| Etihad Airways Business Class I flew from Amman, Jordan to Bangkok in Etihad Airways Business Class via Abu Dhabi. While I cannot say enough good things about the new Business Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi, the Business Class product in the air was disappointing. A large chunk of plastic in my breakfast on the first flight, premixed cocktails on the second flight were too sweet; poor choice of film/ TV programmes and Armani/ Casa pillows & blankets had an unpleasantly synthetic feel. The Qatar Airways Qsuite product is far superior. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. A Bangkok Legend & One of the World's Best Hotels From my greeting at the airport, to my white liveried driver & the lemongrass scented cold towels in the Series 7 BMW, I quickly remembered why I love & admire this historic hotel so much. The Elegant Captain Andersen Suite I spent my 5 night stay in The Captain Andersen Suite. Hans Niels Andersen created the building that opened as the Oriental Hotel in 1887. The refurbishment of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok meant even the guest bathroom in my suite had a Toto Japanese toilet. The carpet in the bedroom of suite evidenced the extraordinary quality of the materials used in the refurbishment. My only issue was most of one wall in the bedroom being a mirror but maybe it will encourage me to drop some weight. An Iconic Pool The hotel's green & gold pool is one of my favourite hotel pools. Jeffrey, who leads the pool staff team, came to hold my hand on my first morning. I felt emotional and all this confirmed to me that this is a remarkable hotel and I am far from an ordinary customer. Mayuree, Director of Guest Relations, & I have had so many poignant conversations by that pool over the last 10 years. An Astonishing Stay From my one-on-one meeting with GM Anthony; to witnessing Her Majesty the Queen of Thailand visiting Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia at the hotel; to my fascinating chat with Florian, Director of Rooms; to Chef Gaggan Anand's mind-blowing 22 course immersive food, light & sound show; to fireworks during my dinner at 'Blue by Alain Ducasse' in 'Icon Siam'; to meeting charming Peninsula, Bangkok MD Masahisa; to spending time with Sean from Lotus Arts de Vivre in The Bamboo Bar; to Kenny Ng taking me out to lunch, there were too many unbelievable highs on this stay. With us losing two more guys from my year at Shrewsbury School to heart attacks this year, I was glad to meet with Charlie Thomson in Dubai and help Rob Clover with his move to Qatar too on my 'Epic Trip'. I am sure the photos below will evidence why Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is one of the best hotels in the world and also convince you it rates another unprecedented '8 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) score, despite some MO profile issues. My post about my 2018 stay explained I did not want Perrier water in my suite or cumbersome cribs. Perrier water was also an issue during my Chinese New Year stay at the Hong Kong Mandarin Oriental & became a point of humour during my stay at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz in Madrid. Providing Veuve Clicquot champagne & tubes of bath products that can be taken away mitigated these issues. Tips: order a room service breakfast during your stay. Treasure my 'RS MOBKK' gift Chao; use the hotel's drivers & asked the butler service to repair items & bubble wrap items for travel. I guarantee you will be impressed. |     |
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