Hotels

Our trip to Southeast Asia included a number of excellent hotel stays. We started in Bangkok, with a very nice upgrade to a spacious multi-room suite at the Le Méridien Bangkok. The hotel was everything to be expected from the Le Méridien brand - very comfortable, good service, excellent breakfast included in the room rate for Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum members, and a stylish, urban location. Later in the trip, we spent five nights at another Starwood property, The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort. This property is located on a small, quiet island just a short speedboat ride away from the main island of Phuket. Most of the rooms at this resort are private villas with their own pools, making it the perfect place to relax and escape reality on the shores of the emerald green Andaman Sea. In between, we had the real highlight of our trip’s hotel stays, as well as a disappointing one. First, the disappointment – The Rachamankha, a beautifully designed and decorated boutique hotel in Chiang Mai. This place was stunningly gorgeous. The problem was that it was not comfortable. The bed was awful, the bathroom had a small, very basic shower that was slow to heat up, the chairs at the pool were as hard as concrete park benches, and the service, while polite, was a bit cold. It was not what we expected, given the rave reviews of the property online. It also did not help that we arrived at The Rachamankha coming off one of the best hotel stays we have had anywhere in the world, at the amazing Jaya House River Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I cannot recommend this hotel enough! Jaya House is a gorgeous property, features arguably the best beds, food, and service of any hotel in town. With only 36 rooms, and a staff that outnumbers the guests, this place is all about pampering you and making your stay as memorable as possible – and they execute on that vision with near perfection. We were on a first name basis with the concierges in the front lobby, the restaurant servers, the managers – as were all of the other guests. This little five star hotel also provides so many extras to its guests – complimentary reusable water bottles, complimentary tuk-tuk service anywhere in town you need to go, a local cell phone with their number programmed into it in case you get lost or need a ride back to the hotel, delicious breakfasts every day, a complimentary minibar in the room that is restocked daily, complimentary laundry service… the list just goes on and on.

Avantec Suite, Le Méridien Bangkok
Living room in our suite at the Le Méridien Bangkok.

Avantec Suite, Le Méridien Bangkok
Bathroom in our suite at the Le Méridien Bangkok. The large bathroom featured dual vanities, two closets, a very deep tub, walk-in rainfall shower designed for two people, and a toilet with built-in bidet functions.

Avantec Suite, Le Méridien Bangkok
Bedroom in our suite at the Le Méridien Bangkok.

Junior Suite, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Our suite at the Jaya House River Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This room featured a sitting area, private patio in the rear of the suite with outdoor seating and outdoor shower, pool-front patio on the front of the suite, and a large bathroom with stone tub and rainfall shower, as well as a large walk-in closet area. The room included a complimentary minibar, as well as complimentary daily laundry services, and nightly turn-down with homemade cookies or cake left for us each evening.

Junior Suite, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Rainfall shower and stone bathtub at the Jaya House River Park. The tub is carved from a single piece of stone. Bathroom amenities, including shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion are all locally made and provided in reuable ceramic jars, not disposable plastic containers, as part of the hotel’s effort to lesson its environmental impact.
Junior Suite, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap

Hotel Lobby, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Antiques in the lobby at Jaya House River Park.

Hotel Lobby, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Sitting area and stairs in the Jaya House River Park lobby.

Hotel Lobby, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap

Junior Suite, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Outdoor shower in our suite at Jaya House River Park. Only a few of the suites have this feature.
Junior Suite, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Private patio at the rear of our suite. A similar patio was also located on the front side of our suite, with direct access to one of the two pools.

Junior Suite, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Front sitting area of our suite, with the poolside patio.

Pool, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
One of the two pools at Jaya House River Park. This one was located directly outside our front door. Every chair by both pools had fresh flowers set out daily, and attendant service for drinks and snacks in the afternoon.

Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Water feature between the pool and lobby, with the rooftop outdoor dining area and sunset bar above.
Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Outdoor tables on the patio outside Jaya House River Park's excellent restaurant. Each morning included a lavish breakast buffet featuring fresh fruit, homemade pastries and breads, and other self-service items. Additionally, the breakfast included an à la carte menu of both western and Cambodia items made to order. All rooms included the full breakfast spread in their rate. We also dined in the restaurant for dinner one evening, and the food was excellent in the evenings as well.

Pool, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap

Silver Pool, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
The other pool at Jaya House, located on a lawn next to the hotel's buildings. This pool is covered in silver tiles.

Silver Pool, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap

Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
The hotel is full of artwork and antiques, all of it locally sourced.
Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap

Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Ukdy, one of our hosts at Jaya House, who made the stay extra-special. He is one of the best hotel concierges I have ever encountered - and just an amazingly friendly and kind person. He made sure we always knew where we were going, had plenty of insect repellent and sunscreen, kept our water bottles refilled, and greeted us each time we returned with a smile, cold towels, and a glass of cold water or lemonade.
Hotel Lobby, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap

Hotel Lobby, Jaya House River Park, Siem Reap
Throughout the property, Jaya House features these black and white paintings of Cambodian people. They are beautiful, and each one is unique - every guest room has a different one, and several are located in the lobby. These pieces were commissioned by the hotel through a local art school that teaches orphans and children whose families cannot afford private education.

Steven Sullivan

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Hotels