We were head-over-heels excited to be able to squeeze in a quick stopover in Bangkok on our travels from Myanmar to Vietnam. It was our second visit to the city and we couldn’t wait to go back to our favorite spots and uncover more treasures in the bustling capital city.

Bangkok was our first foray into Asian culture back in 2011 and we’ve found ourselves daydreaming about the city ever since we left. The food, the people, the glistening gold temples — everything about this place we loved and we were thrilled to return.

View from our room on the 26th floor

We hurriedly booked our nights at the same hotel we’d stayed in before (back when it was brand new) because, while we love exploring new parts of cities we’ve visited before, there’s something so special about the nostalgia of staying in the same hotel as before. And, we knew we really loved the area of the hotel so it was fun to explore the new sights and sounds (and the old, familiar ones) of the street. It had really changed and grown a lot in the 4 years in between our visits.

BOOKING/CHECK-IN

We booked two nights at the Aloft Bangkok a few weeks out at 4,000 points per night. Once we’d landed and taken the train into the city, we checked in around 7pm and casually asked about an upgrade. He confirmed that the property doesn’t participate in SPG Platinum Upgrades (which we knew), but said that he’d check – and he quickly upgraded us anyway. We had booked the “Chic” room and were “upgraded” to the “Breezy” room, despite there being a few suites available (you can’t win ’em all).

Aloft Bangkok’s lobby

The work-stations and hang-out areas on the lobby floor

More lobby fun

ROOM

The best part about the room was the good view of the city from the 26th floor (there are 32 floors total). The room was a typical Aloft-style room with two beds, and the bathroom running the length of the bedroom by the entrance. No matter where you are in the world, every Aloft room looks the same to me, which can be comforting (or pretty boring, depending on my mood).

The “Breezy” room

Great work area right in the room – a nice upgrade from Myanmar hotels!

RESTAURANT

When we checked in, we were both completely worn out from traveling all day and, despite wanting to immediately pop out and enjoy the city we both love, we opted for room service for some quick red curry. We can’t get enough of Bangkok’s street food, but the wide-open city was a bit overwhelming for us when we’re utterly exhausted and the room service was simple, easy and delicious.

Room service red curry… yum!

The Platinum check-in amenity was points (250, I assume?) or breakfast. Once we confirmed that the breakfast wasn’t just the grab-and-go option from the lobby but instead was the sit-down international buffet on the 8th floor, we opted for the breakfast amenity.

Breakfast buffet on the 8th floor

Breakfast lasts from 6am – 10:30am each morning and is a fantastic value when it’s free (with the Platinum amenity). Buffet choices include dim sum, an omelette station, fruit, lots of pastries (croissants, muffins, etc.), a huge selection of cheeses (blue, brie, emmental…). All of the food was delicious – and, after spending a few weeks in Myanmar, we were more than happy with the refreshing Western options. Then, we could happily dive back into the Asian fare with the never-ending amounts of glorious street foods right outside the hotel doors.

Way too much food for breakfast!

As far as the WXYZ Bar and Splash pool bar, full-on big city Western hotel pricing is in effect. $10-12 cocktails, $5-6 beers. No discounts around this place! But, it’s understandable because about 99% of the hotel’s guests are Westerners.

If you’re in a hurry, the grab-and-go station in the lobby is a good alternative to the buffet breakfast.

POOL/AMENITIES

The pool right in the middle of Bangkok is a small oasis – located on the rooftop of the 10th floor, the views are great and it’s a welcome respite from walking around in the heat. We did spend a few minutes lounging by the pool, but much preferred to be walking around to sitting by the pool most times. It is a tad small for the size of the hotel, so people were jousting for lounge chairs.

Aloft Bangkok’s rooftop pool

View from the pool

It’s not a real hotel pool without at least one man in a speedo

The gym is right next to the pool and we used it for a few minutes. It, too, is smaller but I suspect most travelers in Bangkok aren’t wasting time in the gym when they could be on Soi Cowboy or chugging red curry sauce. It had everything you need in a gym – weights, treadmills, ellipticals and a few other machines for a standard work out.

The small but mighty gym

INTERNET

The WiFi works exceedingly well, and the ethernet in the room is 2 – 3 times faster than just WiFi. These high speeds were such a welcome relief from our time in Myanmar, where we struggled to check and send just 1 or 2 important emails per day.