Last Updated on April 18, 2025
Central Hotel in downtown Bangkok
After a long-haul flight of over 11 hours to Bangkok, there is nothing more welcoming than a driver sent by your hotel to transfer you into town. Or, in the case of Bangkok, to crawl. I had read that the traffic in this enormous city is often at a standstill, and indeed it took 90 minutes (it should take half that) to inch along from the airport to NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard. Once inside the impressive lobby – a large space with the Mirage bar and sumptuous, colourful sofas – we were met with a very warm welcome and began to relax.
The NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard has 307 rooms and suites with eight different room types across 25 floors. Some rooms have private balconies and terraces. Our deluxe room on the 12th floor had floor-to-ceiling windows and overlooked Bangkok’s Skytrain, which moves commuters around the city on an elevated track. The hotel is a mere 200m walk from the closest Skytrain station, Nana BTS. I was mesmerised by these trains, which have many different designs on the carriages and are very colourful. Beyond the Skytrain rose a host of high-rise, contemporary hotel and office buildings, which were illuminated at night, making for a most pleasing cityscape.
Our large room at the NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard was well-appointed with a comfy bed with cheerful messages on the scatter cushions and a lovely welcome message spelt out in blue ribbons across the bed. There was an inviting armchair from which to admire the view, and a wooden side table on which was placed a vase of fresh hydrangeas. There was plenty of storage space, a mini fridge, a kettle with tea and coffee provided, bottled water, fresh fruit and chocolates as it was Valentine’s Day. A large desk was big enough to work from home if the need arose. The bathroom was a good size with a large shower and a separate bath. There were plenty of aromatic beauty products as well as dental and shaving kits.
As the sun set, we went in search of the hotel pool on the 6th floor in an older section of the hotel – we discovered that the NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard comprises two adjoining buildings. On the way to the pool, we found the gym in case you want to work out. The pool was located on an enormous terrace planted with palm trees. Also on this terrace was a second hotel bar, plus an outdoor restaurant with pretty lights strung across the top. A waiter was strewing rose petals on the white tablecloths – it was Valentine’s Day after all. It was also a Friday evening when NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard hosts one of its weekend BBQS. The food on offer was very impressive and included a lovely array of fresh salads and vegetables, and a huge platter of very large shellfish waiting to be grilled. On weekdays, guests can enjoy a large international buffet in the Tropicana restaurant on the hotel’s ground floor.
It was so hot and humid in Bangkok that a swim in the early evening was a good time to cool off. The pool was illuminated and helped us recover from the flight and the jetlag that was beginning to settle in. We reclined on loungers that surrounded the pool and watched the lights on the buildings that tower above the hotel, each with distinctive light features. It felt like we were in a small oasis, a gentle introduction to Bangkok.
Down on street level, we found the buzz – some would say mayhem – that is nightlife in downtown Bangkok. It was packed with people and was a mixture of gritty and upmarket. The hotel is located just off Sukhumvit Road, which is the main artery that runs from east to west across Bangkok. This provides guests access to excellent transport links as well as more bars and restaurants than you can imagine. Parts of Sukhumvit Road have a seedier side, but within a 10-minute walk, we arrived at Terminal 21, one of the city’s most famous shopping malls. These malls are hugely popular in Bangkok and are enormous, with so many shops that it would take all day to visit them all. Clothing stores range from Gucci to H&M.
Terminal 21 is known for its travel theme, each of its floors representing a different city. You can travel around the world via escalator to Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco and Hollywood. Each floor is themed with appropriate lighting and shop design, with massive props. Even the toilets are themed. The London floor had a huge red bus, and the loos were designed to look like a tube train. The Istanbul floor resembled a souk where a long row of nail bars was doing brisk trade well into the evening. Hollywood had a ginormous sculpture of an Oscar, Rome had faux marble sculptures and even a faux frescoed ceiling, while San Francisco had Pier 21, which was a large food court filled with street food stalls where we had a delicious dinner for a mere six pounds.
The morning got off to a fine start at NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard with a large breakfast served in the Tropicana restaurant. There were Western options including the components of the full English as well as platters of cheese and charcuterie, a salad bar, dips, yoghurts, cereals, breads and pastries. Fresh fruit included chunks of dragon fruit – a tropical treat. Colourful Staub casseroles contained a range of hot dishes. Asian options included salted eggs and Chinese sausages, soup with tofu, boiled rice, pandan custard buns and stir-fries. There was also a section serving hot Arabic and Indian dishes like mutter pulao and sambar. Thai green chicken curry and pan-fried fish with lemon cream sauce might sound more like brunch than breakfast, but this was a spread that certainly set us up for the day.
It’s easy to organise a range of tours and day trips at the NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard. We had booked ahead for a guide and driver to take us to Ayutthaya. I recommend a day trip to this fascinating city if you have a few days in Bangkok. It is about an hour away and was once the capital of Siam. It is a fascinating archaeological site containing the ruins of palaces, monasteries and Buddhist temples.
Travelling with the Skytrain, you can reach wherever you want to explore in Bangkok, including the magnificent temples and museums located along the Chao Phraya River. One museum that is on the top ten to-do lists and is not too far from the hotel is the Jim Thompson House. We loved our visit to this museum, where you tour the property on a 45-minute guided tour through a stunning, traditional Thai teak home that belonged to Jim Thompson, who brought Thai silk to the attention of the international community. It is packed with beautiful Thai art and artefacts and is set in a tropical garden.
NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard is a well-appointed hotel right in the heart of downtown Bangkok. It is very comfortable and has a lovely pool. It has excellent transport links and is on the right side of the city, which provides easy access to Suvarnabhumi airport (notwithstanding the traffic) as well as day trips to Ayutthaya. The staff were very welcoming and kind and were helpful when we encountered some late-night taxi difficulties. The NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard is in the centre of a busy retail area where shops, restaurants and nightlife are on your doorstep.
NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard
2 Soi Sukhumvit 5,
Sukhumvit Road,
Bangkok
Thailand
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