Bangkok Thailand - 15 to 17 May 2016 | The Residence on Thonglor

First time going on a trip with fellow foodies. Not too many, just the cosy four as the rest could not make it due to differing schedules.

First challenge, was to find a suitable accommodation that fits our purpose. Budget of below SGD150 per night. Best if nearby has good food. Keke. Areas to consider was Pratunam, Pathum Wan and Thonglor. Spent some days scouring the hotel booking sites for a list of hotels that fits the criteria. Next, pored through the reviews and finally, made my recommendation. The Residence on Thonglor. Looks like good value for money with two-nights below SGD150 (without breakfast) and room size of 40 sq.m for a Studio Junior Suite. Nearby food options checked and aplenty. Downside? Distance from nearest BTS is about 1.9km.

Reached hotel about 1pm, an hour earlier than the 2pm check-in time. The hotel lobby is at Level 2, and was attended to by Apple. There will be a deposit of ฿1000 required upon check-in. Waited for about 15 to 20 minutes and was able to get the room at Level 5, slightly earlier. Wifi password is provided as well. The signal was quite good throughout the two-days stay.

しつれいします!

First impression upon entering the room was like, "Wah... so spacious!" Can't be helped as am accustomed to the size of hotel rooms in Japan. Went exploring the space and was basically, a happy kid! Though I've booked a Junior Studio Suite, I think I got upgraded to the 1-bedroom Suite instead. WoohOOo!

personal living room in a hotel

view from the window

bedroom

bathtub

yes, with toothbrush kit provided

lemongrass shampoo and bodywash

There is a full sized fridge in the room, but it was empty except for two bottles of drinking water.

time to stock up!

Discovered that the bottles were rather dirty so gave it a good wash. The empty fridge looked quite forlorn, so decided to stock up with some stuffs later on that night. The nearby Family Mart is about 6 minutes walk away, while a bigger supermarket called "Villamarket" is located at J's Avenue, about 15 minutes walk away.

all clean again

The hotel has an on-site deli/restaurant called Kuppadeli. The menu can be found in the room and guests can call for room-service, though I have no idea which number to call. Apple did mention, but I couldn't catch nor remember what it was. Perhaps, to dial #5?

Kuppadeli menu

That night, we did go out to J's Avenue, and I came back with some drinks and instant noodles as the next day we will have an early start to go to the floating market, located about 2 hours drive away from our area.

hotel sign from afar, at night

back to the hotel

The room has a washing machine cum dryer, but remember to bring your own washing liquid/powder as that is not provided. Tried the machine and had some trouble getting it to wash. It was throwing out an error. Finally, figured it out that the error meant that the door was detected as not closed. So, just needed to open and close it again. It took about an hour to wash the smallest load and another two hours to dry. Hangers are provided in the bedroom closet.

There are two TVs; one in the living room and another in the bedroom. Airconditioning as well. Hence, need to remember to switch off these two different locations before going out.

enjoying a snack while watching TV

If you need the newspaper, there are only shared copies in the Lobby.

shared newspaper in the lobby

Head right up to Level 9, to access the Gym, Infinity Pool and mini-golf course.

Level 9 rooftop

relax and enjoy the view

gym

mini golf course

infinity pool

panoramic view of Level 9

For breakfast, I fixed some instant noodles and enjoyed a packet of orange juice. For coffee, there's nescafe sachet in the room. It wasn't replenished the next day though.

tea and nescafe

breakfast DIY

If you need to get to Thonglor BTS, just let the hotel staff know and they will get the driver of the complimentary shuttle to take you there. If the shuttle is out, just need to wait for about 10 to 15 minutes as the journey to the destination is about 5 to 6 minutes, if the traffic is good. The complimentary shuttle service is actually the hotel tuk-tuk which is a cleaner and spacious version of tuk-tuks.

enjoying the shuttle ride

Had enjoyed the stay at The Residence on Thonglor and will be back again.