Travel Blogger Match-up Part Four
Michael Taylor flies to Bangkok to take part in the first ever Travel Bloggers Match-up organized by Digital Innovation Asia. While in the Big Mango, he spends five nights at the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok.
Bangkok, Thailand, is chock-a-block with excellent hotels at all price points. They tend to have great facilities, fabulous restaurants, comfortable rooms, friendly service, and wonderful amenities such as spas and outdoor swimming pools.
So what could possibly set one hotel apart from the next hotel – other than its location?
It all gets down to what marketers refer to as “unique selling proposition”, and in the case of the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, where I am being housed during the Bloggers Match-up organized by Digital Innovation Asia, the USP would have to be Señor Pico’s.
Tacos in Bangkok?
I mean how many hotels do you know of in Bangkok with a Mexican restaurant? How many hotels do you know of in Asia with a Mexican restaurant? How many hotels do you know of outside of Mexico with a Mexican restaurant?
This is an absolute first for me!
I haven’t had a chance to eat at Señor Pico’s yet (I’ve been too busy with the match-up) so I’ll have to hold the review.
Let’s start with the hotel …
The Rembrandt Hotel is located on a quiet side street just a short walk from Sukhumvit Road. Photo Credit: Accidental Travel Writer.
The Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok is situated on a quiet, tree-lined side street – known as soi in Thailand – a five to 10 minute walk from Sukhumvit Road.
With Bangkok’s sultry heat, however, you’ll be glad to know that as with many hotels in the Big Mango, there is a complimentary tuk tuk service that will take you to and from Sukhumvit Road.
If you do decide to walk, however, you will find that Soi 18 is lined with restaurants and cafés as well as shops, convenience stores, and massage parlours. Don’t be surprised if you get side-tracked. You might not make it as far as Sukhumvit Road!
Insider’s Tip: if you are in a hurry, I strongly urge you to take advantage of the hotel’s tuk tuk servive. Taxis can be hard to flag down on side streets in Bangkok. You’ll usually have better luck on Sukhumvit Road, which also has a Skytrain station – in most cases the best option.
World’s Best Tong Yum Goong?
I venture across the street for lunch this afternoon and have the best tom yum goong I’ve ever had at the Rendevouz Restaurant (30/A Suhumvit Road Soi 18). The prawns are meaty and plentiful.
Best of all – in my opinion, at least: the tails and heads have all been removed.
I seriously do NOT like “playing” with my food!!!
In case you don’t know what tom yum goong is, it’s a pungent Thai soup chock full of prawns, mushrooms, tomato, and other yummy ingredients. No Thai meal is complete without it.
As much as I like the tom yum goong, I can’t say the same about the pork green curry that follows. It was a bit too bland and watery for my taste.
The tom yum goong at the Rendevouz Restaurant across from the Rembrandt Hotel is as good as it gets. Photo Credit: Accidental Travel Writer.
The Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok has 407 rooms and suites, a spa, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, and facilities for conferences and events. The Grand Ballroom can accommodate up to 800 guests.
In addition to Señor Pico’s are restaurants serving Indian, Italian, and contemporary Thai cuisine. Two of the outlets have live music most nights. There is also a piano bar in the lobby.
If you take a liking to Thai food, the hotel has a tiny cooking studio off the swimming pool that offers “comprehensive cooking and fruit carving classes” for those with a culinary bent.
Executive Lounge
I have been housed on the Executive Floor, and the Executive Lounge has some of the yummiest breakfast buffets I’ve ever experienced. What I like most is that the fare changes day to day.
Cocktails, wines, champagne, and a limited selection of snacks are served between 5.30 and 7.30 in the evening.
Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok is an affiliate member of Warwick International Hotels.
My stay at the hotel was sponsored by Rembrant Hotel Bangkok. The opinons expressed are entirely my own.
To Be Continued