If you’re up for a fabulous stay of surprises in the sassiest of settings, the 5-star SO Sofitel in Bangkok delivers an extraordinary experience on every level.
Walking into the ultra chic SO Sofitel Bangkok feels like stepping into a fantasy land where any number of wonderful possibilities could eventuate.
I got to stay there for two nights to sample one of Bangkok’s most refreshing and elegant havens, perched high above the jumbled noise and urban hustle this Asian metropolis is famous for. Here’s my review.
Checking in & Beyond
Uniforms and sass designed by Christian Lacroix
The first thing to marvel at is the staff, their gorgeous outfits and welcoming smiles.
With a nod to the SO Sofitel brands’ French heritage, the elegant staff uniforms were designed by fashion icon Christian Lacroix while Thailand’s top five designers who came up with the concept must have had a lot of fun creating this hotel’s spectacularly vibrant interiors.
Clearly, no-one told these design guns to hold back on their imaginations.
The Chocolate lab on the ground floor
The lobby
While you walk into the property at street level past the hotel Chocolate lab (The divine smell alone will stop you in your tracks) or via the espresso bar, checking in happens up on the 9th floor in a lounge bar lobby space overlooking Lumpini Park.
This won’t be what you were expecting for a so-called reception. But that’s how they roll around here in a place that feels more like an adult playground than a hotel.
Cast your gaze around this contemporary lobby space, and you’ll see an eclectic mix of funky people hanging out by day, while post-sunset you’ll find a DJ revving up a champagne-fuelled crowd of socialite locals, expats and international guests.
The legend that is… ‘So Paul’
If you’re lucky, you may even bump into ‘SO Paul’, the hotel’s celebrity concierge/fixer for the stars and larger than life personality. Seriously, if you want to know where the coolest places to hang in Bangkok are, ask SO Paul.
The Room(s)
Wood – Club Room
Where was the last hotel you stayed in where you got to choose what kind of room you’d like? Every night if you wished?
The SO Sofitel offers you the choice of five Feng Shui element styled rooms to meet your current vibe. Water, wood, earth, metal and fire, each designed by a Thai artist. Even the room scents match the themes. Talk about the details.
What’s even cooler is that you can choose to stay in a different room throughout your stay – if you want that is.
Not feeling the vibe in your current den of iniquity? Vibe up or down to another element for no extra charge.
Water
Metal
Earth
All 237 spectacular rooms are immaculate and feature an Illy espresso machine, heavenly tubs, a 40” LCD TV, Ipad, complimentary in-room private bar with local flavours and my favourite, refillable YTSARA toiletry pumps eliminating the need for unnecessary single-use plastics. Tick.
I’m in a zen-like ‘Wood themed’ corner SO Club Studio with stunning floor to ceiling windows that look out over Lumpini Park and the busy main vein highway below. It’s a big room that’s comfy, quiet and feels ever so indulgent.
The Executive Lounge
Staying in a SO Studio or Club Room also gives you extra VIP privileges such as access to the gorgeous Executive Lounge on the 25th floor. Here you can kick back and enjoy an a la carte breakfast, high tea, complimentary evening cocktails and snacks all day to truly feel like a rock star.
Food & Drinks
Hi So Rooftop bar
The SO Sofitel has a street level café that serves excellent coffee, two restaurants and three bars. The Red Oven is a culinary sight to behold with a market style buffet of global proportions for breakfast, lunch and dinner that takes in those views again over Lumpini Park and beyond.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen (and eaten) a bigger and better selection of cuisine on offer in one place. It has to be seen to be believed.
Park Society Restaurant
Red Oven
Meanwhile, up on the 29th floor, it’s a French meets Asian fusion of the artisanal kind at the ‘SO’ sophisticated Park Society Restaurant. The lobster bisque infused with tom yum is insanely good, and the Lychee and Rose Petal cocktail is off the charts.
The Hi SO Rooftop Bar is your slick outdoor setting to quaff a pre-dinner cocktail and snack overlooking the buzz of the Bangkok jungle below while foot tapping to some tunes.
Facilities and Services
The rooftop pool overlooking Lumpini Park
After a hot, steamy day exploring Bangkok’s endless sights, the infinity pool is the perfect place to come back to refresh and recharge before your next adventure. At first glance, it’s a bit like gazing out over Central Park skyline in New York. Where am I again?
The gym also overlooks Lumpini Park while the SO Spa is designed like some mythological forest to lose yourself in for those looking for some high-level pampering beyond the standard Thai massage options.
So Spa
There’s even a ‘snooze room’ for guests arriving early in the day who want to lie down and relax before they can check in.
You can rent a bike or a scooter to zip around Lumpini Park, take in a late night burlesque performance from ‘The Stranger Bars’ queens or come the last Saturday of each month, join the #SOPoolParty for some balmy socialising with a whole bunch of new friends.
One thing’s for sure, you won’t be bored.
The Verdict
Lumpini Park
This hotel is a destination in its own right and a mind-bending trip of grand proportions.
I loved the brilliant, eclectic design and the vibe and found the staff to be super fun and incredibly efficient. Being opposite Lumpini Park also gives you the option to get out in nature (especially at dawn when the park is pumping), away from the concrete jungle locale of most hotels in Bangkok. Two nights wasn’t enough, and I’ll most definitely be back.
The Deets
- SO Cozy Rooms with a city view start at AU$277 per night
- SO Club rooms with a park view start at AU$582 per night and include breakfast, wifi, two pieces of dry cleaning per day and access to the Executive Lounge
- The hotel is only 200m from Lumphini MRT Subway Station and is approximately a 10-minute walk from Silom Road and Sala Daeng BTS Skytrain Station
- 2 North Sathorn Road, Bangrak, 10500 Bangkok
- Find out more at So Sofitel Bangkok
- READ: FLIGHT REVIEW: Jetstar Asia, Bangkok to Singapore
- READ: Don’t worry, Bangkok street food isn’t disappearing
- READ: NO PLASTIC: Phuket to phase out plastic & the rest of Thailand may follow
Matt stayed as a guest of Accor Hotels and Qantas
