Recently, after a particularly stressful week, a friend and I thought it would be a lovely idea to spend a weekend away at a hotel in downtown Bangkok, convenient to shopping, restaurants and in a location that’s easy to move around the city from. So, we chose the Arnoma Hotel as it’s just around the corner from Chidlom sky train station and across the street from the largest mall in southeast Asia – Central World Mall.
We spent Friday and Saturday nights at the Arnoma Hotel in downtown Bangkok and were very pleased with our choice, especially for the great location and inexpensive price. In fact, if you’re in the market for a nice hotel in an awesome location, the Arnoma Hotel is perfect, specifically because it offers what other hotels do but at a much cheaper price.
The Staff at the Arnoma Hotel – The Arnoma Hotel is actually a large hotel (more than 360 rooms) but it has a small hotel feel to it. The staff is friendly and helpful, especially the reception desk staff, the dining room staff and the bellboys. You feel welcome from the minute you walk through the door and that feeling never goes away during your entire stay. We asked for a couple of extra pillows and someone arrived within 10 minutes to bring us just that. All smiles too.
The Room at the Arnoma Hotel – The room we stayed in had just been recently renovated and it really was lovely. Bright and airy, with modern decor and all the modern conveniences – coffee and tea maker, high speed internet access, cable TV with good channel selection, and a large desk area if we wanted to work (we didn’t!, but it was there if we wanted it).
The beds were comfortable, the bathroom was large with lots of thick, comfy towels and the fresh fruit juice upon arrival was a nice touch. We were also happy to be able to book a room on a non-smoking floor so there was no evil smell of smoke from either our room or emanating from any other.
All in all, we couldn’t have been happier with the room at the Arnoma. And at only $69 a night, it was an excellent deal too. Not all rooms have been renovated yet though, so you may want to request a newly renovated room when making your booking.
The Food at the Arnoma Hotel – Breakfast was included in the price of the room and, overall, it was fine. Service was a little slow as the dining room really isn’t large enough for that size of hotel, so both mornings we had to stand in a line to be seated.
We only had to wait 5-10 minutes but, still, when you come down to breakfast you want to eat now and not in half an hour’s time, particularly if you have a busy day ahead of you. Once seated though, the service was fast, the dining staff was lovely and the buffet quite good. There wasn’t a whole lot of choice but enough to satisfy most people and, as my friend and I are not big breakfast eaters, we were happy enough with some fresh fruit, a bowl of Asian porridge and some coffee. For bigger breakfast eaters, you might want to forgo the Arnoma breakfast and eat outside instead.
Location – Seriously, there isn’t a better hotel in Bangkok for the location. It’s literally around the corner from one of the main sky train stations in Bangkok, across the street from the biggest mall in S.E. Asia (which has hundreds of restaurants, cafes, bookshops, clothing stores, Thai handicraft stores, coffee shops, big department stores, DVD and CD shops and more). It’s also right next door to a Big C supermarket, where you can get any toiletries or other personal items you might need, snack food, letter writing materials, or anything else a traveler might need.
Erawan Shrine is also a two minute walk from the hotel and is the most popular religious shrine in the city. It’s also within walking distance of one of the klongs (small canals), so if you’re adventurous you can take a small boat from here to tour the city. Bus stops are outside the hotel, as are tuk-tuks, taxis and any other form of transportation you might need. You may even see an elephant walking by in the evening as this is the area they usually come to, to be from the tourists.
There are also four other shopping malls within two blocks of the hotel – so your choices for places to eat or shop are endless. All in all, the location of the Arnoma Hotel really could not be improved upon.
Facilities – The hotel has a lovely swimming pool, a kids’ pool and a fitness centre. It also has a decent business centre where, apparently, you can also get secretarial services if you require them. Overall, the facilities at the Arnoma are not spectacular but, for the price and for the fact that it has such a stellar location, so any service is readily available within a couple of minutes walk, these things make this hotel a good choice anyway.
In fact, if you’re looking for a nice 4 star hotel in Bangkok at a very reasonable price (rooms start at around $69 a night), the Arnoma Hotel could be a great choice for you!
Address: – 99 Rajdamri Road Pathumwan, Bangkok, Patum Wan 10330 – Tel Number: 66 (0) 2655 5555
