The document summarizes the Banyan Tree Bangkok hotel, noting its unique domino-shaped building and excellent amenities. It has 327 luxury suites with city and river views. The hotel has several restaurants with spectacular views, including Vertigo which is an open-air rooftop restaurant. The document recommends visiting for the dining, views, and spa treatments.

1. For great information on Thailand, see www.ugothai.com If you’ve ever seen pictures of the Bangkok skyline you’ve probably seen the domino-shaped building that dominates the upper Sathorn area. This uniquely-shaped building is one of Bangkok’s most interesting, and highest-quality hotels, the Banyan Tree Bangkok. As well as being beautiful on the inside it’s also one of the just plain coolest buildings you’ll see anywhere and certainly the coolest in Bangkok. As you can see from the photo it does have the dimensions of a domino and it’s actually so thin that the architects had to add the crescent-shaped open space high up in the building to allow the wind to go through, thereby reducing the force against the building. Otherwise, presumably, there would have been a chance that it could go down in a really strong wind. But this hotel is a lot more than just image as it has great guest rooms, a top-class spa and some really good restaurants. And its location on Sathorn puts it in close proximity to the Silom business district and not too far from either the river or the Sukhumvit area. And if you don’t mind walking for about 10-12 minutes you can get to the MRT also. The first thing that can be said about the 327 rooms, of course, is that you can get some great views of the city and the river from most of the floors and the rooms are all suites, ranging from the deluxe View Suite up to the Presidential Suite. You’ll get some essential amenities in them all too with an in-suite data line, a wireless internet connection, a fax line and fax machine (upon request), a hair dryer, bathrobes, a mini-bar, coffee and tea-making facilities, in-suite safe and a TV with satellite news and entertainment channels. We’re most impressed with the restaurants here, however, and with the exception of the international restaurant they are all on upper floors of the hotel and offer spectacular views of the city. However, one of the restaurants offers perhaps the most unique ambience of any dining room you’ve ever been in because it’s not really a room – the roof is the open sky. And it’s not just outdoors, it’s on the top of this flat building. The name of the restaurant is Vertigo and it’s unlike any place you’ve probably ever seen. You can sit at a table next to a railing, lean over and literally look out over the side of the building. It’s our favorite restaurant space of all time and many people come just for the experience. If you’re a visitor here you should definitely check it out. The menu, by the way, features contemporary dishes from all over the place. Oysters are a specialty and you can get a grilled Maine lobster, a number of other great-looking seafood dishes and a good selection of vegetarian dishes to go with salads, soups and appetizers that are all highly stylized and beautifully presented. Downstairs on the next few floors you’ll find three other restaurants, all with great views too, and a Japanese sake bar that serves some sushi and sashimi. Bai Yun is the Chinese restaurant, Pier 59 serves seafood and Saffron offers high-end Thai. Pier 59’s menu has a few non-seafood entries but it’s mostly exquisitely done seafood specialties from all over. Oysters are available here also – three types – as is Sevruga and Oscietra caviar, but you better be prepared to pay for it; it’s not cheap. Bai Yun features traditional Chinese fare such as Peking Duck, abalone, bird’s nest and many others in an elegant room. At Saffron you’ll find dishes from phad thai noodles to crispy soft-shelled crab along with a large menu of traditional dishes from all around Thailand. And at all of these restaurants you’ll find a very high level of quality, service and attention to detail. It’s obvious that the hotel pays a lot of attention to its food and beverage operations. The same can be said of Rom Sai, the hotel’s all-purpose dining room on the lower level of the lobby that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets that feature plenty of on-site cooking and lots of Asian and international selections. This restaurant was just relaunched in the middle of October with a new menu. One other facility in the hotel that should be mentioned is the spa, which is located on one of the upper floors and also offers great views while you are getting any number of high-end spa treatments. It was one of the first top-quality spas in Bangkok and has maintained a good reputation throughout the years. If you live here, you can always visit for some of the best dining and views in the city and if you’re a traveler, the convenient location and spacious rooms are a real plus.