Taking a few days in Bangkok to catch up with friends and colleagues, Mark Bibby Jackson checks into the Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok to discover what an expat lifestyle feels like in the Thai capital.
Bangkok is a city that is constantly evolving with new hotels and apartments popping up almost monthly, which means you have to be something special to stand out from the crowd, Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok achieves this.
While many of us pop into Bangkok on route to the islands to the south or to look for things to do in Chiang Mai in the north, for others it is a base to visit the rest of the country, or a home for several years drawn by the year-round hot weather, Thai hospitality and the buoyant economy to resettle here.
This explains why Bangkok has a large supply of serviced apartments of varying accommodation standards. Well-located on Sukhumvit Soi 16, with views of the nearby Benjakitti Park, and just a ten-minute walk from Asoke BTS and Sukhumvit MRT, Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok is one of the more relatively youthful properties, having undergone a major year-long new renovation completed in April 2019.
A Room with a View
As always, the most important feature of any apartment block or hotel is the room – after all this is where you will spend the majority of your time, however alluring the charms of the city.
Each accommodation has a well-equipped kitchen should you ever wish to cook for yourself rather than delight on all the great food available on the streets below. There is also a washing machine and fridge freezer, so even if you are travelling you can stock up on cold drinks, or give your clothes a much needed clean.
Studio, one-bed, two-bed and three-bed apartments are available depending upon your needs and length of visit. I could have comfortably stayed here for a week, such was the quality of the bed. However, the best feature of my room was the view of Benjakitti Park and across the Bangkok skyline, especially at sunset when the red glow gave the other city of angels an ethereal feel. My advice would be to ask for a lake view room in A Block while booking.
Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok : 5-Star Facilities
The other stand out feature of the Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok was its swimming pool. Lengthy enough to take in some serious laps, the water is also shallow so that most adults can walk from end to end, should that be your preferred mode of exercise.
The adjoining fitness centre has just about all the state of the art equipment you would expect for an urban five-star resort allowing you to keep fit while watching the latest trials and tribulations of Donald and Boris on CNN.
There are even a table tennis table, golf room, kids play room and sauna – if you don’t find the streets of Bangkok quite hot enough – all conveniently located on the same R floor.
My preference was to take some time out with a book lazing on the wonderful self-indulgent day beds, especially in the morning when the sun is on the other side of the building, or during the late afternoon when its rays have started to abate.
On the ground floor there are two restaurants you can choose to take your inclusive breakfast. While the one in Block B serves a traditional breakfast buffet, Block A has an outlet of the popular Coffee Club where you can select from a decent range of western and Asian breakfast options – the scrambled eggs were wonderful. It also has 24-hour room service should you suffer from the jet lag munchies.
A Great Location
Apart from its excellent views, Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok benefits from a great location. Soi 16 is a great little lane, buzzing at lunch time with locals spilling out of their offices and benefitting from the plethora of cheap food options that simply are abounding everywhere.
It’s also a ten-minute walk (or five-minute dash in rainy season) from the Asoke-Sukhumvit junction, where both the BTS (Asoke) and MRT (Sukhumvit) can transport you air-conditioned and cheaply throughout the city. It’s also one stop from Sukhumvit to Makkasan where you can get the Airport Express, if you want to reduce your carbon footprint while in the city.
Indeed, Bangkok is a city where you can easily walk so long as you obey the local traditions of never rushing anywhere and to stand on both sides of the escalators simultaneously.
Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok Photo Gallery
Asoke has Terminal 21 shopping mall, designed like an airport where the different floors transport you to various cities across the world, with a comfortable air-conditioned cinema on the top floor that allows you to take in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. Many come just to take a ride on the escalators, enjoy the air-con, and do some window shopping, although you can also take a coffee here, or eat from one of the many food outlets.
But doing so would be a pity as nearby you have a couple of traditions – The Black Swan on Soi 19 if you want to have some traditional Sheffield banter and great British pub grub, or Pak bakery on Soi 23, which despite its name serves excellent Thai food. There’s also The Clubhouse Sports Bar & Grill also on Soi 23 – just after the dazzling lights of Soi Cowboy –, if you time your visit for a major sporting event, such as the Rugby World Cup semis like me.
With so many attraction nearby and with such great facilities literally on your doorstep, the Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok makes for an excellent place to stay in the Thai capital while taking advantage of some of the wonderful things to do in Bangkok, some of which are slightly off-the-beaten-track.
Shama Lakeview Bangkok
41 Sukhumvit Soi 16, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey, Bangkok
T: +66 2663 1234