Bangkok, Thailand Sleeps

The Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok can serve as your family’s abode while visiting Thailand’s capital city.

Bangkok, Thailand can be a chaotic place, though a very culturally enriching one. The best way to experience this city of temples, traffic jams, and tons of great shopping is to station your family in a luxurious, family-friendly hotel. And luxurious doesn’t always mean expensive, especially in Thailand, where tourists come in droves and are spoiled for choice when it comes to accommodations. Choose a hotel that’s central, but attentive to family needs. At the end of the day, when you settle down to a Thai massage while the kids are off playing, you’ll be glad you made that decision.

Here is one of FTF’s top selections:

Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok 
89 Soi Wat Suan Plu
New Road, Bangrak
Bangkok 10500, Thailand
66/2 236 7777
$$

Boasting river views, a lush garden and a world-class spa, the 799-room Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok offers a tropical retreat from a bustling city. A 2005 make-over has added two Horizon Club floors, a premium-priced concierge level with extra business services, a club lounge, complimentary snacks and other perks. Guest rooms are decorated in a clean, contemporary style with rich silk accents and Asian art, and many have views of Wat Arun and the noisy longboats and lyrical rice barges which ply the Chao Phraya River.

In April 2007, Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok re-introduced its luxury Krungthep wing. All rooms have private balconies that face the river, and guests of this wing are served by a private butler. One child can share the room, and those under 12 are not charged for a rollaway.

Now under construction, the Shangri-La Wing is temporarily closed, but is expected to open in September 2009.

Families will appreciate that this urban resort has enclosed gardens for playing, a large outdoor pool and a great location near the river’s water taxi system. The hotel is also a 30-second walk to the Skytrain public transit system. On Sundays, Shangri-La offers a family brunch; dinner cruises are also a fantastic option.

An added treat is the hotel’s garden restaurant whose very style is sure to help children understand what’s in store as they tour around the country and the rest of Southeast Asia. The Next2Cafe & Terrace has a 126-seat dining room and 328-seat terrace on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Open 6am-midnight in this city where some people do sleep, it serves a wide variety of international and Asian cuisines to jet-lag victims, hungry kids and night owls alike and welcomes smokers and non-smokers as well.  Guests make food selections from 5 restaurants, 2 lounges, and a poolside bar (all dedicated to seafood, salads, Japanese cuisine, noodles, grill and continental specialties – including a new Mongolian grill, and dessert). The Shang Palace restaurant is managed by Chef Mo Kam Wong, a 30-year veteran from Hong who specializes in Cantonese cuisine. Other on-site dining options include Angelini, an Italian restuarant, Horizon II River Cruise, and Salathip.

Hotel rates vary by season.