Chaophya Park Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand
Don't let the liveried doorman fool you. Pretty soon you will be asking yourself why the rooms were so cheap. This is a really nice place with great rooms, excellent facilities and professional service. It must have been the location that kept the price down.
Some friends got me a good rate so I stayed a week that first time. A corner room seemed almost too large. Maybe the two windows created an illusion. Maybe it was the 29" TV. Maybe the comfortable sitting area.
The lobby lounge made a great place to meet after work .. their work, not mine. Big easy-chairs in a relaxed part of the spacious lobby just off the entrance to the equally huge main restaurant.
The Chao Phaya Park used to be located not so conveniently up Ratchadapisek Road almost to Lad Phrao. And everyone hates the traffic on Lad Phrao. Add the fact the Ratchada Road area used to have little more than businesses or government offices and a lot of open land.
Over the years, consumer businesses started popping up .. and then the nightlife explosion took place. So now Ratchada is the de facto party zone for Bangkok's young and restless.
Then the subway aka BMT opened. A station entrance is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. So you can can get to the Sukhumvit Road station in 20 minutes. All of a sudden the Chao Phaya Park has a great location.
If you fancy Japanese food, you can find a good restaurant on the Chao Phaya Park's mezzanine level. My Thai friends love this place .. so making reservations is a good idea.
There is also a very popular disco where you can party until the wee hours.
And about that cavernous main restaurant down by the lobby lounge .. their buffets are truly outstanding. At breakfast a cook stands by to whip up eggs and omelets to your order. Much more food is spread down on an appetising buffet line. Toast, bacon, potatos, croissants, rice porridge, juices, milk, cereal, fruit, coffee .. pretty much every type of breakfast stuff.
Not too long ago, another friend invited me to have a buffet lunch there. It's really hard to describe the variety and quality for Thai and western dishes. From outstanding vegetable dishes to a variety of meats, fruit, and noodles. Each time I went back for another helping I discovered something new. As I recall, we ate for about 2 hours.
You wouldn't be too far off the mark either way by rating the Chao Phaya Park as a 3+ star or a 4 star hotel.
There is often a problem, however .. and that's getting a reservation.
