands that, so you can fin anything you might need, from a toothbrush to a mini-sewing kit.
All the staff at the hotel are just wonderful. My special thanks to the people at the reception desk, shuttle transfer van and to the Spa ladies, who
are the quintessence of what Thai people are: serviceable, chilled out,
kind, competent and smiley.
THE RESTAURANT
The restaurant has a huge selection of classic favourites of the European, Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines, the last being my favourite while in Thailand (and good in this hotel). Buffet breakfast, included in my room price, was varied and satisfying with plenty of cold and hot, sweet and savoury options, but a bit bland in taste. They have also a huge selection of International wines, mocktails (I loved the ginger one) and smoothies. Prices are high according to Thai standards or high for what you pay in the city eateries and posh restaurants for better food, but it comes handy if you are staying just for a few days or in transit.
THE POOL
The pool area is located at the back of the hotel, behind the gym area, and it is wonderfully relaxing, very clean and good looking, with plenty of lying seats, and a small bar-cafe attached to it.
THE SPA
The in-hotel spa Amaspa is just awesome. Despite its small size, the place is wonderfully stylish and relaxing, with Thai classy style decor and a very attentive staff. You are welcomed in the place with a bell flower cold tea (a stunning herbal tea that I would have bought if it had been for sale) and farewelled with a hot tea; their tea pottery is gorgeous. The pots they use, the flowers, the mini-pond, the lighting, everything is soothing and beautiful. But it not just the looks. Amaspa delivers. Thai massage therapists are among my favourite in the world because of their technique and ability to read your body and fulminate your pains and aches with their tiny hands and broad smile. The masseuses here apply a medium-strong pressure, which I found extremely hard, as they are stronger than any of my physiotherapist or remedial masseuses in Australia! You better tell them in advance which sort of pressure you want. I had the Ama Sampler package done, and it is just fabulous regarding the quality of the products they use, the mastery of the therapists, and the state of your skin when you leave Amaspa's premises. The foot massage was also amazing. Prices are not cheap, but nothing comparable to what we would pay in Australia for such a quality package.
POINT MAKERS
THE RESTAURANT
The restaurant has a huge selection of classic favourites of the European, Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines, the last being my favourite while in Thailand (and good in this hotel). Buffet breakfast, included in my room price, was varied and satisfying with plenty of cold and hot, sweet and savoury options, but a bit bland in taste. They have also a huge selection of International wines, mocktails (I loved the ginger one) and smoothies. Prices are high according to Thai standards or high for what you pay in the city eateries and posh restaurants for better food, but it comes handy if you are staying just for a few days or in transit.
THE POOL
The pool area is located at the back of the hotel, behind the gym area, and it is wonderfully relaxing, very clean and good looking, with plenty of lying seats, and a small bar-cafe attached to it.
THE SPA
The in-hotel spa Amaspa is just awesome. Despite its small size, the place is wonderfully stylish and relaxing, with Thai classy style decor and a very attentive staff. You are welcomed in the place with a bell flower cold tea (a stunning herbal tea that I would have bought if it had been for sale) and farewelled with a hot tea; their tea pottery is gorgeous. The pots they use, the flowers, the mini-pond, the lighting, everything is soothing and beautiful. But it not just the looks. Amaspa delivers. Thai massage therapists are among my favourite in the world because of their technique and ability to read your body and fulminate your pains and aches with their tiny hands and broad smile. The masseuses here apply a medium-strong pressure, which I found extremely hard, as they are stronger than any of my physiotherapist or remedial masseuses in Australia! You better tell them in advance which sort of pressure you want. I had the Ama Sampler package done, and it is just fabulous regarding the quality of the products they use, the mastery of the therapists, and the state of your skin when you leave Amaspa's premises. The foot massage was also amazing. Prices are not cheap, but nothing comparable to what we would pay in Australia for such a quality package.
POINT MAKERS
- Free shuttle to the airport running every half an hour and, in the wee hours of the night, every hour. If you have breakfast prepaid and are departing before the restaurant opens, you will be provided with a breakfast pack, one of the best I have had to take away in my last travels!
- 24/7 Room Service.
- Two bottles of complimentary drinking water per day.
- Free Wi-Fi. User name and password are provided when you check in.
- Complimentary non-alcoholic drink at the bar.
- There is a 7eleven supermarket at five minutes walking distance. They sell a bit of everything (from packed meals to batteries, snacks, toiletries, etc.), it is extremely clean, well organised and has wonderful staff. If you bother to say anything in Thai, they will display their best smile.
- Several street eateries are located at a few minutes from the hotel, too, the nicest one by the 7eleven.
DOWNSIDES
> The room was a bit run down, with one of the power boards a bit detached from the wall and with not enough power to feed my computer, but OK for my tablet.
> There were just two power points in the whole room, and one of them wasn't in good condition, with those sparks that you get when you plug something to a defective socket.
> Tap water in the room is NOT drinkable. You won't notice or know
unless you ask the staff or read the hotel booklet in the room. It might be too
late by then.
> The body wash smelled of laundry soap!
> The body wash smelled of laundry soap!
> The air-conditioning was very noisy.
> The walls aren't that thick, so you can listen to your next-door neighbour's conversation easily.
> The walls aren't that thick, so you can listen to your next-door neighbour's conversation easily.
IF THIS WERE MY HOTEL I WOULD ...
# I would revamp a bit the rooms furniture.
# I would include channels in French, Italian and Spanish and Thailand receives plenty of tourists from these three countries.
# I would provide a few more sachets of coffee and creamer. The cleaning ladies gave me a few spare ones when I requested them, but it is just natural to expect a person staying more than six hours to have more than two coffees, no?
# I would add a box of tissues in the main room area.
# A must. If the tap water is not drinkable, a sign should be placed in the toilet saying so.
Good hotel, close to the airport, with lots of features or guests, and with great staff. This not a flashy posh place, but very welcoming and comfortable, decently priced and with great service.
# I would provide a few more sachets of coffee and creamer. The cleaning ladies gave me a few spare ones when I requested them, but it is just natural to expect a person staying more than six hours to have more than two coffees, no?
# I would add a box of tissues in the main room area.
# A must. If the tap water is not drinkable, a sign should be placed in the toilet saying so.
# I would show the pricing of the spa treatments in net prices, taxes included.
# I would revamp the restaurant, making the breakfast area and the night dinning areas clearly distinct in decoration and settings. At the moment, everything is one space, too dark until the artificial lighting is on.
MIND
-- There are plenty of mosquitoes around, especially around the pool in the late hours of the day, but also in most outside areas and some of the common areas as well. These mosquitoes like you, guaranteed. The staff work hard to get rid of them in the indoor areas with some super-duper electric racquets, but they are still around everywhere outside the air-conditioned indoor areas, especially around the pond and pool.
-- Prices showed in the spa brochure do not include taxes, and 500 bath were added to my final bill.
-- There are plenty of mosquitoes around, especially around the pool in the late hours of the day, but also in most outside areas and some of the common areas as well. These mosquitoes like you, guaranteed. The staff work hard to get rid of them in the indoor areas with some super-duper electric racquets, but they are still around everywhere outside the air-conditioned indoor areas, especially around the pond and pool.
-- Prices showed in the spa brochure do not include taxes, and 500 bath were added to my final bill.
Good hotel, close to the airport, with lots of features or guests, and with great staff. This not a flashy posh place, but very welcoming and comfortable, decently priced and with great service.
