Bangkok

http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

We awoke in time for breakfast with a few remaining members of our tour group at about 8am. After check out, we thought we would get in a little bit of sightseeing, a half day of activities close to the hotel.

We booked a private boat ride from the nearby pier, which sped along the canals of Bangkok for about an hour, before dropping us off at the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace dress code was agonising in such scorching heat. Within minutes my jeans were stuck to my legs with sweat. It took the gloss off enjoying the spleandor of the palace. Fortunatley we ran into Leisha and Scott from the tour, which picked up our spirits enough to enjoy the palace for a couple hours.

Here we picked up our things, and set off for the Lebua tower. No more tour guides or tour group, here we began the final stretch of our hotel. A bit of luxury, and 5 nights for Nat and I to enjoy Bangkok by ourselves.

The hotel itself was quite stunning. We elected to upgrade our room to the Lebua Tower Club, to spoil ourselves for days in dingy hotels, and having to spend way less than expected over the course of the tour. The room we have is absolutely stunning. On the 58th floor, with balcony, lounge, king size bed, big tv, its awesome. The downside is, the cost of everything else in this hotel is extreme. There are three restaurants, with the main courses there being between around $50-150AUD. Upon arriving, we were asked if we would like a coffee and tea. As all our drinks for our room were to be included we accepted. That cost us $30AUD alone. So that takes us to the point we're at right now. We do get, included, unlimited drinks in room and between 12noon-6pm, unlimited alcohol and snacks from the tower club lounge.

Oh, the other downside, is the pool here is closed.... for renovation due to emergency??? They did offer us a free drinks card for the rooftop bar, and access to the Holiday Inn pool nearby free of charge, with free shuttle bus, so we'll have to give that a try. The hotel itself seems rather isolated, with not too much in close proximity (eg. laundry, restaurants etc.). We'll have a venture out soon enough and see what we can find. Otherwise, a quiet night in and some available affordable room service (there is some cheaper food) may be a possibility. Tomorrow we're thinking maybe the zoo, maybe a swim, we'll seeEn savoir plus