Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok At Chao Phraya River - A Sensory Luxury Staycation

Just turned two. With the elegance and modern contemporary Royal Thai aesthetics, subtle touches and ornamental elements that can be found at every corner of the premise, The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok At Chao Phraya River is new on the accommodation scene and offers a generous amount of a sensory luxury staycation experience. mylifestylenews writes.

Despite a few destinations of the brand that we were not entirely convinced of by bringing out the best of its DNA, yet, when the Four Seasons hotel brand is mentioned, immediately you’ll think of the elevated upscale luxury and high expectations alert due to the already exalted bar for luxury hotels in booming Bangkok. On arrival to The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok At Chao Phraya River, many of these expectations were blown out of the water. With a prime Chao Phraya River waterfront location, you cannot be prepared for the scale and magnitude of this dazzling Chao Phraya Estate.

As you turn off from the iconic century old bustling Charoen Krung Road that is a portal to the city’s turbulent past and its vibrantly evolving present, this century old precinct gives you a sense of history and heritage and it is a melting pot of street art, historic buildings, temples and hundred-year-old shophouses have been converted into stylish cafes and bars as well as local favorite eat-outs by carrying the richness of the diverse cultural heritage over the generations that make this colorful locale even more exciting to explore the unknown domestic lifestyle.

The well paved driveway with beautiful green landscaping which leads to another point where the familiar Four Seasons logo is positioned, you know you are almost there. Then, you are at the arrival forecourt, the circular driveway with a giant tree being the centre piece to create a calm and urban resort aesthesia welcoming all arrival guests with a different entrance lobby to the Grand ballroom.

The staff readily greet you with a warm welcome and take care of your every immediate need and escort you to the reception lobby. The scale and grandeur unfolds with every step you take after walking through the hotel main entrance doors that takes your breath away.

Architecturally classy and sophisticated, the cathedral height ceilings draw plentiful natural light directly for the inner courtyard outdoor ponds or rather another inner stunning designed landscaping sectionizing the gigantic complex overlooking the award-winning Yu Ting Yuan Chinese restaurant. Simply mesmerizing!

Striking and colorful floristry arrangements are scattered around the hallways adorned with multiple reflection water features decorated with tasteful ornaments as well as floating metal candle bowls illuminating the entire classy interior against the stone art wall.

The reception vestibule that has been designed to reflect the golden dawn colours of sunset and Jean-Michell Gathy’s sophisticated luxury interior design work never disappoints, with the design led lighting that is not trying to compete for your attention and artworks that are not predictable and each of them has a story to tell that may not be self-evident.

Visually stunning, the more you progress the more you realise that the public lobbies are endless and so beautifully designed to draw your eye inwards and then outwards to the exterior landscaping that has the same sense of grandeur and scale. Bravo!

The contrast between the spare simplicity of the exterior and the congenial intricacy of the interior with the uninterrupted views of the bustling Chao Phraya River just takes your breath away.

Our arrival was earlier than the usual standard check-in time and this is a small niggle and a little underwhelmed but critical to such a luxury brand as to how the front desk handle this, yet without welcoming us or by asking us how our journey had been (even on check-out for our experience of stay as well as on warding transport arrangements). While the first conversation was to ask for our passports and left us somewhat deflated at this point.

However, it wasn’t long before our room was ready and we were whisked away to be introduced to our Deluxe River View Room on the 5th floor which gave us a wonderful elevation to look at the resort pools below and marvel at the majestic Chao Phraya River and beyond for this “dress circle” view for the next few days.

The 50sqm high ceiling room itself was spacious enough, complemented with a light-toned colour scheme that was calming and peaceful by creating the right atmosphere. With all things considered, complimentary snacks to enjoy together with an extensive minibar, premium Panpuri bathroom amenities, a large free standing oval bathtub, his and hers vanity basins, sustainable bathroom amenities, elegant objet d’arts adorned with luxurious bedding, a relaxing day-bed lounge chair and lots of wardrobe space.

By the bedside, the tech-savvy iPad for all information you could possibly need and chat instantaneously with the Four Seasons team by just one click away and quite prompt in responding.

This enormous urban resort is an enclave of sophisticated spaces and is anchored by an abundance of stunning reflecting pools and tropical greenery landscaping, both indoors and outdoors, that cascade down to the river and it is all thoroughly captivating.

You need to walk the length and breadth of the property to get a sense of the monumental scale, as it is too easy to anchor yourself in the same location each day and have no clue that there are so many other quiet areas to enjoy.

We took advantage of the intimate resort swimming environs with much delight, as it never seemed too crowded, with well-spaced out sun lounges and what must be the most substantial swimming pool on the Chao Phraya – in actual fact it is two large swimming pools side by side plus one side has a water pressured jaccuzzi space – and we spent as much time soaking up the sun and atmosphere as we possibly could, as it doesn’t get much better than this.

Also the attentive pool service team seemed to second guess your needs, not only constantly keeping an eye for the guests’ needs but also rehydrate their sunbathers at all times by refilling the icy cold aqua with the occasional delectable bite that were so unobtrusive despite they were incredibly busy with quite a few ongoing poolside orders.

Like any luxury resort, there is a spa and gym, but unless you frequent the fitness area, you will not know that there is yet another swimming pool which is set up for lap swimming and aqua aerobics. Besides, the fitness studio for yoga also has the facilities to cater for aerial yoga. On the recommendation of the fitness team we gave this a go and ended up having a ball even as beginners and this is definitely worth exploring.

We also signed up for the aqua aerobics to burn the extra calories the day after and it was also a lot of fun with fully guided and excellent instruction throughout the one hour session. After indulging so much, it was an indeed welcome inclusion into our daily routine.

Worth mentioning is the Brasserie Palmier which offers a casual dining with exquisite classic French brasserie gastronomy such as frog legs, onion soup, confit duck and crepe suzette, to name a few. The menu is spot on and you are spoilt for choice with so many favourites to consider. 

The interior fit out is simply beautiful with wonderful touches that give a sense of the French Riviera together with the bonus add-on warm and engaging front of the house team that make your visit even more delightful.

Another highlight is to book yourself a table at the dramatic Yu Ting Yuan for its exquisite Cantonese cuisine that you are craving for your all-time favourites - from the delectable dim sums, Peking Duck to the salivating barbecued poultries and plenty more signature dishes to savour that deliver the most authentic flavours to your plate.

Be warned, the booking is always full and prior reservation is a definite to avoid any further disappointment.

Breakfast is served by the pool and riverside at Riva del Fiume Ristorante featuring a relatively extensive and lavish affair with tastes and bites with the use of quality produce to suit everyone’s palate. The open kitchen section accompanying the buffet section is set up followed by another room with an extended buffet available and it is like a treasure hunt.

The quality of the bread and pastries, the freshly made jamon sandwiches, the homemade preserves, the variety of local Thai and Asian dishes are most impressively spread out, attractively presented and rather inviting. Not forgetting the wood fired pizzas is also available for breakfast. With various live cooking stations for your a-la-minute requests and this surfeit of space and the varieties to spoil you, it all adds to the overall pampering experience.

This is a beautiful space to start your day. Thoughtful table settings and sitting arrangements well-spaced out and it gives you a few choices for indoor dining, outdoor dining by the pool or riverside section to your preferred liking.

The entire restaurant is bathed in light, so it is an enjoyable experience either way. Service was quite prompt and mostly very attentive although despite each morning that one or two service staff seemed a little out of place.

Our stay was extremely memorable and it had been wonderful to reconnect with the brand on a new level of luxury and sophistication. Most communication was on point with concierge team being very helpful and knowledgeable with some in depth suggestions for some of the off beaten tracks to visit and explore especially the local dining scenes as well as some cultural sightseeing alleyways around this historical neighbourhood.

Contemporary elegance-meets-modern Thai elements are injected into most of the interior and décor all around the property and blends into a modern elegant vibe of sophistication that is easy to relax in, as one should. It is easy to fall in love with Krung Thep Maha Nakhon - the “Great City of Angels” we call Bangkok, because there is always a version of the city you can embrace, so is the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River.

Be dazzled and welcomed by a new level of luxury that makes you feel at home. The monumental scale of the resort is filled with surprises, dramatic yet intimate for a sensory luxury staycation experience that you have to admire and embrace. With that thought in mind, you will not want to leave.

Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 5/5
Room Amenities: 5/5
Housekeeping: 5/5
Food & Beverages: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4.5/5
Experience: 4.5/5
 
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok At Chao Phraya River
 300/1 Charoen Krung Road,

Khwaeng Yan Nawa

Sathorn, Bangkok

Thailand
Tel: +66 2032 0888

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.