SO/ Bangkok
One of Bangkok’s hippest hotels, the SO/ is an awesome hotel that I thoroughly enjoyed - dare I say, its a rich mans W?
I’ve stayed at my fair share of W Hotels, and while I think they’re all beautiful, I find them slowly becoming repetitive and soon to be out of style. My boss hates them. But regardless, I wanted to stay at the W initially because I wanted somewhere with some flavor and loudness after a few days at the quieter boutique hotel, Riva Arun. Once I saw the SO/, with its SIGNIFICANTLY superior pool in specific, I was sold. It is a bit more expensive, but definitely worth it.
Location: B+
Being right next to Lumphini is a nice perk, and the hotel is about 15 minutes from the Commons, a great place to hang out and get drinks. But in terms of seeing Bangkok’s sights, this hotel is not necessarily close at all to any of it. It is a quick walk from the Lumphini MRT, and ONE Bangkok is being developed across the street which will surely bring lots of exciting action. But for now, you’ll find lots of great restaurants around the SO/, but not much to see aside from Lumphini Park.
Rooms: A
There are multiple themes to the rooms here (water, earth, metal and wood). I got a wood-themed room and I loved it. The lines were crisp, space was generous, bed was comfortable, views were solid and amenities were plentiful. Just the size of this standard room alone was a surprise to me, and I was all about it. There are a lot of little fun quirks to the room (and to the hotel in general) so I was a big fan.
Dining: -
Did not here, BUT, I did have some chocolate and cakes at the Chocolab which was fantastic. So that gets an A. But in terms to the food at the SO/, I can’t comment on it. I have heard that Red Oven has a great weekend brunch though, so use that information how you’d like.
Amenities: A
Reason being: the pool. It probably is the best in the city to be honest. With views out over the park and the Bangkok skyline beyond, how could it not be. And the fact that the design integrates trees and nature in with this rooftop pool made it even more unique, as that’s something you don’t see too often. Other than that, this hotel has a nice, large gym, great rooftop bars, solid cafes, and you can take bikes from the hotel to explore Lumphini, which I did not get to do but I wish I did.
Service: A
They had a power outage just as I was checking in, which made for an interesting operation. I was curious to see how they would handle it and I was honestly blown away. We were ushered to the secondary lobby for suite guests where we were given snacks and sandwiches and drinks while we waited about 30 minutes for the power to turn back on and get checked in. The way the staff handled this was smooth and graceful, so they got an A in this category right away.
Scene: Hip
Its a rich man’s W. It really is. I really got a kick out of it. The people staying here are refined but fun, kind of like the design of the hotel. People aren’t in your face, but you can just tell, you know. People were young but there weren’t any kids running around. In terms of best hotel scenes in Bangkok, SO/ is right up there at the top for sure.