Thailand Travel Diary Day 5.2

Hello, friends! Since Day 5 seems too long, I am writing the second half of my travel diary here. To recap, I went to see the Maeklong Railway Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, The Grand Palace, Emerald and Lying Buddhas in the morning. After that interesting and exhausting trips, Kimchi Man and I went back to Nuovo Hotel in Khao San Road for check-out. It was time to go to Modern Bangkok.

Since we went to Thailand when there was a political turmoil between administration and opposition parties, many main roads were blocked by protesters. There were also some rumors/news of attacks. To get to our destination quick and safe, Kimchi Man decided for us to take a train.

BTS SKY TRAIN

It was my first time to ride a train in Thailand. Carrying all my luggage, I initially thought that it would be such a very inconvenient experience. I was wrong. There were escalators in the station and the security guards didn’t check our bags and frisk us. Tickets were affordable though more expensive than in Philippines. The train carts were spacious enough to accommodate even the biggest of trolleys, I must say! I also noticed that there were a lot of foreigners taking BTS, too.

We came from Phaya Thai N2 and alighted at Asoke-Sukhumvit. Conveniently, our hotel was connected to the station. Excited to see my third hotel accommodation in my entire Thailand trip, I hurriedly pulled my bags toward our next destination.

GRAND CENTRE POINT HOTEL TERMINAL 21

I saw Terminal 21 Mall first. Confused, I looked at Kimchi Man with my trademark “What’s this?” facial expression. He asked a Thai guard where our hotel was, and he directed us to a space on the right side of the mall. Interestingly, we found a small, private door connecting Terminal 21 to the hotel.

Grand Centre Point Hotel Terminal 21 is a luxurious hotel offering Thai hospitality with Western amenities. After going through the connecting door and down to an escalator, I was satisfied with how grand and sophisticated the main lobby was. It was huge, filled with classy chandeliers and crafty art pieces. It only took less than two minutes to settle our reservation and once done, we headed toward to see our accommodation.

view from my room

Now, I can say that it was the best hotel and room that we got. Kimchi Man planned it well. We had a Grand Deluxe room, if you are curious. We had it booked via Agoda to get a cheaper rate.

The hotel has state-of-the-art facilities: outdoor infinity pool overlooking the buildings of Asoke; outdoor and indoor Jacuzzi, sauna, and steam bath; fully equipped gym; aerobics and yoga room; spa; restaurant; entertainment room; pond with gazebo; kid’s room; jogging track; tennis court; putting green; and mini golf driving range. Of all these, we tried the infinity pool first.

HEALTH LAND ASOKE

After swimming in the cold pool water, Kimchi Man suggested to try one of the must-dos in Thailand: get an authentic Thai massage. As a frequent tourist in the country (more than five times), he already knew where to go. In fact, I was surprised we already got a reservation. It was along Asoke road, so we only walked to go there.

Health Land Spa is a grand and luxurious massage centre with branches all over Bangkok. It is one of the best, if not the top, recommended places to get a Thai massage. Though it has its own building exclusive for spa services and impressive interior designs, Health Land offers affordable price in the same level with others.

We were seated for less than ten minutes when the receptionist called us. Our two therapists greeted us and had our shoes changed to slippers first before they ushered us to an elevator. A small and simple room with two thin mattresses welcomed us next. Then, we were given privacy to change in to the spa’s PJs.

We opted for a two-hour Thai massage. The therapist assigned to me was excellent. That’s the only way I could describe her. She strongly massaged my body and put more pressure to points which I feel pained before. I was punched, slapped, and kneaded like a dough, stepped on, and contorted the entire time, but I felt absolutely better after. I daresay it was the best massage I ever had! I highly recommend it!

TIPS: To experience a premium yet affordable massage in a heavenly place, it is best to have a reservation as slots are usually fully-booked easily. Don’t forget to take a sip of their tea, too!

V8 DINER

Walking distance from our hotel, we chose this restaurant because 1. It has a number of diners, and 2. Among them are tourists. We assumed that it was good. Being in a foreign country, we judged a place mostly by these two categories. Haha!

Anyway, nothing spectacular happened in this dinner except: