We’ve stayed at the Pathumwan Princess Hotel in Bangkok on two previous occasions, and it’s always been consistently excellent. We were excited to experience the newly renovated rooms on this third stay.
We stayed here for a few days first. Then we went on an excursion to Ayutthaya for a week, staying at the Classic Kameo Hotel & Serviced Apartments, Ayutthaya for a total of 4 days. We then returned to the Pathumwan Princess and stayed for another 18 days.
LOCATION
The hotel is located in the MBK Center which is right in the heart of the city. Connected by the sky walkway is Siam Discovery and Siam Center; also connected by the walkway is the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
Thanks to the skywalk, the hotel has easy access to the BTS Skytrain Station National Stadium, which gives you access to almost anywhere in the city.
BOOKING
Each time we have booked through the hotel website, which we have found every time to have the best deals.
ARRIVAL
We arrived by taxi and were greeted by the hotel staff who immediately helped with our bags and directed us to check in.
Check-in was courteous and swift, and they were also kind enough to accommodate our early check-in requirements. Once in our room, staff quickly brought our bags up to the room, and this was the case for both times we arrived at the hotel.
ROOM AMENITIES
After not visiting for a while we were shocked to see the recent renovations. The rooms are bright and modern. With wooden floating floors and panelling throughout the room, the soft lighting behind the city silhouette of the bedhead gives the room a warm and cosy touch.
The entranceway shelving has Enough space for two large bags, which comes in handy when living out of separate bags. There was also a good amount of hanging space right where the bathrobes were hanging.
We were a little surprised that there wasn’t a mini bar this time; instead, the hotel had installed a cold drinking water tap, which proved to be a great idea. They still had a kettle and complimentary coffee/tea.
Having a small desk and chair was convenient for some quick emails or destination research for the following day; it was also nice to have a sofa bed to lounge around on without having to be on the bed.
Both rooms we stayed in were mostly spotless; the first room had a small amount of mould on the air vent, which we notified the staff of upon our departure. The next room we stayed in had no sign of mould.
It should also be mentioned that the rooms came with ‘Complimentary Super High-Speed WiFi 50+Mbps’. I never ran a speed test on it, but it was fast enough to support streaming video over all our devices.
BATHROOM AND TOILETRIES
Our room had a separate bath and shower with a modern neutral-tone decor.
My only complaint is the large shower gel bottles, shampoo and conditioner. I understand it cuts down on waste, but there’s something special to us about small luxuries like gel bottles and shampoo that I feel we miss out on.
They also had the typical offerings of toothbrushes and toothpaste, combs and other odds and ends.
HOTEL FACILITIES
The Pathumwan Princess Hotel has the most extensive gym we have ever used to date, coupled with the fact they also have a full-length swimming pool, tennis courts, squash courts, badminton courts, running track, indoor cycling room, aerobic studios and a Muay Thai ring. There was no shortage of things to keep us active.
The hotel also offers its Bangkok Spa to its guests, offering a range of massages and treatments. The Bangkok Anti-Aging Center also provides a range of procedures and treatments, which we didn’t look into while there.
DINING AND DRINKING OPTIONS
Within the hotel you have multiple dining and drinking options:
- Kongju Korean Restaurant
- CiTi BiSTRo
- Mix Beef Club & Restaurant
- Ping’s Thai Teochew Seafood Restaurant
- Saruda Finest Pastry
- Studio Bar
We have eaten multiple times at CiTi BiSTRo, having tried their buffet-style breakfast and dinner. Both were on our previous stays at the hotel and not the most recent. We remembered the meals being good value.
It’s not that the other restaurants don’t interest us that we didn’t try their food, it’s because of being spoilt for choice within the MBK Center, there are so many restaurants, food courts and supermarkets available within an easy walk.
DEPARTURE
The first time we departed, we had organised a private vehicle to pick us up from the hotel; they were running late and weren’t contacting us to let us know. The hotel staff were attentive and noticed we were hanging around, so they contacted the chauffeur company to locate their driver. In typical fashion, the driver was delayed due to traffic, but it was nice to finally know the status.
On our second departure, the staff organised our taxi, ensuring it was metered so we could get to our next hotel, the Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok. Again, thanks to the staff, it was an efficient and friendly farewell.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have to mention that I found a lot of rooms in Bangkok to be very loud; being able to hear the traffic outside in some rooms has caused a fair lack of sleep. I found the rooms here to be ok; however, if you have wolf-like hearing and are easily disturbed by outside noise, I suggest investing in earbuds. Perhaps you might even be able to ask for a higher level room on what they deem as the ‘quiet’ side.
One thing is for sure: having access to the MBK centre, especially for an extended stay, makes things a heck of a lot more convenient. Being able to pop down to Tops supermarket for toiletries, snacks, and the occasional beer was an added bonus.
But also the wide range of places to eat and snack at is almost second to none. Just be warned, the entryway into the MBK centre from the hotel is full of salespeople fighting for your attention, so just smile and keep walking!
Our time at the Pathumwan Princess was enjoyable, and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel to our friends; we hope they can maintain this standard now and well into the future for our return.
