Branching out over Chao Phraya River that carves its mark through the city of Bangkok, I gazed down over the river from our panoramic suite somewhere up within The Millennium Hilton at the city on either side, scanning over the nocturnal light display beneath.
A prominent member of Bangkok and one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in the city, 533 rooms and suites wrap themselves around the Hilton’s tall building that overlooks the city. Down 30 floors and back at river level is their buffet style restaurant Flow. Stay in enough hotels and you soon learn that buffets more often than not a clear hit or miss. A relief after a long journey, the buffet at Flow is not an aspect to this city hotel that had been overlooked. European favourites line the room alongside a fresh and colourful sushi and sashimi bar, a fragrant stretch of Indian dishes, a centre piece of Thai delicacies and a tardis to the side of the restaurant with a refrigerated cheese room that is worth definitely worth a nose. Over a bottle of wine, we sit with a river view and watch the boats meander on by on what is also pinned as the bank of ‘River of Kings’.
A contrast to its culinary counterpart Flow, the hotel’s 32nd floor hosts a bar entitled the Three Sixty Lounge. To a soft jazz beat this cocktail bar is all in the name and offers wrap around views of Bangkok with slanted glass windows, allowing maximum visibility. This view itself draws in an audience from across the city and a bubble balancing on top of the Hilton hotel, the atmosphere that this bar hosts really is on a higher level. Enveloped within its own atmosphere of sophistication, and away from the frenzy of Bangkok 32 floors down, sofas and deep arm chairs offers arguably one of the city’s unparalleled views.
Tucked underneath the Three Sixty Lounge is a concept designed exclusively for hotel guests – the Executive Lounge. Along with the views of the bar above, the Executive Lounge is available to guests every day and offers itself as a dynamic hub, whatever guests needs may be. Offering itself as another dining facility, the lounge serves breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and is a haven for business travellers with the addition of meeting room hire and free wifi. On one side of the lounge I walk through some automatic glass doors which sleekly slide open, the heat and humidity of Bangkok instantly hits me and I am welcomed by an open terrace for guests to sit outside and drink in the buzz of Bangkok below them.
Traffic in Bangkok is notoriously bad therefore a taxi across the river and into town isn’t always the most feasible option for Hilton guests. From the grandeur of the lobby, walk down past the bar and another of the hotel’s restaurants to the Hilton’s private boat pier. Bobbing on the Chao Phraya River this pier plays host to the Hilton’s complementary shuttle boat to the nearest sky train station that can be found slightly down river. Not just a novelty to tourists the shuttle boat is a clear convenience over taxi travel and gives, first timers such as myself, a new (and much lower) perspective to the city.
The Millennium Hilton is a comfortable midway point for travellers to Bangkok. A prime and convenient location on the river, the hotel is set around both business and pleasure travellers. I was previously told the beds were ‘the best’ and was not disappointed. Drawing the curtains in our capacious panoramic suite, the Hilton excels in comfort and helpful hospitality – a backbone to Bangkok’s international travel.
Address: The Millennium Hilton, Bangkok: 123, Charoen Nakhon Rd, Khlong Ton Sai, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600, Thailand, +66 2 442 2000, hilton.com/en/hotels/thailand/millennium-hilton-bangkok
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