For our little Christmas getaway, we decided to stay at a different hotel than when we were last in Bangkok. Sticking with the Marriot chain, we booked accommodation at The Westin Grande Sukhumvit. The hotel is located in the Sukhumvit area in close proximity to the Asok BTS Skytrain ad Sukhumvit MRT Metro. It is also right next door to the Terminal 21 Asok shopping centre that has a number of shops and restaurants.

The Westin hotel is located above the Robinson department store. The front door of the hotel is at street level.

Once through the entrance, there is a lower lobby area. In the lower lobby is the bell desk as well as a sitting area.

There is also a reception desk and elevators to the 7th floor where the main lobby is. There are also ATM machines on this level.

The elevators then open up right across from the Seasonal Tastes restaurant and Zest Lounge.

Turning left at the bar brings you in the main lobby area.

We booked a Premium Deluxe King High floor room at a rate of $234 CAD per night. The Premium Deluxe room is 42sqm/452sqft and has the following amenities:

• Dual voltage and USB outlets
• Coffee/Tea maker
• Mini fridge
• Hair dryer
• Robe and slippers
• Complimentary bottled water
• Complimentary wireless internet
• Iron and ironing board
• Evening turndown service

We were given room 2230 – which was on one of the executive floors.

It was just around the corner from the elevators, but we never heard any noise or traffic.

Entering the room there was a bathroom on the left. The bathroom had a separate shower and tub.

In the shower, there were White Tea hair and body products – which were fairly decent.

Opposite the bathroom was a closet and some shelving. Right next to the door was an ironing board.

Next to the ironing board was some shelves with coffee/tea appliances.

Under the coffee/tea machines was an empty cupboard, the room safe and some drawers.

To the left of these shelves was the closet. There was one robe in the closet and another hanging on the door of the bathroom. In the closet was a hair dryer, iron and two sets of slippers.

Next to the closet was a shelf with bottled water and an ice bucket. A mini-fridge was in a cupboard below.

In the main part of the room was the bed and a couch.

Opposite the bed was more shelving, TV and a desk. At the desk there were a couple of international outlets (220v) and a USB-A plug. On the front side of each night stand there was also another international outlet and USB-A plug.

The view from the room faced west and overlooked the BTS train. A person could hear the trains from the room, but it wasn’t loud enough to be intrusive.

Because of my husband’s Titanium status with Marriott, we had access to the Westin Club Lounge on the 24th floor. The lounge provides breakfast from 6:30 to 11:00am, afternoon tea from 12:00pm to 4:00pm, and evening cocktails from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. All-day complimentary tea, coffee, and non-alcoholic refreshments are served in the lounge as well.

The Club Lounge had a very decent spread of food during these times. For breakfast, there was a good selection of hot and cold foods, and you could also order egg dishes if you liked.

For the Afternoon Tea, there was an assortment of sandwiches, fruit, scones and desserts.

For evening cocktails, they had the breakfast pastry area set up as a bar, where you could order free wine, beer or cocktails. There was also a huge spread of food, with a large variety of dishes such as fried rice, stir fry, ribs, pizza, sushi, salads, and desserts. Unlike some other hotel club lounges, the amount of food provided was definitely enough for a full meal. Because of this, the lounge was quite crowded every night.

Other dining options at the hotel included:

• Kisso Japanese Restaurant – open 12:00pm to 2:30pm and 6:00pm to 10:30pm.
• Seasonal Tastes – gourmet international cuisine. Open 6:00am-10:30am, 12:00pm to 2:30pm, and 6:00pm to 10:30pm.
• The Pool Bar – drinks and food available from 10:00am to 8:00pm
• Zest Bar and Terrace – an open terrace bar with drinks and light snacks – open 7:00am to 1:00am

Kisso Japanese restaurant was on the 8th floor of the hotel, and was accessible via stairs or elevators from the 7th floor. We didn’t eat here, but if the sushi we had in the club lounge is anything to go by, it seems it would be a very good place to eat.

The Zest Bar and Terrace is located right next to the Seasonal Tastes restaurant. We did not end up eating or drinking here, but Titanium members have the option of having complimentary drinks at the bar between 6:00pm and 8:00pm.

With Titanium membership, there was also the option for us to have breakfast at Seasonal Tastes in the morning instead of the club lounge. This restaurant has an amazing buffet with various different stations. There is also the ability to order custom egg dishes as well.

The various food stations available for breakfast were:

• Pastries
• French Toast/Waffles
• Noodle soup
• Dim Sum
• Hot dishes
• Carving station
• Sushi
• Cereal
• Cold cuts/cheeses/salad
• Fruit
• Fruit Juices (including whole coconut drinks)

The food in the club lounge and restaurant were of the same quality, but there was more selection in the restaurant for breakfast (we did not eat in the restaurant for lunch or dinner).

Other amenities of the hotel include the Vareena Spa that offers various treatment rooms, including couple’s rooms and a hydrotherapy room. The spa is on the 8th floor of the hotel. We did not make use of the spa as there were numerous massage places within a block of the hotel.

Between the spa and the pool is WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio featuring cardio machines, weights and strength machines.

The 8th floor is also where the outdoor pool is located. This is a 227sqm/2444sqft saltwater rooftop pool that overlooks the Bangkok skyline. The pool is open from 6:00am to 9:00pm. The pool is unheated, so takes a little to get used to when first getting in, but it is fine after that.

A nice service is that when arriving at the pool the bar attendant will bring over complimentary glasses of cold fruit juice. There is a pool bar menu where you can order additional drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) along with some food items.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Westin. The rooms were nice and roomy with lots of electrical sockets for all our electronics. The service in the club lounge and the restaurant was amazing. One of the best features was the location. With a BTS and MRT station within steps of the hotel, it was easy to get around the city. Right next door was the Terminal 21 mall with various shops and a great selection of restaurants/food stalls. Within easy walking distance of the hotel was a large choice of massage parlours, tailors, nail salons and restaurants. And for people that like to party, Soi Cowboy street is only a few blocks away.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Westin when staying in Bangkok. I would definitely stay here again next time I am in Bangkok.