IMAGINE, if you like, a Bangkok where you are able to breeze through Siam Paragon's immensely popular foodcourt without having to cross elbows with fellow tourists, and be able to find an empty table even at peak dining hours.
Yes, the 'City of Angels' may be suffering from economic and political blues but for those willing to make the effort, there's never been a better time. Hot spots such as the Chatuchak market and shopping centres are still bustling, but not uncomfortably so. And an overall sense of belt-tightening means that your bargaining skills may nail you some good deals.
Chatuchak market - one of the great bazaars of the east, where except for appliances, you can buy enough to equip an entire household at bargain prices.
Accommodation-wise, it also means that you can snap up a room at a spanking new five-star hotel for under $200, which is cheaper than what top hotels back home are asking for.
Grand Millennium Sukhumvit is a happy compromise if you want the style of a cool design-centric hotel but without the impractical trendy elements like bathroom sinks that look good but slosh water everywhere.
The experience begins in the huge, contemporary, chic lobby with its commanding ceiling-high wooden screen behind the reception counter, and similarly designed screens used to demarcate the lounge areas without sacrificing space.
The bedrooms feature 'open bathrooms' with clear glass for walls (and privacy blinds if you need them) and views of the Bangkok skyline. If you're picky about pillows and hate the way some hotel ones feel like hard foam rusks designed with the sole purpose of separating your neck from your head, then you're in luck because the pillows here are deliciously soft with just enough heft to keep your head from sinking. Such touches may seem minor, but when you know that the room is designed for the user, and not through the whims of a Wallpaper magazine-toting designer, you feel way better about putting your money down for a room.
Being just shy of a year old, the Grand Millennium has a modern, high-tech vibe about it, from its choice of muted silver and gold tones (as opposed to mind-numbing beige and warm woods) to the self-contained media hubs in each room which allow you to use the TV as your computer screen.
If the mood for a massage strikes, you can rely on the Antidote spa's therapists to deliver a solid Thai massage rather than the namby pamby Tickle Me Elmo sessions at other hotel spas. And, instead of staring blankly into space or trying haplessly to flip through a magazine during a mani-pedi session, you get to sit in a comfy recliner and watch TV from a wall-mounted LCD screen.
Spas at Grand Millennium Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Thailand.
While it would be nice to have a Skytrain station at its doorstep, it's close enough to Asoke station that you won't be cursing if you're lugging heavy bags of shopping on foot. And if you want to go to Chatuchak, the subway station (which is different from the Skytrain) is just a few steps from the hotel. If thoughts of an airport shutdown still deter you, don't let it. Besides, even if it happens, it won't be much of a sacrifice to sit it out in this hotel.
