Adventures By Design

In which the travelers encounter Le Fenix rising from the ashes.

Gin found our hotel’s website while doing research on the net. This was our home in Bangkok. It was clean, friendly, and ultramodern. It was also in a convenient location within walking distance of both the skytrain (Nana and Asok Stations) and the metro (Sukhumvit station). Our room had a king-sized bed, air-con, standing shower, in-room safe, view up the street, daily complimentary bottle of water, four pillows (two normal sized and two body pillows, or, as Gin put them, “husband replacements”), TV with National Geographic, BBC, and CNN, and a glass-walled pool on the 7th floor. Breakfast was an extra $6, which was expensive, but there was a wide selection, and you could eat as much as you wanted (buffet style). The staff was friendly, helpful, and often playful (such as the security guard who saluted us as if we were royalty whenever we arrived). Frequently you could hear lounge or down tempo beats on the PA throughout the hotel (Thievery Corporation and Costes Hotel). Not surprisingly, all this coolness comes at a price: 1700 baht, or about $60 per night.