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The Oriental Story |
| 'Sometimes you need to have a lot of good relaxation time. Right? Good holidays'. | |
| Leslie Cheung | |
|
The Oriental Story |
| 'Sometimes you need to have a lot of good relaxation time. Right? Good holidays'. | |
| Leslie Cheung | |
Dear Leslie, I think you know well that it's impossible to describe the Oriental Bangkok Hotel. Since you've gone, probably many things already changed, but the magic of this place is absolutely the same. 'The Legend by The River' can simply be named 'The Heaven on Earth'. It's impossible to find the right words, because the Oriental is... beyond words. All you have to do is coming here and stay and enjoy every moment. All I can add is that it must have been memorable... when Two Living Legends Met!
Our beautiful room was the no. 1004 at the 10th floor, same floor of your Barbara Cartland's suite which wasn't too far...
... so we are sure that you had walked along this outstanding corridor many times...
Our room was absolutly perfect. 'Perfect' and 'wonderful' are the most spoken words in this place!
Not to mention the bathroom with its precious amenities...
Just to make perfection more perfect here the welcome drink and garlands...
...and the blissful tempting 'provoking' bottle of champagne with the welcome message of Mr Kurt Watchtveitl, the general manager of the Oriental since 1967. I like to imagine you toasting with Mr Tong right after your arrival!
We chose to stay in the River Wing to admire the Chao Phraya river... and this was the view from our room!
The most magic moment came... we finally visited the 'heart and soul' of the Oriental, the legendary Authors' Lounge...
... and we had a wonderful afternoon tea!
see more picture in the gallery ORIENTAL BANGKOK
This is the wonderful lobby of the Oriental with his special fountain full of flowers!
The French restaurant Le Normandie, one of the best restaurant of the world, is at the top floor of the Garden Wing. Here you celebrate your 44th birthday on 2000.
But you liked to stay also at the Verandah restaurant, having breakfast or looking at the river...
We always had buffet breakfast here and many excellent dinners. Do you know that your spirit is everywhere here?
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see more picture in the gallery ORIENTAL BANGKOK
Daily we took the Oriental boats provided by the hotel for guests. You can cross the river and visit the Oriental Spa or Sala Rim Naam for a Thai dinner or you can sail the Chao Phraya to visit River City with his precious antique artworks or reach the station of the Sky Train to go to downtown. Oriental boats are very romantic! Did you take the boat, dear? Of course you did!
From the boat you can see the Oriental in his impressing grandeur!
The small pool of the Oriental looks like an oasis of peace, where everyhing's surrounded by gardens and flowers, but...
... we still prefer the renovated swimming pool, also immersed in magnificent plants and orchids, where I spent hours to try to remember in which corner you stayed. Now the swimming pool is a bit different, with wondeful new mosaic on the floor, but we know you were here, resting, bathing in the sun and swimming!
see more picture in the gallery ORIENTAL BANGKOK
At the Oriental Bangkok 'people matter' and everybody has a unique committment: making you feel like a princess!!!
With flowers of indescribable beauty, with tasty snacks and fresh Thai fruits, with their constant kind welcome. We've also been invited to the cocktail party held by the management of the hotel for guests every Tuesday at the Authors' Lounge! Once I read that once you stayed here, they will remember you name forever and now I'm sure that it's true. And all you can do is smiling and smiling and smiling in pleasant astonishment!
During our stay at the Oriental we met Lux and Nop - your fans - and they 'brough' you in our room!
The Oriental Spa is one of the best spa of the world!
Just cross the river and you'll find another part of paradise!
We had an Oriental Thai massage in this suggestive private room. Amazing experience!
see more picture in the gallery ORIENTAL BANGKOK
I'm sure you remember this place called Baan Noi, since you organised a big surprise for your friend Mr Paitoon here: his birthday party!
The beautiful façade of the Sala Rim Naam, the Thai restaurant of the Oriental Bangkok.
The China House, the Chinese restaurant where you used to have 'dim sum'!
Dear Leslie, I guess you remember well this place too...
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Going out from the Oriental we visited many beautiful and interesting place where you probably went too, like Wat Arun, the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo, Wat Po, Wat Mahathat, the Vimanmek Teak House, the night market in Patpong, Chinatown and many elegant shopping malls, like Gaysorn and Siam Paragon. We also visited a market on the river and the popular ChatuChak. But one place you visited for sure for your shopping: The Emporium!
And you and Mr Tong went to cinema there, on the top floor...
We also know that you loved Italian food! Your favorite Italian restaurant in Bangkok was Zanotti!
Elegant restaurant, excellent food and an unforgettable insuperable tiramisu: the best of my life, even better than mine!
Everytime you visited Bangkok you went to the Erawan Shrine to worship the Four Faced Buddha. We went there many times, dear Leslie, because - with the Oriental Hotel - this is the place in Bangkok where we can feel your presence more. Many devotees were constantly there to pray and bring their offering, their flowers and fruits and burn incense. A very impressive place!
see more picture in the gallery ORIENTAL BANGKOK
In Bangkok you also stayed at the Westin Banyan Tree Hotel and at the Sukhothai Hotel, where Lux met you in the past. We visited both of them, but unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures of the Westin Banyan Tree, while this is the wonderful Sukhothai hall!
About Thai food, you liked to eat at the Baan Khanitha in Sukhumvit Road! Nice place and nice food indeed!!
Everynight, before going to bed, we could find white gardenia on the pillow with a quotation of some famous authors about sleep. It was so romantic that I really wanted to dedicate each quotation and each flower to you!
see more picture in the gallery ORIENTAL BANGKOK
In the book about the Oriental Bangkok I bought at the Oriental boutique, G.B. Shaw's quotation declaims 'The great advantage of a hotel is that it's a refuge from home life'. This is so true particularly for the Oriental, a real temple of hospitality, where everything seems devoted to peace and love. Now I know, dear Leslie, why you loved to stay here and enjoy your holiday so much. It's all because of you that I have the chance to know about the Oriental and finally to visit it. For this reason, I thank you very much.
But I want to thank also all the people who worked there for us and made our holiday so unforgettable. I'll write here only few names, but my gratitude is for all of them: Ms Sujitra Viboonsurakarn, Kanee Nuengtawee, Mr Wiwat, Mr Anusorn - the kind boy of the lift who always knows in advance on which floor you stay (!)- and Mr Paul Jones, the hotel manager who just wrote us a letter to thank us for our positive feedback. Everything was just perfect because of them. Thanks!
A big hug and many thanks to Lux, Nop and Tai! Thank you for everything! It's been so meaningful to meet you all!
Please, visit the official website of the Oriental Bangkok.
And finally please visit the gallery of my pictures here. Just click on ORIENTAL BANGKOK! There are still 150 pictures to see!