With the advantage of walking distance to Silom and Sathorn
business district - one of Bangkok's most happening and major streets as well as
the easy connection on the city’s BTS and underground Metro rail links, it has unquestionably
benefited COMO Metropolitan Bangkok being one of the most sought-after urban
wellness staycations in the City of Angels. mylifestylenews writes.
Centrally nestled on the bustling south Sathorn road alongside
with countless Soi (laneway) that surprises you always with innovative cafes,
restaurants, local vendors and eat outs as well as unique shopping experiences that
never give a dull moment to explore with your ambiguous and open heart that is off
the beaten tracks. The colorful neighbourhood attracts business and curious
travellers who are in search for something more exciting and unique travel
experiences while exploring Bangkok. With that in mind and the facilities that COMO
Metropolitan Bangkok has to offer, it has further extended their fame in the
past couple of years attracting even younger travellers for an urban escape
staycation.
The first impression by entreating the long entrance
driveway of COMO Metropolitan Bangkok is rather an exclusive welcoming
approach. It is simply designed to allow the reveal inside to attract your
attention. When you look back you see lush greenery everywhere that is quite an
oasis strategically planted in the heart of the city.
A small slope of driveway
will lead you to the hotel façade in no time and harmoniously greeted by a
large ornamented lotus leaf sculpture that sits on a small water feature which is
rather eye-catching and contributes a chic element to this decade’s old hotel.
Inside the double height spacious lobby draws plentiful
natural light through the giant glass wall from each corner and contemporary styles of furniture are carefully chosen to make a design statement to complement the
Chinese and Oriental Thai ornamental displays that harmoniously create a warm and
comfy ambience.
They are well spaced out sitting on the striking giant orange
carpets that you instantly notice the thoughtfulness of a deliberate contrast pops
of colours, adorned with vivid purple orchids that sit atop cylinder vases scattered
around the entire lobby and also serve the purpose to sectionize the lounge chairs
sitting area.
Key statement pieces of furnishings with Oriental touches compliment the minimalist interiors reflected well on the polished dark marble flooring.
Subtle yet modern with a sense of belonging and warmth emphasize its sophisticated
charm.
Off to the left of the lobby is a bar that is soon to be re-opened
since the impact of the pandemic from being re-imagined. Relatively, the other
end of the lobby has a small gift shop as well as their signature and
Michelin-starred nahm restaurant that serves a modern take on traditional Thai
fare, with vivid, fresh flavours. Worth exploring especially while you are staying
in house.
Looking out from nahm restaurant is the “urban resort”
swimming pool which is larger than a lot of existing and new opening hotels
in Bangkok, surrounded by lush traveller palms and well blossomed birds of
paradise flora that secludes the entire swimming pool area is a great escape to
cocoon yourself in this intimate garden pool and surrounds.
Plentiful of good
quality sun lounges and sun beds always encourages you to spend a lot more
time than usual by the pool, when the sunny-side-up, Vitamin-D is certainly in
the making to soak up all the positive vibes and this enormous swimming pool is
much to our excitement.
Service is prompt, inviting and discreet and you are gently whisked away to your room after a speedy check-in. Despite the hotel building itself is of a certain age, apart from low ceilings in the guest rooms and corridors, lots of dark wood furnishing is offset by light colours that gives a sense of coolness when contrasted with the warm tropical heat outside.
Our 54sqm Metropolitan Room features a large king bed with
smooth Egyptian linen and is sat on a wooden plinth and is quite low, in a way it
gave the feeling of more space due to the low ceiling of the aged building in
the past. The generous open plan areas are designed to be practical and
inviting. The comfortable living area encompasses a banquette sofa that ran a
substantial length of the window which segued into a corner working desk and
minibar area, all of which has a large coffee table as the centre piece to
spread your things out and get comfortable flanked by a simply and classy black
teak wood bench, covered in Thai silk cushions.
There is a phalanx of windows on one wall with excellent
window glazing to block the ambient noise from the busy Sathorn road at the
same time drawing a lot of natural light streaming in, which can be regulated
by the wooden blinds for the excess sun light during the day. The room offers a
view of the swimming pool from a higher vantage point and further back of Bangkok
Skyline along Sathorn area. The ingenious use of space juxtaposes the sophisticated
neutral palette and subtle textures to create a timeless décor and personal
touches. There is also plenty of wardrobe and drawer space to unpack and get
properly settled in.
The bathroom is all white and beige stone and tiles and
felt so airy, as the design elements have been well thought through with more
than enough space to spread yourself out for an extended stay, with a large
sunken bathtub and a semi-open shower cubicle separate from the vanity area. COMO
Hotels and Resorts curated their own COMO Shambhala bathroom amenities and
these are the perfect compliment for such a wellness brand and really elevate
the senses every time you use them. The label says invigorating and they
certainly are!
True to COMO’s philosophy, living a healthy lifestyle with
wellbeing is their utmost priority for the guest, so the semi-buffet breakfast
offering COMO Shambhala Cuisine is where you can enjoy healthy dishes that
utilise organic, locally sourced and nutritionally rich ingredients. The buffet
section has a selection of pastries, fresh tropical fruit, salads, superb fresh
juices, artisanal jams and butter, a wonderful selection of healthy breads and
so much more. We were so delighted by the ‘spread’ and on the surface it did
not look extensive, but in actual fact had more than you could possibly need.
The main dishes are ordered a la carte, so they arrive at
your table at the perfect temperature and after trying many variations over the
three days, there are lots of dishes worth going back for. You can be as
indulgent or as light as you want with what you eat and a balance by eating
healthy instead of overly indulging is the key by eating right and breakfast became
a highlight of our stay.
You can’t possibly surpass a spa treatment while staying in
any COMO hotels and resorts. The COMO Shambhala Urban
Escape in Metropolitan Bangkok is another oasis of calm for a well-deserved
wellness retreat located above the lobby and offers a large amount of space for
guests to indulge that is not your average wellness spa for you to nourish your
body and soul.
nahm helmed by Thai Chef Pim Techamuanvivit and consistently
in the top 10 restaurants of Asia over the last five years serves refined Thai
cuisine that is known far and wide within the realms of the dining cognoscenti. nahm has a discreet entrance, so on entering you are surprised at the elegance
of the interiors design and architectural highlights. The back wall is finished
in burnished gold with larger-than-life lotus flowers which creates such a
drawcard for the eye.
The subtly stunning dining room also features six brisk
columns which you think may be influenced by Thai culture, but apparently have
no specific meaning but are an attractive statement in themselves. The rest of
the palette is a mix of light and dark woods anchored by a black marble floor.
For those hankering fresh air, there is also an outdoor dining terrace
overlooking the tropical hotel pool, but beware of the humidity in the
evenings.
The food is quintessential traditional Thai flavours and will have some or perhaps all of your favourites, with a little twist here and there.
We were being critical and expecting some out of the frame ingredients and dishes, but they played it safe on the palate spectrum but we did enjoy a Tom Yum soup, Grilled Banana Leaf with Seafood and a Southern Yellow Curry, to name but a few from the menu and each dish was quite aroi mak mak (utterly delicious) and spot on.
The departure loomed large on the horizon and we were
rather reluctant to leave this urban oasis in Bangkok, as we had enjoyed an elevated customer service and experience from the utmost COMO hospitality for its attentiveness,
personalised greetings every day and always looked forward to our breakfast
feast. The amenities throughout the hotel are still pretty much top
notch and well looked after considering the age of the property, but the
heritage and spirit lives on and as the saying goes, age is just a number. At
least they strive to deliver what they think is best for their prestige guests.
Another to-go-to hotel for a harmonious and blissful staycation. Why wait!
Tried & Tested:
Location: 4.5/5
Design & Decor: 4/5
Room Amenities: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 4.5/5
Experience: 4.5/5
COMO Metropolitan Bangkok
27, South Sathorn Road,
Tungmahamek, Sathorn
Bangkok Thailand
Tel: +66 2 625 3333
Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.
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