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    Cuisine is one of the Regent Bangkok's great prides, with several leading restaurants within. The Madison grill (a stunning venue which we walked to, complete with a private dining room for larger bookings and special events) and the New York Steak House are booked well in advance. Oliver Schnatz took me to an impressive wine rack at the Madison, but as at Napa, the connoisseur in me was switched off. Consequently I was more taken by Biscotti—as was Condé Nast Traveler (which even named the Regent the best hotel in Asia in 2000).
    And with good reason: the cuisine at the Biscotti which I sampled twice during my stay at the Regent had sumptuous Italian dishes. Alberto Gianati, the chef, surpassed himself with the pasta dishes. Time prevented me from taking in Shintaro, the Japanese restaurant near to Biscotti, which had outstanding typography—a must for me, as it signals that if attention is paid to non-essential aspects then those essential ones must be excellent, or the open-air Aqua. Still, there are more chances of returning to Bangkok and there would be no question of sampling both.
    Annabelle told me of research that showed that Italian and Japanese cuisine were the "most wanted".
    When working off the pounds, the Regent has the city's only 24-hour health club, with Jacuzzi and steam room. A spa would open in 2002.
    The club had had a large number of outside members, but complaints soon saw the Regent make membership more exclusive, raising the price Guests could advise of their arrival with security. An oriental massage, for 1,450 baht, is on offer.
    Both the club and Shintaro had distinctive looks, united by interior designer Tony Chi. The Republic of China native and FIT graduate linked architectural and interior design concepts for two inviting locations that would please anyone who is discerning about their physical environment.
    The Regent Club, which we visited, is an executive club lounge, an ideal professional setting with complimentary breakfast, cocktails, internet (which I could access on my laptop as the suite was properly equipped with a line), private library and meeting rooms.
    These facilities were expected from a leading hotel; the Regent difference comes in the professionalism. Attention to detail was evident. Even at night, they were being used, signalling their popularity.
    However, no guest would remain cooped up at the Regent, despite the air-conditioned comfort away from the 35-degree heat outdoors. And traffic in the city is murder—even Roger Moore remarked that 'Traffic's worse here than in Piccadilly' in that film. Twenty-seven years on, it is worse still, so the Regent offers a minivan, an "office on wheels", that has the facilities needed by the modern executive. One can spend the time in Bangkok traffic in a productive fashion, even have the meeting inside the minivan.
    What is special, to me, is knowing that the cabaña rooms on the second floor, in a lush setting with banyon trees, a man-made waterfall and a garden could be a destination next time. Guests are treated to a great deal of privacy and it is almost hard to imagine a slice of island life in the middle of one of Asia's metropolises.
    The effect was spoiled by the sight of a nearby incomplete building, left as a monument to the Asian downturn a few years ago. But it seems inconsequential to those enjoying the cabaña accommodations and, as the Regent is proud to add, the hotel did not lose any tourists during that period. Devaluation had, in fact, made the prices even better value.
    Not that some of its more well known guests would have been watching the dollars. Associates of the Prince of Brunei have stayed, as had Henry Kissinger, Fidel Ramos (during his presidency), Elizabeth Taylor (I did not ask with which husband) and the Prince himself. But it is not because of the Regent being pricey; indeed, there is a culture of providing value for money, ensuring accommodation prices are affordable for guests. Even the world's most famous freemason from the Nixon administration likes good value.
    They might like some of the services that are not advertised. Annabelle told me that guests often had unique requests and that the concierge could find 'anything'. 'Anything? How about an astrologer?'

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Getting there

Lucire flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt and was impressed with its service. We also recommend another Star Alliance partner, Air New Zealand. Even in economy (Pacific class), legroom is excellent, and included small footstands on the seat in front.
   Air New Zealand explained that this was due to New Zealand's isolation and the necessarily longer flights of Kiwis.
   However, we had to rate Thai and United, the other partner airlines, poorly. When the passenger in front put his seat down on Lucire's economy flight out of Bangkok, it proved impossible to get the tray table down. United tended to be packed, but not quite that badly.
   Service was comparable to the amount of legroom. Lucire rates Air New Zealand consistently highly. Lufthansa was excellent, though we probably benefited from being able to speak some German: there was a slight difference in service on the three Lufthansa flights this magazine took this year on the German national airline, although in no case was service poor (only varying between very good and excellent).
 

Copyright ©2001 by JY&A Media, a division of Jack Yan & Associates. All rights reserved.
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