Royal Meridien Plaza Athenee Bangkok
 

Hello all,
1st time traveler to Thailand and will be beginning with a 3 day stay in Bangkok. Does anyone have experience staying at Plaza Athenee? Would love your opinions as to quality, location, etc.
Thanx in advance for any help.
Warm Regards

It is a beautiful hotel with great restaurants and it is close to The Conrad Hotel & All Seasons Place (a nice shopping mall.) But it is a bit of a walk to the nearest SkyTrain Staion (maybe 300+ meters?) It is down the street (Wireless Road) from the U.S. Embassy, its location is mostly suited for people with Embassy business.

I would recommend it if you like that kind of downtown location.

I think the America's Next Top models girls stayed there in the most recent past season.

Not that that means anything, but if you catch the reruns, you can probably see footage of the hotel.

My wife and I stayed there in February. We were on the executive floor (23rd?) which gave us exclusive check-in/check-out and free extensive buffet breakfast, afternoon cocktails and internet access in the exec lounge. The room was 4 star, not 5 star - relative small with no double sinks, for instance but all the normal amenities and a good view of Bangkok. I thought the location was great. Yes the skytrain was a block away (5 minutes, max) but not inconvenient at all. We thought the price was great for what we received. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions.

Yes, the models did stay there from Tyra Bank's show..."America's Next Top Model"...and the hotel looked beautiful. Happy Travels!

the location is fantastic and with the exception of craig i have not read of any fodorite staying there...you could not ask for a better location other than on the river...foru seasons, hyatt and conrad are all in the same area as well as intercontinental...

Thanx all for your opinions. Much appreciated. Craig - one question I do have is about the pool area. After a day of exploring I just love to chill by the pool. Does the Plaza Athenee have a nice pool area (well landscaped, etc.) that gives you that feeling of escape? Thanx for the help. Now I've just got to figure out where to stay in Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, & Phuket.
Warm Regards

Actually, its quite a nice pool and pool area. It is on the 4th floor. Check it out at:
http://www.bangkok.com/plazaathenee/photos.htm
The photo is pretty accurate.

Thanx Craig -
Looks like a winner! Is the hotel close to many bars and restaurants. Once I'm done exploring and chillin' by the pool, its time to head out for happy hour and then dinner.
You guys here on the forum are the best. It really makes navigating an unknown city alot less scary.
Have a great week.
Warm Regards

We thought the location was quite good. We had easy trips via sky train to get to both Bed Supperclub and Face from the Plaza Athenee. These are restaurants that had been recommended on Fodors. Each has a good bar. Face actually has two restaurants: Hazara for Indian food and Lanna Thai for Thai. Also frequently recommended on this forum and quite accessible by sky train is the Italian restaurant Biscotti at the Four Seasons. I do not think that there is much within walking distance of the Plaza Athenee though.

restaurants and bars as stand alones are not all that abundant in the immediate area but there are some embassy hangouts on a couple of the back streets, plus tons of places in the hotels....but if you take the skytrain or a taxi along the sois of sukhumvit there are tons of places....you will not want for locations from there...