Another Day Another Hotel - Patpong to Phranakorn!

20/9/2022

Nouvo City Hotel, Phranakorn

We arrived at our new hotel, The Nouvo City at 12pm, after a short cab ride from The Siam Heritage in the rain, which decided to belt it down as we were leaving. Despite liking the more traditional Siam Hotel, I was actually looking forward to a bit more luxury. The Nouvo City Hotel is an award-winning destination, down by the river, and it is easy to see why. The hotel rooms are large and spacious and have a superb array of services. The Nouvo offers everything from a laundry service, 24-hour room service and other facilities we haven't seen yet on our stay in Thailand.

There is a gym, spa, heated swimming pool, two wonderful restaurants and since I have just eaten breakfast this morning, an excellent buffet breakfast. Last night we ate dinner here. Embarrassingly, when I ordered a beer with my food, I was a little bit confused, when the waiter said they didn't serve alcohol; then the penny dropped. This city hotel caters for a mainly Muslim clientele, although there are more Europeans here than I have seen elsewhere. I had basically booked an alcohol-free hotel; luckily there is a wonderful bar just opposite where you can get a very large ninety Baht beer.

However, the food I ordered was delicious. I'm not too sure I got the right meal mind you, since it was nothing like what I ordered, but it was out of this World - so fresh and tasty. To be honest it went down pretty well without a beer, so it really isn't a problem for me not drinking in the hotel itself. So far it's an impressive city residence and seems like the right choice for a more comfortable experience.

The surrounding area looks much the same as Patpong. You can tell this is a developing city, and there are lines and lines of telephone wires stretching across every street in the most confusing, haphazard way. There is a canal in front of the Nouvo, but the colour leaves a lot to be desired; it certainly isn't Venice. That is the real charm of this place though; it is different, gritty and unpolished and that is why I like it. The disorganisation Bangkok projects just makes for a more memorable time!

Laundry

Darrell and I have been travelling for quite a few weeks now, so we have been desperate to find a hotel to do our accumulation of washing for us. Having spoken to the concierge at the desk, he explained the hotel could do our laundry, but it would be markedly cheaper to pop just over the road to a small Chinese laundrette, where they would do it for a third of the price. I was a little hesitant at first, but thought why not, I might as well give it a go.

I walked the few hundred meters up Samsen Road, where a group of ladies were sat outside, chatting, laughing and bashing clothes; not using a washing machine that I could see. I passed over my bag of clothes, which weighed four kilograms. This was important; they charge one hundred baht per kilogram for an express wash, which is about two pounds, so for eight pounds they would have everything washed for 10 pm that night. It was a little more expensive because of the quick turnaround and would have cost a fraction of what we paid, to have it done in twenty-four hours. Still, for me, it was a bargain and worth every single Baht and the washing came back perfect, folded and pressed; it would probably cost more to turn the washing machine on back home these days!

Chao Phraya River Park

Without the luxury of a full day, Darrell and I decided to go for a walk along the bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temperature had rocketed upwards again since the rain, sitting at a toasty thirty-two degrees, so the breeze from the river was welcome.

Stopping for a delicious bite to eat at Coco Chaophraya, it was a joy just sat looking out over the distinctly busy waterway. We saw a couple of tourist boats go past and decided to walk up to the dockside, where we paid for a brief boat tour, just to see what this large city has to offer. At a cost of eighty pence, we spent an hour travelling up and back along the Chao Phraya, viewing the city scape in its full glory. The skyline is impressive, with ancient history everywhere you look. We will be back tomorrow to take the 'hop on/off' tour, spending the day visiting all the tourist sights.

Chao Phraya River Cruise

Thai Massage

Back at the hotel, while Darrell had a swim, I went for my first ever Thai Massage, a service offered by the hotel. At a cost of seven hundred Baht, which is about fifteen pounds, I was given an hour's treatment in the spa, and it was wonderful; in fact it was so good, I slept like a baby last night, for the first time in days.

Now seven hundred Baht is actually quite expensive on a Thai level for a massage, especially since I could have got one at the laundrette for two hundred and fifty, but lets just say I wanted to play it safe. I have heard many negative comments about various backstreet establishments offering a 'full service' as it were. Really, I just wanted to relax and enjoy the experience in a clean, sterile environment, and I wasn't disappointed.

I was taken to a darkened room and asked to put on a freshly prepared Thai outfit, and then this young Thai gentleman started giving me the massage from heaven. Starting off with my feet and legs, working his way to my back and buttocks. He then did my arms and hands, which was so relaxing, especially suffering with mild arthritis and finally onto my back, shoulders and neck. There was a lot of clicking going on, as he manipulated my muscles and tendons, pulled my fingers and cracked my back, finally stretching my arms backwards, which although painful, made me feel great afterwards. It was well worth every penny and I will be back for another one before I leave.

Street Life in Phranakorn

In the evening, we went for a walk around the local area of Phranakorn, which is very different to Patpong. Phranakorn is far more relaxing and friendly. It does feel a bit like going back in time, into a different world, but that is part of its charm. We settled down for a couple of drinks at So on Samsen Road, which feels like a family run bar. The hostess and waitresses were lovely, friendly, and very welcoming, unlike other places we have visited; already I felt completely at home.

The furnishings and decor were very Thai and extremely comfortable, unlike the more rough and ready bars around the area. Importantly for me, the toilets were immaculate, which is always a must, but just like everywhere else around here, there was a notice on the wall asking us to put toilet paper in the bin and not down the toilet, which was a bit strange. However, when you discover there is a problem with the drains blocking, you can understand why.

Sitting down, enjoying a bottle of Chang, a local cat came and plonked herself down next to Darrell and spent the evening sat next to us. Felines know who they like and if you are comfortable with cats or not, and she seemed to enjoy being around us. After talking to the owner, it seems she is a stray cat, but is looked after by her. She looks very well-kept I have to say, and it was great just sat there, chilling with a cat rubbing around our legs once more, we really have missed that feline contact since we've been travelling. So Bar, really did feel like a home from home, and we will be back tomorrow for dinner; to end another perfect day in paradise; well almost paradise!