There’s something about Thailand. Natural grace, genuine desire for perfection. One could go on and on. Look at the image above. The girl above sits for hours in the Lobby Lounge of THE PENINSULA BANGKOK, carving real fruit into edible art.
Another example of perfection. Girlahead was dining at a table out on the hotel’s riverside terrace, dining in splendour as the Chao Phraya flowed just the other side of the balustrade. Evening pleasure cruisers, gaudier than ever as each year passes, were gliding past, taking tourists for dinner cruises. Suddenly a long-obvious black cloud ERUPTED. The heavens descended. Dinner tables were awash. The speed with which hotel stewwards arrived to protect everything, pull down blinds, usher diners to dry areas was better than anything AI could have managed. Surely this naval evacuation was rehearsed?
And so on, throughout an entire stay at this now-venerable 25 year old hotel things happen, planned or not. A 4.30 am breakfast order arrived exactly, on time and requests so minutely fulfilled, with orchids added for sawasdee style, as if they had been set by the customer.
Like a well-rehearsed Berlin Philharmonic, every player obviously feels comfortable and wants to play better. As a result this is, despite its size – 37 floors, 370 rooms – a comfortable hotel. Think of a venerable sofa back home. That’s the one you want to curl up on. Add a few surprising touches: a full office kit that is so rare in top hotels today (though we all need elastic bands, scissors and a stapler, with staples, from time to time); the GM’s discreet diamond ear studs, and that young lady patiently sculpting sweetest-tasting mango.
