So, we’re staying at the SO? So what? Well, in the words of pop star Pink, ‘Na-na-na-na, na-na’.
But despite what Pink may have you believe, this one isn’t in Bangkok’s nightlife hub Nana, but rather, over in the much classier Lumpini. You can breathe a sigh of relief and sleep a little lighter, we think…
With a focus on all things uber cool, chic and contemporary, combined with charming service and a skyline view, this is a statement hotel, make no mistake; a place for cosmopolitan travellers to stay in the heart of a truly frenetic city.
In an enviable spot next to the most popular park in Bangkok, the SO/ Bangkok serves up magnificent panoramic views from many of its rooms. Its Lumpini Park location and sumptuous spa constitute a wonderful urban wellness offering, too, whilst its seventh-floor Red Oven restaurant serves up one of the best hotel buffets in the city. What’s not to love?
Indeed, if you want to stay in one of the best hotels in Bangkok, just say SO. Read on for our full review…
The Location
The SO/ Bangkok is in the thick of things, and while the hotel’s placement may not look like much from ground level, it affords one of the best views in the city when you take that elevator skywards.
Situated on the corner of North Sathorn Road and Rama IV roads, SO/ Bangkok has a phenomenal view that looks over verdant Lumphini Park, Bangkok’s equivalent of Central Park. Here you’ll find locals doing tai chi and, at the weekend, elderly Bangkokians taking social dancing classes. You’ll even find monitor lizards basking in the sun, if you go looking for them.
Our favourite thing about our stay here was a morning walk through the park – there’s nothing like it to enliven the senses before breakfast. If you’re a runner or jogger, SO/ Bangkok is for you. If you work up an appetite from exercising, be sure to stop off at Polo Fried Chicken, which is a 15 minute walk from the hotel straight up Wireless Road and one of Bangkok’s most talked about street food joints.
Also within walking distance of the hotel lies Silom Road, which transforms at night into a bustling shopping street and is known for its nightlife. If that’s not enough to convince you that you’re in amongst it, then just a four-minute tuk tuk ride away is Som Tam Jay So (a rather apt name here), one of our favourite places for som tam in Bangkok.
For travelling further afield, the Lumphini MRT Station is the shortest of strolls away. A central location that’s close to many of the city’s top attractions but also with a bit of breathing space – it’s pretty much everything you could want from a hotel in Bangkok.
The Welcome
Guests are greeted by genuinely charming staff who guide you to a trendy lobby on the 9th floor. Here you can enjoy that magnificent view of Lumphini Park whilst you check in, which is an admirable opening gambit, for sure.
There are lots of lovely touches to make you feel welcome. When we visited we received a remarkable butterfly-pea tea welcome drink, freshly poured in front of us on arrival from individual test tubes, which when mixed together changes the drink’s colour. On a balmy Bangkok day, it was as refreshing as it comes.
Character & Style
Everything about the SO/ Bangkok is super stylish. This hotel is designed by famed French couturier and design legend Christian Lacroix, alongside celebrated Thai designers Smith Obayawat and Pongthep Sagulku, writer of the excellent book A Journey Through the World of Hotel Rooms. The result? Doses of quirky design, with a mixture of Thai design sensibility and French flair, with an emphasis on brave, bold colours, distinguishing it from other boutique hotels who prefer their tones beige and muted.
Drawing inspiration from the neighbouring Lumphini Park and Feng Shui philosophy, the hotel is themed around the concept of the five elements – earth, metal, water, wood and fire.
From the lobby to the rooms and restaurants, everything in the hotel has been anointed with a sense of purpose. At the heart of the design is the ‘Tree of Life’, an emblem which combines the five elements into one uniting icon.
Each element has been interpreted through the eyes of five renowned Thai designers, deducing inspiration from the natural beauty of Thailand, with each floor of the hotel and its rooms representing a different element. The overall effect is one of harmony and balance – which is obviously a welcome vibe in any city centre hotel, let alone one slap-bang in the middle of one of the world’s most pulsing metropolises.
The SO/ Bangkok is dressed to impress and so are the staff. The legendary Lacroix has even applied his creative brilliance to the staff uniforms, which are made from colourful patterned fabrics, evocative of traditional Thai attire. Championing individuality, each member of staff has three different uniforms and can chose to wear whichever one they want, whenever they want. It’s a simple touch that brings a welcome lightness to the service here.
Rooms
The hotel rooms are rich and inspired, showcasing custom furnishings with symbolic colour schemes and graphics to channel one of the elements.
All room are unique, celebrating the story of its designated element. Despite being a high-rise hotel, the SO manages to give the feel of multiple boutique hotels in one, the elemental theme anchoring things and also inspiring creativity.
Depending on availability, you can choose which element you most respond to. We were drawn to wood, representing elegance and tranquillity. While more subdued than the other elements, the tranquil design offered a sense of calmness in contrast to the bustling city outside, complemented, of course, by views of the park. With hardwood floors and vertical bamboo-like beams, wood and light interacted to create functional art, whilst hand sketched old Siamese murals above the bed gave you a sense of place, with a feeling of synergy and serenity an overriding theme.
Of course, we had a nosey around and checked out the other elements (rooms; we mean rooms). The Water themed rooms offer soothing shades of grey that still the space, allowing the room to absorb the striking views of Bangkok – preferably from one of the big luxurious tubs which are a main feature in the suites.
The Earth themed rooms are decorated with Thai primeval wall paintings set against a striking blue background that makes the rooms come alive rather than drowns it. Finally, metal rooms feature a chic, bright and immaculate space with metallic accents and a sophisticated palette in different shades of white.
Depending on your room, you’ll likely have a breathtaking panoramic park or superb skyline view. On arrival, we found a wonderful selection of complimentary juices and soft drinks (the Thai Bael Fruit was our favourite) in our room. We were also treated to a delicious assortment of Thai sweets and seasonal fruits to refresh us after a long, hot day of travelling. Floor-to-ceiling windows, plush bathrobes and sumptuous bathroom amenities are provided as standard.
The very essence of the design philosophy of the rooms, and their relationship to the predominant forces in nature, instantly makes you feel at peace, with a feeling of inward tranquility that juxtaposes neatly with Bangkok at large.
Facilities & Spa
Situated with a gorgeous backdrop that extends to the skyline of Bangkok, the hotel’s infinity pool has got to be one of the most visually arresting in the city – ideal for soaking up vistas of Lumphini Park and One BANGKOK while you’re, well, soaking. The pool area doesn’t get much sunlight in the afternoon – slightly annoying for those who like to sunbathe – but it’s inherent to the design of the building. Worry not, sun-seekers can enjoy the adjacent Solarium.
The chic poolside bar, prosaically named The Water Club, is worth a visit at night when the pool turns a beautiful shade of purple and DJs perform. A word of warning; every month the hotel hosts a pool party from 1pm to 9 pm on the last Saturday of the month – something you will either want to throw yourself into with abandon or avoid at all costs. We’re in the latter camp, personally, but you do you.
Guests can also enjoy the onsite gym, shower and steam room. If you need a little me time, the award-winning SO/ SPA is the one for you. With dark marble floors, glorious wall-to-wall windows and artfully placed tree trunks, the lobby of the spa is designed to evoke a mythical Himmapan forest. Whilst we haven’t spent any time in such a forest, we think it succeeds in its aim of providing an air of mysticism and magic.
Treatments are superb, as you’d expect. We enjoyed the ‘Serenity of Five Elements’ massage, an award-winning treatment which is said to have the energy flowing back into your body. We certainly felt energised afterwards, but it might have been all the Thai Red Bull we’d been necking.
Food & Drink
You won’t want for much at the SO/ Bangkok. If it weren’t in one of the best gastronomic cities in the world, you could probably forgo venturing outside at all and still feel satiated.
The breakfast buffet here, with views over Sathorn and Lumpini Park, is pure pleasure. Seeing the verdant green space unfolding before you is a calming start to a day in this busy city, but that’s no excuse for not taking that stroll to walk off breakfast.
The hotel’s main restaurant is the Red Oven (where the breakfast goes down, too), which takes its name from the signature hand-crafted red Molteni stove. This is where the fifth element of fire comes to life, all through the live cooking stations where you can watch the chefs at work. Here they serve buffet brunches, lunches and dinners too.
The layout is reminiscent of a traditional market offering world foods, which simply means that there’s something to please everyone. For us, the market’s main selling point is the Thai noodle station which peddles restorative bowls of soup (almost) as good as those found at street level.
Other buffet station staples include an essential spread of seafood on ice which sees a bountiful array of prawns, mussels and blue swimmer crabs, the national favourite. There’s pizza and pasta too for the fussier members of the crew.
As part of the Red Oven complex, there’s also Soshi, which is something of a standalone dining destination within the hotel complex. Here, you can get bowls of ramen for lunch and an a la carte dinner alongside an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Elsewhere, the Park Society offers rooftop terrace dining and a wonderfully airy space, again with sweeping views of the park and skyline that never gets old. Mixologists sling and shake drama into glasses with a range of cocktails based on 12 horoscopes. For the indecisive among us, the star sign angle make choosing easy.
The Park Society serves an a la carte menu of both Thai and Western dishes. Great if you fancy a salad – caesar, caprese and Nicoise or, of course, yum talay – were sure they could probably rustle up a som tam too if you asked (although don’t take that for gold). Elsewhere on the menu, comfort food classics from both near and far. Whether you’re in the mood for a Red Oven burger or a pad grapao, these guys have got you covered.
Finally, for chocolate lovers there is nowhere quite like the Sofitel So Chocolab for sheer sweet indulgence. Guests can choose from a wide range of hand-made and simply divine chocolates while watching the chefs produce their wonderful creations in the ‘lab’ itself. We recommend sampling the chef’s chocolate and banana spread – something that will satisfy even the sweetest of tooths.
There are some super places to eat near the hotel too, like the aforementioned Polo Fried Chicken and neighbourhood favourite Baan. Do check out our roundup of the 10 of the best restaurants close to Bangkok’s Lumpini Park – it’s a goodun!
Why Stay?
Stay in an ultra-stylish boutique hotel where everything is plush, lush and modish. The SO Sofitel Bangkok is one of those places that you want to lounge in, relax in and never leave.
Address: 2 N Sathon Rd, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Website: sofitel.com
IDEAL stayed at the hotel as a guest and received a complimentary stay