When you believe the regular hotel booking platforms, there should be tons of 5 star hotels in Bangkok. On Trivago alone are various result pages when filtering like that. The reality is different though: many of the so-called 5 star hotels are officially rather 4 star places, and the amount of ‘real’ 5 stars is way lower.
One of the hotels always belonged to the best addersses in Bangkok since its inception in 1998: the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok, one of the few hotels of the famous Hong Kong chain. During my last visit to Bangkok I was finally able to check out the Peninsula Bangkok, once awarded the ‘#1 Hotel in Asia’ designation. Is it worth the try? Let’s find out!
Peninsula Hotel Bangkok: Location
The Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok is not directly in the city center as it’s on the other side of the Chao Phraya river. Obviously not every hotel can be directly at the Sukhumvit Road and Siam, so hotels have to be built somewhere else like Lumpini Park – or the riverfront.
Even though the location is not ideal (you can’t just walk to the center), the Peninsula allows a good connection to the most important public transport tool, the Skytrain. The hotel owns a total of three ferry boats that bring you directly to the Skytrain Station ‘Saphan Taksin’, which takes you directly to Siam.
The ride with an airport cab is a bit more expensive though due to the bigger distance, but taxi prices in Bangkok are cheap anyway.
Peninsula Hotel Bangkok: Review
Although it was pretty late, I arrived at the Peninsula Bangkok with a cab for a 2 night stay. The hotel staff welcomed me, took my luggage and guided me to the check-in desks.
The lobby is quite large, with beautiful wooden panels and an in general high-quality look and feel. The check-in area is rather hidden in the back, and the whole process is quite efficient. I did miss a welcome drink though.
I booked a standard room without breakfast, and got a very good price for it: 120€ per night is a steal for a Peninsula Hotel, especially when looking at the regular rates (180€ and more). Due t that I ‘only’ had a standard room with a view to the side of the hotel, not straight to the city center. When entering the room you come to a small hallway first…
…that leads to the living area on the left. The rooms in the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok have a rounded window front and classic furniture:
The typical flowers were waiting as a welcoming gift…
…and a couple minutes later an employee brought some tea. I’m not a huge tea enthusiast, but this one was tasty – and it made up for the mediocre check-in experience.
If you walk further down your room’s entrance hallway, you’ll find a small make up mirror…
…and a rather large storage space for your luggage, as well as some drawers and cupboards for longer stays.
The door to the bathroom is right next to it. The whole bathroom is decorated with beige marble and features a bathtub, a shower, a toilet and two sinks. Shower and toilet are separated in a small compartment each.
There’s even a small TV near the bathtub:
The outside area is well-designed as well, I especially liked the view on Chao Phraya River and downtown. There’s also a small garden, a restaurant and a hotel bar. This place is an even better dining option at night, when you have a beautiful view of the river:
The hotel’s ferry terminal is right nearby, with three ferries bringing you directly to Saphan Taksin:
After two nights I woke up with a great view of Bangkok, checked out and went back to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Conclusion: Peninsula Hotel Bangkok
Real five stars in Bangkok: the Peninsula Hotel Bangkok definitely met my expectations of a proper five star hotel in Bangkok. Room, public areas, service and cleanliness were fitting to the prestigious Peninsula brand, and always allow a stylish stay in Bangkok. Sadly rooms at the Peninsula are rather pricy most of the time, but are definitely worth the price.
