3.19.2014

Where to stay in Bangkok: Ibis Bangkok Riverside Hotel

Photos taken from Ibis Website
The rooms, the lounge, the dinner deck and the view from up top. 
We were so very pleased with our choice to stay at the Ibis Bangkok Riverside Hotel. It was comfortable & relaxing all for a great price!
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor 

This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
 We stayed 9 spectacular days and have nothing but good things to say about this property & its location.
The view from our chairs at the Ibis. 
We loved lounging pool & riverside every night and afternoon. At night we lounged with dessert & the afternoon we lounged with books and drinks. So relaxing! I love that the Ibis has this resort like feel with the space they have. It's not huge like a resort but it definitely offers some cozy places, infinity pool, massages pool side, and a great view. 
We loved these huge rattan lounge chairs. There were tons of nice outdoor furniture lining the riverside for relaxing. While this picture looks very busy because of a wedding party they had on the deck that day, most days it  was quiet and not too busy and we could always find a chair. 
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Deets
The Rooms
Ibis' rooms are decorated simply and comfortably. The rooms are small, as most Bangkok rooms are, but the perfect size for a single or couple. They also have joined rooms for families. The walls were painted with a deep red and held simple, World Market style artwork. The bed was incredibly comfortable! Ohhh man. We loved this bed. I hope we can go back even if just for that bed! It was the perfect firm/soft for us and for some reason it promoted/induced snuggling. It's usually difficult for us to snuggle, but on this bed, perhaps since it was SO comfortable, we snuggled all night. :) The room comes with a shower, white clean towels and linens, shampoo & body wash, a flat screen TV with English channels, a refrigerator, an electric tea pot, tea and coffee and 2 water bottles which are replenished daily. 
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Location
The location was fantastic. We would not have wanted to stay anywhere else. It's directly on the river, with riverside views, and 5 minutes from public transportation boat piers. Via boat you can get to most major Bangkok attractions on the River, avoiding traffic and taxi fees.  The BTS station is a 15 minute walk, or short hotel shuttle ride, away. From the BTS you can go all across Bangkok. It's location is also great for when there are protests in Bangkok. Its a safe area, away from government buildings & as I said, most major attractions can be reached by the river. The Ibis is placed in a very peaceful area of town and down a quiet alleyway. We never once felt uncomfortable or unsafe in this area and we never saw any of the things you could often see in the seedier areas of Bangkok, like beggers, prostitution, an excess of bars, etc. It was peaceful, safe and quiet. We loved the street outside of the hotel (in which the alleyway is, leading to the hotel is off of) and the restaurant/street cart owners on it. They were incrdibly kind and of course, they all served delicious food. There are several Thai restaurants, street vendors and a 7-11 in front of the hotel, as well as an international shopping center, with a Starbucks, grocery store and some international restaurants across the street. Don't be fooled by the big Texas sign advertising a restaurant there at the shopping center. Don't think you're getting Tex Mex or a big juicy steak. We have absolutely no idea why it was called Texas except to make us salivate and then be let down by a weird Asian morph of hot pot, french fries & chicken feet. 

This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Environment
This was one of my favorite parts of the Ibis, the hotel environment. It's nice and has a classy feel to it as soon as you walk in but the best part awaits you out the back doors, where there is a huge, infinity pool placed directly beside the riverside. Even better there are 20+ pool lounge chairs around the pool, a place to receive masages riverside, and sets of cozy outdoor furniture where you can order drinks and food. I was in heaven reading my book in a huge outdoor sofa chair, wine in hand, riverside view ahead. It was lovely! Ah man, when can we go back. Ibis, if you are reading this, please note that I am writing this without any compensation but would love if you sent a week free my way so the Hubbs and I can come visit you again soon. A free hotel room would likely sway him to swing the plane ticket fees. Please, and thank you. 
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Food
We only tried a few things while we were there. We had a burger and fries, a salad, paninis and Thai iced coffee. As is expected at any hotel the food & alcohol was expensive, but absolutely delicious. The buffet was crowded every night by what appeared to be happy, laughing customers. I walked through it one time at lunch and it looked great. Lots of variety & it appeared fresh. The restaurant also has outdoor seating, again, riverside.  Do you see a theme here with the Ibis Riverside hotel? The hotel did a great job utilizing  it's asset, the River. There is a bar in the lobby where you can order food and drinks 24/7.
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Service
Every employee we interacted with was kind, smiling, friendly and helpful. Most of them also spoke English. Our rooms were cleaned every day perfectly. We always came back to crisp sheets & new towels. One of the awesome things about staying in a hotel, don't you think? There is a tourist deck in the lobby that can help you with booking tours. Also, if you need to go anywhere in Bangkok you can ask the front desk to write the address down for you & then they will call you a taxi from the street. Again, nothing but good things to say. Also, there are computers in the lobby available for guest use. 
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor 
Massages avialable Riverside.
If you're not into getting a massage in public or the hotel price, there are several legit massage places on the street directly infront of the hotel. We recommend the massage shop that is in front of the cross walk to get to SineFest (the shopping center). It has a picture of the human body with pressure points on the front window, sorry don't know the name! We went to a few massage places and this was our favorite and the most professional, in our opinion. If you're not into getting massages, for some crazy reason ;) please, please, for the love of your body & shoulders, get one in Thailand! And, if you don't get an oil massage, you keep all your clothes on or change into their outfit.
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor 
The Price
With all that goodness I explained above you would think it would come with a higher price tag than it does. Thankfully and generously, we were so blessed to receive all the above for a little over $40 a night. 
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Cons
Really I have to dig my brain to think of anything we didn't like. There is no room service. You can order from the menu and the bar 24/7 but they won't deliver it to you. Which is really not a big deal, it's probably good that I had to burn a few calories in order to get our french fries, but still, sometimes it's nice to have things delivered. That's the only complaint I can think of. 

This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
This photo of ibis Bangkok Riverside is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Ibis is also available for parties. I heck-a want to get married all over again to Zachary and have our reception here. 

We will for sure be back to the Ibis Bangkok Riverside hotel on our next (hopefully) trip to Thailand. (Come on Ibis! Make it sooner!) Thank you Ibis for such a great experience!
***A big thank you to Trip Advisor and all those awesome reviewers who post fantastic photos with your review! You helped make this post more interesting! All photos were taken from Trip Advisor the way advised.***

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