Arrival - Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Hotel - Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square
After You Dessert Café (Siam Square)
Sawadee ka! Welcome to the Land of Smiles.
It has been 15 years since Mr & Mrs Tan stepped into this city with warm people and even warmer weather. The last time we were there, we were still enjoying our married life and now we are bringing our "product" there.
As the trip was a pretty last minute decision, I relied solely on Expedia for all the travel arrangements - flight + hotel + transfer and tripadvisor for all other tips.
Now, I think my daughter is displaying the trend of falling sick before any travel plans.
Our last Japan trip was nearly foiled by her chicken pox virus and before this Bangkok trip, she developed high fever just one day before our departure.
I certainly hope it's by coincidence and that she stopped giving us such "surprises" in our future holiday trips.
On the other hand, I think her mental willpower is stronger than we can imagine. She managed to recover from the fever and even participated in her K2 graduation concert in the morning before our evening flight. All that without showing any signs of fatigue or whining. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself at the concert.
Even though her mummy was worried sick the entire time, we were so proud of her achievements thus far.
After the graduation concert, we rushed home to make any last minute preparations for the flight and didn't have time to have a proper meal. So we decided to head to the airport earlier for a quick bite. After checking in our luggage and buying the Thai SIM card, we proceeded to the Japan Gourmet Hall SORA located at Terminal 2 Level 3.
After our meal, we proceeded to the boarding gate for our flight. It was agreed that Daddy will sit with the princess in the sector up and Mummy on the way back. And boy, was I glad for this arrangement as I was feeling super tired by the time we boarded the aircraft. The fatigue from continuous sponging throughout the night to bring down the princess' fever coupled with the endless rushing for the day totally drained my energy. So, I was really grateful for the power nap I took on the flight. Thank you, Daddy (and the inflight entertainment system!).
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| Let's go! |
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| Flying on our national carrier. |
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| Round tag (left) - Charge your food bill from various stalls to it and make payment at cashier upon exit Rectangular tag (right) - Luggage deposit tag |
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| Thai SIM Card For unlimited internet access over certain days |
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| Somewhere over the rainbow |
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| The kids corner How thoughtful. |
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| Yumzzzz |
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| Good appetite after recovering from fever. |
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| Stackable animal stools |
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| Like father, like daughter |
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| Looking excited even though we were so tired |
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| Always happy to eat |
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| My choice of meal |
We landed at Bangkok Survarnabhumi Airport at 8.10pm Bangkok time (Note there is time difference between Singapore and Thailand - Singapore is one hour ahead of Thailand). Clearing immigration and customs was a breeze even though I've heard horror stories about it. After collecting our luggage, we proceeded to the waiting area for our pre-booked car pickup service. It didn't take too long before our ride arrived and off we went to our hotel!
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| Hello BKK! |
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| Our ride to the hotel |
The journey was relatively smooth with light traffic along the way. The only downside was the erratic air-conditioning system in the car - it will freeze us in one moment and turn off by itself the next minute, which left us feeling warm and stuffy. In the end, we decided to wind down the window with the driver apologising profusely for the inconvenience.
Despite the hiccup, we arrived at our hotel ahead of our expected time. We chose to stay at Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square due to it's proximity to the BTS station (Siam) and we managed to clinch a super good deal on Expedia - the Executive Room (which comes with breakfast and access to the lounge) is actually cheaper than the Deluxe Room (lower category)! Wow!
Before arrival, I emailed to the hotel directly asking for the possibility of adding an extra bed in the room for the princess. The hotel replied that the Executive Room comes with a day bed and the housekeeping staff will be able to convert the day bed into a sofa bed when requested. I was also promised a King size bed in the Executive Room.
As I read online that the hotel is undergoing partial renovations, I also asked if the Executive Room/Level will be affected by the noise (as the princess still need her afternoon nap) and the hotel replied that all Executive Room renovations has been completed. So I was expecting a renovated room with a brand NEW look.
So, with great anticipation, we arrived at the hotel. However, the check-in was a tad disappointing. Despite informing the doorman we were booked on the Executive Room, we were not shown to the lounge for the check-in. Instead, we were ushered to the lobby and made to wait in line. Being the ever-understanding earthling, we waited for our turn patiently and was greeted by a flustered looking staff who looked like she's finishing her shift really soon and just wanted to get things done quickly.
When we were finally showed to our room, my high hopes was instantly dashed the moment I entered the room.
There was no King size bed! Now, don't try to bluff me about the size of the bed as I have a King size bed at home. So I know exactly how big it should be and the bed in this room was definitely not a King bed. Not wanting to create unnecessary trouble as it was quite late already, I thought we should be able to make do for just a couple of nights.
However, as we went around the room taking photos (well, that's the norm now right?), I began to uncover more defects slowly - mould creeping on the bathroom floor/wall, smoking smell from the room air conditioner and faulty light switches. To give credit to the hotel, the room was still relatively well-maintained. But the final straw was discovering hair in the bathtub drainage hole!
Absolutely disgusted, I called up the reception and asked for a change of room. The reception staff who spoke in her Thai-accented English informed me that the room was actually a Deluxe Room BUT on the Premier Floor. When I tried to explained to her that my booking was for an Executive Room with a King Bed, she began to lose her patience (now who is the customer ah?) and explained that all guests on the Premier Floor are still entitled to lounge access. Now, I don't really care if the room is on whatever level or has lounge access or not, I just want my King bed!
Sensing that our conversations were futile, I asked for the reception desk manager and this guy (forgot his name) was truly an angel.
He explained calmly over the phone that the newly renovated Executive Rooms are not on the Premier Floor and if I wish to change the room, it has to be on the next day afternoon. After clarifications, he confirmed that the Executive Room comes with a King size bed, a convertible day bed and full access to the lounge. Now isn't this what I asked for in the first place?
The manager told me he will see to the arrangement personally and told me to bring our luggage down to the lounge when we go for our breakfast the next day.
Now, my other half was not too pleased with such arrangement. He said it was just too troublesome to move to another room. But my point is, why should I accept the wrong room type at the convenience of the hotel? I felt so cheated.
So folks, please do a quick inspection of your room when you check-in. If the room falls short of your expectations, kindly request to change. I do understand some requests are not guaranteed or on a first-come-first-serve basis. However, if you don't feel comfortable in the room, there is no way you are going to enjoy the vacation. Personally, I rather go through the trouble to change room than to put up with a room that's giving me goosebumps.
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| The wardrobe/luggage storage area |
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| The princess can't wait to remove her shoes |
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| Minibar |
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| Bathroom |
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| Toiletries |
After all the drama with the room change, we headed out in search of food at about 11pm. Most of the restaurants around our hotel were closed and so we settled for dessert at After You Café which was less than 5 minutes walk from our hotel. Cool.
I super like the tagline of this café - there's always room for dessert. That's so spot on! Haha.
We had the signature Shibuya honey toast, chocolate fudge cake and a glass of lavender lychee soda.
A bite of the toast had me grinning from ear to ear like a little girl being given a lollipop.
It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a bottle of maple syrup where you can drizzle on the toast to your liking. As you cut through the crispy outer layer, the inner sponge layer remained soft and fluffy. And it's warm! MaMa Mia!
The chocolate fudge cake was just meh but who can resist chocolate especially when it was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well.
My happiness level was up another notch when I took a sip of my drink. Lavender and lychee are two of my favourite ingredients. Combine them together and it will not fail to make me a happy person.
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| After You Dessert Café (Siam Square) |
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| Such beautiful entrance |
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| The signature Shibuya honey toast |
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| Chocolate fudge cake |
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| Lychee Lavender Soda |
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| The princess serving us drinks |
We were feeling exhausted despite the sugar intake from the dessert. It has been a long day for us - waking up at 7am to prepare for the princess' graduation concert till now.
Despite the hiccups, we were just glad our holidays has just started.
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| Hotel lobby |
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| Time to hit the sack! |
Bangkok Trip 2018 - Day 2 --->
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