Amaranta Hotel

From the outside, Amaranta Hotel looks rather simple, with a cream-hued facade and large floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, the lobby is far more opulent, with with a mix of off-white and brown marble floors, gold-hued light fixtures and trim, and wood paneling, plus a seating area with golden crushed-velvet sofas that some guests might find a wee bit over the top. The hotel attracts business travelers and tourists alike, but doesn't attract a ton of families as it doesn't have much for kids to do. 

Amaranta Hotel is situated in a busy, built-up area of northern Bangkok, a a five-minute walk from Huai Khawng MRT. The hotel is also close to the freeway, but it’s still a bit removed for those seeking downtown nightlife or looking to explore historical sights. Chatuchak Weekend Market is a 15-minute drive away.  Expect a 40-minute train journey to the malls in the Siam area and to the bars and nightclubs around Sukhumvit Road, and up to an hour by train to the Silom area. It's also a little over an hour by metro and walking to reach Chinatown. Jim Thompson House is about a half-hour from the hotel by car. Getting to Wat Arun takes around 45 minutes with a medium amount of traffic. While the airports are technically easy to reach given the hotel's highway-adjacent setting, travelers should still budget up to 45 minutes to reach either Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang.

Amaranta offers a variety of rooms and apartment-style suites. Rooms range in size from 28 to 56 square meters (301 to 602 square feet) and feature elegant decor including wooden floors and wall paneling, wallpaper trim featuring golden embellishment, and lovely pincushion daybeds with embroidered throw cushions. All come with, at a minimum, 48-inch flat-screen TVs, safes, minibars, coffee- and tea-making facilities, tablets for controlling room features (such as air-conditioning and electronic curtains), and safes. Suites have a similar decor scheme and each unit has two bedrooms along with fully equipped kitchens, complete with stoves, microwaves, and huge stainless steel fridges.

Bathrooms are modern, with all sorts of toiletries along with silk bathrobes and slippers and all feature separate deep soaking tubs and walk-in rainfall showers. However, some rooms have windows directly from bathrooms to rooms, which some guests may feel compromises privacy. 

This hotel offers a ton of great features for business and leisure travelers alike. There's a lovely (if smallish) rooftop swimming pool surrounded by plush lounge chairs. Off to one side is a small pool bar -- Astro 9 Skybar -- with a wicker swing seat and a row of barstools plus an outdoor shower for rinsing off that's surrounded by a diversity of tropical plants. From the rooftop pool, there are views out over surrounding buildings. The hotel also offers a fantastic fitness center crammed full of modern exercise equipment. Sports drinks and protein powders are available for sale. There are also shops in the lobby selling all sorts of souvenirs. Conference facilities are available for meetings and weddings, with catering available on request. Wi-Fi is free, as is parking. 

Dining options include Copper Restaurant & Bar, an underground restaurant featuring a larger-than-life aquarium and gorgeous copper paneling. Food and drinks from around the world on offer. Greendish Restaurant features an unusual fusion of Thai and Italian fare. Room service is also an option, and as of late 2017, the hotel has plans to add a bakery.