Tenface Hotel, Bangkok
Here I am getting ready for my big vacation for 2008:-) Just in time for my birthday month of Oct:-). It seems I never get enough of big presents for myself. So I am rewarding myself yet again, besides the LV monogramouflage bag, a vacation to London with a stopover in land of smiles, Bangkok.
And look at what I found for my place to stay for those 3 pampering days I will spend in that wonderful electic mix of old and new, decadent and humble city. It seems Bangkok never ceases to amaze me with their great hospitality ideas. They have some of the best interior designs I have seen. The Thais have amazing great taste. Even their retail concepts are one of a kind and you will be impressed that what you see comes from Bangkok which you least expected .
I know I want a unique place to stay to round off my London trip. So I did a search online to see what new hotel offerings have been surging into the city during my lapse of visit in 2008. I did Bangkok almost like 6 times in the year of 2007. In a way, I got somewhat tired of it and did not travel there since January 2008. I miss my massages and the great food at my favourite Greyhound cafe(especially their lobster bisque, yum yum!), the best Paul Smith store in Siam Paragon! To my most pleasant surprise, I found Tenface Bangkok:-) A new hotel property owned by the owners of the now closed ultra hip Playground shopping mall.
I was instantly drawn to the contemporary thai style decor of Tenface bangkok. This urban sanctuary is inspired by the mythological character of Tosakan, the ten-faced giant from the epic Ramakien. Here's the synopsis of the concept by the hotel in summary:-) Tosakan emobdies the a fusion of passion and wit. He embodies the essence of wsidom. With his ten pairs of eyes, Tosakan sees beyond the normal. With his ten faces, he consumed extensive knowledge, creating unique perspectives on life. At Tenface, a modern approach has been taken from this inspiration. They aim to be the source of all the lowdowns on all things cool and the best culinary spots in Bangkok, for you to indulge in the local lifestyle and letting you see the city with fresh eyes.
Upon checking in, you get a Tosakan's heart box, symbolic of the legend where Tosakan hid his heart in a treasured box to make himself immortal. So the box is truly invaluable to anyone who possesses it. In more down to earth terms, it means you get a load of goodies, from the likes of a a BTS card, a local SIM card, a taxi card with thai names of important places (very thoughful) and a must see places map. You can even loan an ipod nano with songs loaded for you for the duration of your stay. The most quirky of all are the 3 condoms that comes with the whole welcome pack which one of them is a XL size:-P For size queens. Hahaha. The hotel is an all suites hotel with generous room sizes and ranges from one bedroom to penthouse suites. Almost like your bachelor pads:-) Slick design and style, befitting the most savvy of travellers.
I love the fusion of legend and tradition with modern contemporary concepts to appeal to the affluent traveller without losing the local flavour. Check out the website...it has a very interesting design and yet retains a distinctive thai flavour. I love the graphics and treatment of the design. Although the location is not the most convenient, the proprietor has kindly arranged for a vintage Benz to take the guest to the nearest BTS station mere minutes away. So that itself is charming and unique.
I am sure looking forward to my stay in Tenface! Will take pics and write a review afterwards:-)
Source: Pics from www.tenfacebangkok.com, Martin Nicholas K
