The past several years we have been spending most of the month of December in a warm place for our winter vacation.
It was always a nice getaway from the cold and dark winter in Minnesota.
This year we are already in a warm place, so we planned a “staycation”.
We left around noon and went to one of the greatest malls in Bangkok, Icon Siam, where we had a late lunch at their food court.
I don’t say this often, but I love their food court.
You need to know, however, that their food court is special, a must-visit spot for a unique experience, as it’s nothing like any other food courts you see in the States.
It’s massive and designed in a such a way that it is a popular destination for tourists and locals.
After lunch we went to the pier right in front of the mall for a hotel shuttle boat.
How cool is it that you can take a boat to your hotel!
The boat ride was comfortable, and the breeze and the sun felt good.
After a 15-20 minute ride the boat we arrived at the hotel.
We stayed at Anantara Riverside Bangkok, which is the white traditional Thai building with an orange roof.
The more modern-looking building right behind is Avani+ Riverside Bangkok, which is a “sister” hotel to Anantara and they share facilities.
The property is full of lush greenery, and you forget you are still in the metropolitan city.
The lobby is located in the main building.
It’s an older hotel, but you can tell it’s maintained very well.
I really liked that they decorated the space in the traditional Thai manner matching the architecture.
Anantara consists of three buildings.
Our room was on the left wing of the main building, but it was easy to move between the buildings, as they are connected with covered corridors.
Here is the entrance to our building.
The decor of this area was simple but sophisticated, and I felt like I was in a museum.
We requested a room with a full view of the river.
Our room was on the second floor, and the river view was amazing.
The bathroom was nice and large, and I LOVED the big bathtub.
Oh, by the way we stayed on our wedding anniversary, and they set this up for us.
Very sweet.
There are several different restaurants and bars inside the hotel, and after our check-in we decided to have a cup of tea at Mocha and Muffins, mainly because they offer some vegan desserts on their wellness menu.
We ordered a vegan key lime cheesecake.
It was pretty, and I really wanted to like it.
But unfortunately, it was disappointing.
The “cheesecake” part tasted like a mass of mashed cashew nuts, dense and lacking flavor.
When we squeezed the juice from the lemon slice that came as a garnish over the cake, it tasted better, so we asked for extra lemon wedges, and we poured a lot of lemon juice, which made it a little better (lol).
The property was beautiful in the evening as well.
This was the evening view from our room, and it was absolutely lovely.
We initially planned to have dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel, but since plant-based food was limited, and nothing stood out for us, we had dinner inside the shopping mall which was located at the lower (2nd floor) floor, below Avani+, which we had easy access to.
(I will have a separate post about our dinner, because it’s noteworthy and deserves a full post.)
After dinner we were not ready to go back to our room and decided to check out the rooftop bar, which was on top of Avani+.
The bar was hip!
It’s called “Seen”, and it’s a place where you want to be seen for sure.
We were not in the mood for alcohol, but luckily there were some nonalcoholic options.
I highly recommend this bar.
I mean look at this view!
It was breathtaking.
Many small tables were occupied by well-dressed couples.
It’s a bar you want to bring your date if you want to impress her (or him) (lol).
One of the things I was excited about our stay at this hotel was the breakfast buffet.
I read a lot of positive reviews.
There was a wide variety of food offered, Western and Asian, hot and cold, fresh and cooked.
I had no problem finding plant-based food either.
You can choose a table indoors or outdoors, but without hesitation we picked outside.
It was a beautiful morning, warm but not hot or humid, sunny but partially cloudy.
These fresh fruits were all perfectly ripe and delicious.
This big breakfast made me full and happy.
We were able to have our check-out time extended until 2:00 p.m., and I enjoyed relaxing in our room plus another bath time.
I highly recommend Anantara Riverside Bangkok for many reasons, including the resort-like atmosphere, the beautiful river view, and easy access to the facilities at their sister hotel, Avani+.
It’s great for tourists, but it’s also a wonderful choice for Bangkok residents for their staycation.
