Staying (and Eating) at Bangkok’s Amari Watergate Hotel – A Few Days of Luxury

By Mark Wiens 26 Comments

In mid June 2013, I was invited to attend a travel blog conference in Bangkok organized by Digital Innovation Asia.

While attending the conference I was put up in Amari Watergate, a luxurious hotel located smack dab in the middle of the bustling Pratunam market and shopping district of Bangkok. If you’re coming to Bangkok to go shopping, the location couldn’t be more perfect.

From the moment I stepped in the door to the moment I left, the service at Amari Watergate Hotel was nothing short of fantastic.

Even though they were busy helping other customers when I arrived, in just a moment a new check in counter opened to assist me, and the receptionist even apologized for having to wait just a minute to check in.

The manager greeted us with a lovely garland of fresh flowers.

After checking into my room, before even noticing the bed or bathroom, I headed straight over to the end table where a little platter of goodies greeted me.

It had been quite a while since I had eaten smoked salmon, and wow do I love smoked salmon!

When it comes to the rooms, Amari Watergate Hotel* makes no mistakes on the comfort of the beds or the pillows.

The bed was literally one of the most comfortable things I’ve ever slept on. I can’t say I’ve ever slept in the middle of a puffy cumulus cloud, but I sure felt like I did after snuggling into the Amari bed.

The pillows were also magical, and on my bedside table there was even a “pillow menu,” where all the pillows on the bed were listed with which ingredients were stuffed into them… pretty cool, right?!

Swimming pool with a view of Baiyoke Tower

Just after checking in, I headed down to the swimming pool to take a dip. As you can see, there’s a nice view of Baiyoke Tower, the tallest building in Bangkok, from the pool.

One of the ultimate things are about staying on the 32nd floor of Amari Watergate Hotel was the complimentary drinks and canapés provided each evening from 5 – 7 pm. Believe me, there was no way I was going to miss out on this opportunity!

Leg of lamb, cream of vegetable soup filled into flaky pastry shells, olives and pickles, cheeses and bread, and all washed down with a cup of red wine followed by a cup of coffee and I was quite satisfied.

View of Bangkok from the 32nd floor of Amari Watergate Hotel

The view was great, and I couldn’t believe I was in the middle of Pratunam, sitting peacefully enjoying the quiet view while raging traffic and hordes of shoppers flurried around just 32 stories below me. It was like being in a different world.

Stuffing in as much breakfast buffet as possible!

After sleeping like a baby on the extremely comfortable bed I awoke just before 6 am to head straight to the breakfast buffet.

I know, I’m a little strange, but I find great joy in waking up early and being the first one at the breakfast buffet (anyone else do this too?).

Since I get plenty of Thai street food, I was really looking forward to eating western breakfast dishes and taking advantage of things like cheese and deli meats – foods I rarely eat while living in Bangkok (though they are available).

Over my few days stay at Amari Watergate, I got my fill of all sorts of delicious cheeses, fancy deli meats, salmon, pastries, and fine breads.

Breakfast is always one of my favorite times of the day!

In addition to having a wonderful stay at Amari Watergate Hotel, we were offered a chance to try a one hour complimentary spa treatment.

I have an occasional Thai massage in Bangkok, but I had never before experienced a luxury spa. I chose a treatment that included a combination of hot rocks and oil massage.

Over an hour later, which felt like a mere 15 minutes, and I emerged from the spa feeling like a completely new person. I was in such a relaxed massage high, I could barely do anything productive for the rest of the day (except eat, of course).

And as much food as I’ve eaten and been able to sample while traveling, I had never had a macaron before.

Thanks to Amari Watergate I had my first macaron, and I must say that even though I’m not much of a sweets fan, this box of lovely colored macarons were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Amari Watergate Hotel* is a 5 star hotel located right in Bangkok’s most popular shopping district. Rooms are extremely nice, service is warm and friendly, and location couldn’t be better.

*My stay at Amari Watergate Hotel was sponsored, but everything in this post is my own personal thoughts and opinions.

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