Lofty Suite), Bangkok, Thailand (2 – 5 Apr 26)

April 25, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

SO/ Bangkok is located in the heart of Bangkok, opposite the famed Lumpini Park, the largest park in downtown Bangkok. There are a couple of shopping malls near the hotel. One Bangkok, the larger of the two, is diagonally opposite the hotel with shopping and food options. In terms of 24-hour convenience shops, there are two 7-Elevens within a 5-minute walk from the hotel. Despite its central location, SO/ Bangkok is only connected by the MRT and some bus services. To access the BTS, we need to catch the MRT for one stop and change to the BTS at Si Lom. For visitors who are using the BTS to visit the sights or shop in central Bangkok, where the BTS is the only way to get to these sights, they would find SO/ Bangkok a tad cumbersome to get around. There are not many sights, other than Chinatown, that the MRT connects. The MRT also connected us to shopping areas like Patpong and Terminal 21.

SO/ Bangkok facade

Reception on ground floor of the hotel assisting guests

Hote Signage

Hotel lobby on the ground floor

Reception at SO/ Bangkok on level 9

The hotel reception is located on level 9

Hotel lobby has tons of seating for guests to relax

Hotel lobby seatings on level 9

The SO/ Lofty Suite (Water Element)

We originally booked the SO/ One Bedroom Suite, the second-lowest-tiered suite in the hotel. To our surprise, SO/ Bangkok gave us a two-tier upgrade to the SO/ Lofty, the second-highest tiered suite in the hotel. The 99㎡ water-themed SO/ Lofty Suite is one of the four elemental themes on which the hotel designed its rooms. For those who prefer the higher floor, water-themed rooms sit on the top few levels of the hotel.

Layout of the Water Element SO/ Lofty Suite that we stayed in

Entryway

The entryway in the SO/ Lofty Suite is not furnished with any furniture that would otherwise make it easier for guests to take off their shoes. Instead, the plain entryway was designed to be a thoroughfare for guests between the living room and the entrance to the suite. As an introduction to the suite, we were given a glimpse of the dark grey colour scheme used to represent the claim and sophistication of the water element. The designer uses the dark tone and soothing shades of grey to enhance the panoramic city views.

Powder Room

The power room is situated opposite the main entrance to the SO/ Lofty Suite. The stone colour theme at the entryway flowed into the powder room. The light shade of grey on the wall of the powder room complements the darker shade used in the tile, which is one of the ways the designer of the suite uses to create a calm atmosphere. The powder room is only fitted with a toilet and a large sink, and given the space allocated to this room, the sense of calmness also comes from the spaciousness. To reinforce the water theme, SO/ Bangkok hangs a picture of a water ripple in grey tones above the porcelain throne.

Living Room

The shades of grey used in the powder room are replicated in the living room. Here, the lighter stone grey wall colour, together with the darker near black grey used in the tiles of the floor, created a darker interior. It is here where we could really see what the designer meant by letting the bright bustling city be the centre of attention. The darker tones in the living room focus our attention on the bright colours in the City of Angels. The colour used in the living room is slightly more from wooden tones in the TV console and the cabinets at the side of the living room (which we welcomed the abundance of storage here), to the sand coloured floor lamp sited next to the floor to ceiling window quietly provides warm illumination to the living room at night, to the light grey coloured two seater European size sofa. Despite an increase in the variety of colours used, everything flows in harmony. The two-seater fabric sofa, which is sufficient to seat three or even four adults comfortably, is the centrepiece of this part of the suite. Sitting by the walls and facing the 55” LED TV mounted onto the wall opposite, the sofa is where we relax while watching the multiple entertainment options from the TV, from international cable channels to local TV shows. There is something to occupy every age group sitting on the sofa. The larger hourglass-shaped side table functions as more than an ornamental piece. When nothing is placed on top of it, it is an art piece that gives some life in the living room, but when used, it can also function as an additional table area for us to stow our shopping. The single armchair, in the same tone as the sofa, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, provides guests of the SO/ Lofty suite with additional sitting space for hosting.

There is a cabinet at the wall in the living room of the SO/ Lofty Suite

The living room in our SO/ Lofty Suite

The comfortabled two-seater sofa in the living room

The living room is equipped with a 55" LED TV mounted on the wall above the TV cabinet

The TV has lots of channel to keep us entertained while not exploring Bangkok

Bedroom

Perhaps the only space in this water element, the SO/ Lofty Suite, that took a departure from the dark tone is the wardrobe in the bed area. Instead of having a dark tone, this part of the suite is laid with natural wood colour, which seems to be for practical reasons. As there were no views in this part of the site, the lighter colour tones used here allow guests to perform functions that are allocated to this part of the suite better. I like how SO/ Bangkok designed a walk-in wardrobe in the bedroom of the suite, with a sliding door that gave the separation between the wardrobe and the bedroom. The wardrobe space employs an open design fitted with only hanging racks. Other than the ledge below the hanging racks, which we used to place our luggage and the oversized drawer below, we found a lack of shelving for us to stow our smaller clothing items. Shelving space is limited to the two built into the wall of the wardrobe, of which one is used to house the in-room safe. While we still have the other shelving to use, I find it awkward and difficult to access. Fortunately, SO/ Bangkok furnished the vanity table inside the walk-in wardrobe, which we used to place our smaller clothing items on.

The only shelving in the wardrobe is rather difficult to access

The wardrobe has a large hanging rack but few hangers

The walk-in wardrobe in our SO/ Lofty Suite sits between the bedroom and the living room

The vanity table inside the walk-in wardrobe

The sleeping area occupies the rest of the space allocated to the bedroom. The bedroom past the king bed continued the dark grey tones we saw in the living room. Differing from the living room, instead of having grey walls, the bedroom is decked with the same dark marble tiles on the floors and the walls, with only the ceiling painted in the same grey tones as those we saw on the walls of the living room to accentuate the focus on the colour of the city skyline. The king bed is very comfortable to sleep on, with a good selection of pillow options from the pillow menu that SO/ Bangkok pampers its guests to choose from; we woke up feeling refreshed every day. SO/ Bangkok did not use your traditional wooden bedside tables with drawers; in their place were white tables that stood guard on either side of the bed. Unlike the traditional bedside tables, these tables did not come with any drawers, but were sufficiently sized for us to place our lifestyle devices to charge overnight. SO/ Bangkok cleverly fitted the minibar into the suite on the wall just outside the walk-in wardrobe, next to the king bed. The minibar is only visible when the door to the walk-in wardrobe is closed. Despite taking up a small footprint in the suite, the mini bar has everything that makes it a full-functioning mini bar. It houses a Nespresso machine, a kettle and a mini fridge that is stocked with complimentary drinks that are replenished daily. I do, however, find the usage of the coffee machine a little difficult. Due to the space allocated, I would have to pull the machine to the edge of the shelf for the insertion of a coffee pod.

Looking into the bedroom of the suite from the living room

The bedroom in our SO/ Lofty Suite

The king bed in the bedroom is very comfortable to sleep on

SO/ Bangkok has a pillow menu catering to most guests' preference

The hotel fitted Thai power outlets on both bedside tables

One of the two bedside tables in the bedroom

Mini bar is fitted at the side of the bed along the walls of the walk-in wardrobe

The sliding door to the wardrobe reveals the mini bar in the bedroom

The king bed faces the quadrant floor-to-ceiling windows that curve towards the bed, giving us views of the city from our bed. There is a fairly large space between the windows and the bed. This is where the hotel filled the void with a circular armchair and a small coffee table. This grey fabric chosen for this armchair complemented the dark grey palette used by the designer, continuing the sophistication and calm vibe we had seen in the other parts of the suite. The armchair is very comfortable to sit on, allowing us to laze, focusing our attention on the bustling city. Another 55” LED TV is placed just a little shy of the window facing the king bed. A small work desk facing the city skyline is fitted in one corner of the bedroom, with the power outlets fitted on the ledge beside the work desk. This is a perfect spot for guests to do some work. The ledge also gave us additional space to place things like documents.

Looking out in the rest of the bedroom from the bed area

The work desk is found in a corner of the bedroom next to the bathroom

There is another 55" LED TV in the bedroom and a oversized armchair for us to relax

The work desk is of a good size

View of Bangkok from the bedroom of or SO/ Lofty Suite

Bathroom

The bathroom was allocated a good amount of space. The massive wooden sliding door separates the bedroom from the other bedroom. Right in front of the sliding door sits a dual sink. For a sink of this size, I thought the countertop space was a tad limited due to the larger-sized sinks the hotel used in the SO/ Lofty Suite. After placing a large amenities box in the centre of the sink, we were left with little space to stow our toiletries. Other than insufficient countertop space, we also found a lack of hanging spaces. There is only one hook in the bathroom, which limits the number of clothes we can hang here. The issue became more pronounced when we needed a space to hang our bath towels to dry for the next day, and at the same time, our clothes when we took a shower. More often than not, we found water splashing out of the sink due to the force from the sink, if we were not careful with turning the water from the tap to the “right” amount of pressure. SO/ Bangkok fitted the porcelain throne on the left side of the sink countertop, behind a shallow wall. There are no doors to segregate the toilet from the rest of the bathroom. The walk-in shower took up the bulk of the area in the bathroom, located to the right of the sink next to the floor-to-ceiling window. I like how the hotel placed the massive round bathtub (by the window) inside the walk-in shower. This allowed us to head straight for the shower after taking a relaxing soak, looking out into the skyline of Bangkok. The bathtub took a while for the water to fill up, partly due to the oversized bathtub and partly due to the weak water pressure.

The bathroom seen from the bedroom

The bathroom is fitted with two large sinks but the countertop space is a little tad

Bathroom amenities

The toilet sits behind a wall in the bathroom

Bathroom amenities provided by SO/ Bangkok

The bathtub is located inside the walk-in shower cubicle

We could see into the Bangkok skyline while soaking in the oversized tub

Service

The service we received in SO/ Bangkok was nothing short of excellence. From the moment we stepped out of our ride from the airport, to the check-in process and the daily interactions with staff members of the hotel, we were made to feel welcome. Everyone we bumped into wore smiles and portrayed the warmth that the Thais were famously known for. The great service started during our arrival at SO/ Bangkok, where we were greeted by the porter at the driveway. As we were talking to the driver of our airport transfer, our luggage was already taken care of by the porter who escorted us to the concierge to confirm our check-in. As we booked to stay in a suite, the porter escorted us to the lounge for checking in, and introduced the locations of the various facilities in the hotel along the way. The porter handed us over to his lounge colleagues, who assisted with our check-in. At the lounge, we were shown to a seat, and the lounge staff disappeared into action, leaving us with welcome drinks while she processed our check-in. Before long, our check-in was completed, and we were on our way to our suite, where the porter had already placed our luggage. That is what I called service! With a well-oiled team working behind the scenes to ensure our stay was seamless, starting from our check-in process.

We were served welcome drink during check-in at the lounge

Welcome drinks redemmed at the poolside bar

Welcome amenities in our suite waiting for us

The lounge staff were always very welcoming whenever I popped into the lounge for a smoke or a drink. We were greeted with the widest smile by Georgia and were always offered drinks. Whether ordering a drink to have it in the lounge or to go for our enjoyment in our suite, nothing seemed too troublesome for the lounge staff. The lounge staff always made us feel welcome at the lounge and would put down their work and give us their full attention. The staff at the Red Oven were welcoming as well. At the entrance during breakfast, we were always greeted by a cheerful staff member with a warm smile while confirming our room number and showing us to our seats. The staff at the Red Oven were always on their toes, attending to guests’ requests. They were very efficient in clearing the used plates on the tables. I had not seen any used plates being left at the table for more than 5 minutes.

Hotel Facilities

Breakfast @ Red Oven

Breakfast is served at the Red Oven restaurant, located on the 7th floor of the hotel. The Red Oven Restaurant serves up a good spread for breakfast, from Western to Asian to Thai cuisine. We were already spoiled for choices just on pastries alone, where the hotel serves a larger variety of bread from the usual suspects to croissants and au pain chocolat, together with a large variety of spreads and jams. For cold food options, the hotel offered cold cuts, smoked ham and salmon, as well as a large variety of salads. While the hot food options were a choice between sausages, bacon and eggs from the Western options, as well as dim sum and sushi from the Asian menu. There is even a small number of Thai dishes in the hot food buffet line. I find it interesting that SO/ Bangkok has a station during breakfast where Thai noodle soup is made to order. For drinks, other than the usual coffee, tea, juices, SO/ Bangkok also serves a wide variety of fruits available for breakfast that provide guests with a hearty and all-around nutrition during the most important meal of the day. There is even ice cream served during breakfast. Despite the spread of food, the menu for breakfast stayed the same throughout the three days of our stay with SO/ Bangkok.

Entrance to Red Oven where we had our breakfast

Bread station at the entrance of the restaurant

The dessert station includes ice cream

The hot food station is situated in the middle of the restaurant

The hot food and cold food stations in Red Oven

There is a noodle station that cooks Thai noodles to order

The dim sum station during breakfast

Breakfast at Red Oven

The breakfast crowd at Red Oven

Club Signature

Club Signature is the Executive Lounge in SO/ Bangkok, nestled on the 25th floor of the hotel building. The Club Signature boasts bold colour schemes with a hint of retro vibe seen in the decor and the choice of furniture. Due to the high ceilings in the main area of the lounge and the balcony that looks out into Lumpini Park, Club Signature felt airy and spacious. The fore lounge has an inviting and cosy vibe with the sofa and a handful of dining tables catering for two, furnished here. Walking into this part of the lounge felt like walking into the living room of a house. There is some outdoor furniture in the balcony that invites guests to relax while looking out into the lungs of Bangkok – Lumpini Park. It felt liberating sitting here and looking out into the city. The back part of the lounge is mainly furnished with dining tables, and is where the retro and funky vibe is most pronounced. Here, the colour choice in the decor is more vibrant and bold. Most of the dining tables here cater for two pax, arranged in front of the floor-to-ceiling window that allows guests to look out into the city. There is a handful of seating that caters to larger groups, in a sofa setting. Club Signature welcomes guests at any time of the day for a drink. But it also caters for afternoon tea and evening cocktails, where guests are treated to finger food to enjoy with the drinks. Guests who want a quieter breakfast experience can pop up to the Club Signature during breakfast hours. The breakfast spread is certainly smaller compared to the Red Oven Restaurant.

Reception outside the Club Signature Lounge

The lounge is adorned by a large fashion painting

The main lounge area

There are dining tables further into the lounge that cater to larger groups

More dining tables at the back of the lounge

There are more dining tables at the back of the lounge

Club Signature lounge has a playful vibe

The food station in Club Signature Lounge

View of the city from the balcony of Club Signature Lounge

There is a balcony at the Club Signature Lounge

The balcony at the Club Signature Lounge

Swimming Pool

SO/ Bangkok has a beautiful infinity pool that overlooks the Lumpini Park. Perched on the 10th floor of the hotel and looking out of the park, swimming in the lap pool felt like swimming in the sky amidst the greenery below the hotel. The swimming pool is large enough for guests to get some decent laps, and a small, separate jacuzzi pool at the end of the pool on the sundeck for guests to relax. In terms of sundeck chairs, about 1/3 of the poolside space is cordoned off for poolside bistrol, leaving 2/3 of the space for sundeck chairs. Despite not being blocked by vegetation, suntanning in the morning can be challenging. The swimming pool will only receive sunlight in the afternoon due to its orientation. It doesn’t help that only a handful of sundeck chairs are arranged in the sun, with the majority of them hiding under the shade. The orientation of the hotel also meant the pool can be quite cold when swimming in the morning.

The swimming pool at SO/ Bangkok overlooks the city skyline and Lumpini Park

The swimming pool at SO/ Bangkok is located on level 10

A jacuzzi in one corner of the swimming pool deck

There is a sunken seating area at the poolside bar

There are plenty of sundeck chairs at the pool, but most of these are under the shade

SO/ Fit Gym

The gym in SO/ Bangkok is located on the 10th floor in front of the swimming pool. For a gym of this size, I thought the number of pieces of equipment and the range of workouts that can be done in the gym were rather limited. For cardio workouts, the gym is equipped with three ellipticals and treadmills, and four stationary bikes facing the swimming pool, allowing only a limited number of guests to use at any one time. Other than the free weights at the end of the gym, guests who wanted to do some strength training were limited to a couple of back machines, two leg machines, and a functional workout machine. I was rather surprised to find a small studio inside the gym.

The cardio machines in the gym are placed in front of the window facing the pool

The gym is also equipped with strength training machines

There is free weight area in the gym

There is a studio in the gym at SO/ Bangkok

More strength training machines hidden in a corner of the gym next to the studio

The studio seems to have been repurposed for core training

Overall

We had a great stay at SO/ Bangkok. The Water Element SO/ Lofty Suite was well-appointed, and the sleep quality on the king bed left us feeling refreshed every day. The service at the hotel was nothing short of impeccable. All the staff whom we bumped into are always wearing their smiles and making guests feel welcome. It felt as though no request was too small, and the staff at the hotel always responded to requests with great efficiency. The location of the hotel is an issue as it is not served by any BTS (where most shopping and sights are located along the BTS lines), but via the MRT. It took us a while to get used to having the MRT as our primary mode of transport (we always used the BTS as the primary means of getting around Bangkok).

[Accommodation Review] – Novotel Genève Centre (Superior Suite), Geneva, Switzerland (18 – 20 Jan 26)

April 11, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

Novotel Genève Centre is conveniently located near Geneva train station, with a 7-minute walk to the station or a 7-minute bus ride (due to the bus using a longer route). The area between the hotel and the train station felt a little complicated, especially at night (we later found out from one of the hotel staff that this part of the city is the red light district). Having said that, walking through this area felt completely safe. There are several restaurants with a good variety of cuisines, ranging from African to Indian to French and Italian restaurants, within a 3-minute walk from the hotel. There are several supermarkets located around the hotel, with the nearest about a 3 min walk to the main street from the hotel and one more situated in the train station. The tourist sights like Lake Geneva can be reached from the Novotel Genève Centre on foot in under 10 minutes, and Geneva Old Town is slightly further, reachable in 25 minutes’ walk.

Novotel Geneva facade

Novotel Geneva reception

Novotel Geneva signage

Hotel lobby opposite the reception

Hotel signage

Hotel lobby

The Suite

We checked into the 50㎡ Superior Suite, the only suite category that Novotel Genève Centre offers, which has a weird layout. Not only does the suite have two entrances, one in the bedroom and the other in the living room, but it also has two fully functional bathrooms. It felt as though two rooms were reconfigured into the Superior Suite.

Layout of the Superior Suite at Novotel Genève Centre

Entryway 1

The first entryway is situated further from the lift lobby and leads into the living room of the suite. At the entryway, we found a full-length mirror and a single hook installed on the wall. This simply furnished entryway is where the entrance to the bathroom (I termed the bathroom in the living room as Bathroom 1) is. Past the entrance to the bathroom, a minibar station fully stocked with a Nesspro Machine and a kettle, as well as a mini fridge, is located. An in-room safe is located between the Nespresso Machine and the mini fridge.

The entryway that leads to the living room of the Superior Suite at Novotel Geneva

The minibar by the entrance to the living room

We found ironing equipment and sofa cushions inside the wardrobe

The wardrobe in the Superior Suite that is next to the entryway to the living room

One of the two Nespresso machines in the Superior Suite

Living Room

The living room took up a bulk of the real estate in the Superior Suite at Novotel Genève Centre. Originally, this room was furnished with two sofas and a chaise lounge. However, when we entered the room, we saw the sofa placed against the wall and facing the window being converted into a bed. This sofa bed comes with its own headboard and charging outlets on either side of the headboard. We managed to get the housekeeping staff to reconfigure the bed back into a sofa the next day. The second sofa in the living room is placed by the window and faces the entrance to the bedroom. This two-seater sofa can be split into two single-seater chairs.

The living room of our Superior Suite in Novotel Geneva

The sofa in the living room was made into a bed at the time of our checking in

The sofa bed in the living room

The bed in the living room converted into a two-seater sofa

View from the living room of our suite

A chaise lounger is located at the other corner of the living room, by the door to the bedroom. The brown fabric chaise lounger not only can comfortably sit three, but it can also be used as a daybed. The only coffee table in the living room is placed in front of the chaise lounger. The wardrobe in the living room opposite the chaise lounger, capable of holding at least one week’s worth of clothing, seems to suggest that the living room of the Superior Suite might have been used to be a Junior Suite. The TV in the living room is mounted on the wall facing the sofa bed, and can be tilted to face the chaise lounger or the sofa placed by the window at the end of the living room. Despite having many channels for us to choose from on the TV, only a handful of these channels are in English. Most channels are either in French or German.

The TV in the living room is mounted onto the walls between the sofas

The chaise lounger in the living room that is next to the bedroom entrance

View of Geneva from the living room

The chaise lounger coomes withe a large coffee table

Bathroom 1

There are two fully equipped bathrooms in the Superior Suite: Bathroom 1 in the living room and Bathroom 2 in the bedroom. Entrance to Bathroom 1 is located in Entryway 1. Bathroom 1 has an elongated layout, stretching from the entrance to the suite to the living room. The space allocated to Bathroom 1 was excellent that it did not feel cramped when using the bathroom. Other than the bathtub in the left corner of the bathroom being a little on the small side, whose length occupies the entire width of the bathroom, the rest of the bathroom felt spacious. Novotel Genève Centre fitted only one sink in Bathroom 1 next to the bathtub, and there is space on both sinks for us to place our toiletries on. The toilet bowl and the European bidet were wedged between the sink and the walk-in shower, which is only fitted with a regular shower head. Even the space afforded to the semi-opened walk-in shower is sufficient to prevent any elbow war with the walls while I shower in here (unlike that of Bathroom 2). I find it weird that the bathroom in the living room is the bigger of the two bathrooms and is better equipped in terms of amenities. Only Bathroom 1 is stocked with full shower amenities, while the other bathroom lacks conditioner and bathroom amenities.

The sink in Bathroom 1 is quite sizeable with ample countertop space on both sides

Novotel Geneva supplies its guests with RITUALS bathroom amenities

The walk-in shower in Bathroom 1 is only fitted with a regular shower head

Novotel Geneva supplies its guests with RITUALS shower amenities

There is a bathtub in Bathroom 1 next to the sink

The toilet and bidet in Bathroom 1 is wedged between the walk-in shower and the sink

Entryway 2

Weirdly, there is another entrance to the suite via the bedroom, hence a second entryway for the suite. Like the other entryway, Entryway 2 is only furnished with the wardrobe in the bedroom, and it is also home to the entrance to the Powder Room. The wardrobe has only hanging racks, which limits the amount of clothing we can stow. The limited number of hangers the hotel supplies further limits the number of clothes we can hang. Despite having a ledge above the hanging racks, we found little use for this rack. Next to the wardrobe, and facing the bedroom, is where we found the second minibar and the second in-room safe. A second Nespresso machine, an electric kettle and a second set of coffee capsules and tea bags occupy the open shelving space on top of the safe. In contrast, a second mini fridge is situated below the safe.

Entryway 2 provides direct access to the bedroom from the lift lobby

The wardrobe in the bedroom is found in Entryway 2

The wardrobe in Entryway 2 has only hanging rack that limits the amount of clothing we can stow

There is another set of minibar with an empty minifrige in Entryway 2

Powder Room

The Powder Room is a weird situation in the Superior Suite at Novotel Geneva Centre. The suite does not have a powder room per se, rather it has a toilet that is separated from the bathroom in the bedroom. The toilet is situated in the entryway next to the second entrance to the suite, akin to a powder room. However, unlike the powder room of other hotels, the powder room in the Superior Suite only houses the porcelain throne and does not have a sink. The space allotted to the powder room is rather modest, and the absence of a sink makes it inconvenient to use.

Bedroom

A king bed is placed next to the entrance to the bedroom from the living room. The king bed was comfortable with a firm mattress, but the sleep quality on the king bed was impaired by the soft pillows that were provided. Those who prefer softer pillows might find better sleep quality on the bed than I do. The bedside tables in the bedroom are essentially two wooden planks that were wedged into the headboard of the king bed. The space afforded by these bedside tables is a little tight, which provides us with little space to place our lifestyle equipment to charge overnight. To make matters worse, the phone placed on the right bedside table took up the entire space, rendering this bedside table useless. It also doesn’t help that only one side has a power outlet, while the other only comes with two USB-A charging outlets.

The bedroom of our Superior Suite at Novotel Geneva at a glance

The king bed in the bedroom

The king bed is placed in the centre of the bedroom and provided us with good sleep quality

The design on the headboard of the king bed

The bedside table is just a wooden plank wedged into the headboard of the king bed and provided us with limited space for our lifestyle devices

The readiing light at the king bed is mounted on the headboard, which frees precious bedside table space

Next to the entrance to the bedroom from the living room is another two-seater sofa, identical to that one in the living room by the window. I thought the sofa was useful here as we used it to place our backpack (there is limited space in the entire suite where we can place our backpacks). Next to the sofa, facing the wall, is a work desk. The already sizeable work desk that has another table top can be swivelled out to face the king bed, further increasing the available desk top area for guests to work. The power outlets are conveniently installed on the wall by the work desk, ensuring guests’ work is not disrupted by keeping their laptops juiced up. The TV, mounted onto the wall, beside the work desk and opposite the king bed, provided us with the same entertainment options as that in the living room.

The sofa and work desk in the bedroom are arranged next to the window

The bedroom is furnished with a two seat sofa which we mainly used to stow our backpacks

The work desk in the bedroom

There is sufficient space on the work desk for us to do some work, and this is the only place where we can charge our lifestyle devices in the bedroom

The TV in the bedroom is mounted onto the wall beside the work desk and faces the king bed

Bathroom 2

The bathroom in the bedroom is the second bathroom in the Superior Suite at Novotel Genève Centre. This bathroom is smaller than Bathroom 1 in the living room, equipped with only a shower and bathing facilities. The sink lies in the centre of Bathroom 2, which only has a small countertop space on the left side. A bathtub, having the same size as the one in Bathroom 1, is located on the left of the sink, while a walk-in shower lies to the right of the sink. Due to the space allocated to Bathroom 2, the walk-in shower is smaller than that in Bathroom 1, and there are no toilet facilities in Bathroom 2. Not only is the space in Bathroom 2 reduced, but the amenities are also reduced, such as the absence of conditioners. Despite the “reduced” bathroom, I thought Bathroom 2 still functions as a full bath.

Bathroom 2 is located in the bedroom and has a smaller layout compared to Bathroom 1

The sink in Bathroom 2 has a smaller countertop space

The bathtub in Bathroom 2 is identical to that in Bathroom 1

The walk-in shower in Bathroom 2 is also fitted with only one regular shower head

RITUALS shower amenities provided by the hotel

Service

Our interaction with the staff at Novotel Genève Centre was very limited, and it doesn’t help that the reception is tucked further into the lobby, with a little distance to the main entrance. This design somewhat inhibited the staff from interacting with guests. Despite our interactions with the hotel staff being limited to check-in and check-out, I found the service in the hotel to be good. They were friendly and welcoming, and processed our check-in with great efficiency. The staff were always seen with a smile and greeted us with a warm bonjour whenever we approached them. We were given detailed information by the staff who checked us in about the location of the hotel and the amenities in the hotel. When we approached the reception for an additional fan and converted the sofa bed in the living room back to a sofa, things were done efficiently. The reception staff were always seen with a smile and stood ready to render any assistance that guests might have. Even the housekeeping staff, whom we bumped into every morning, warmed up our day with a friendly greeting.

Novotel Geneva treats its guests with chocolate chip cookies as a welcome amenity in the room.

Hotel Facilities

Gym

Novotel Genève Centre has a small gym located on the Basement (-1 floor) of the hotel. The gym has a small setup with only two treadmills, two stationary bikes, a couple of strength training machines and some dumbbells. Despite its modest size, guests would still be able to do strength and cardio workouts in the gym.

Directory to the gym in Novotel Geneva

The cardio machines in the gym

The free weights in the gym

Overall

Novotel Genève Centre is well situated between the train station and the old town, close to most of the sights in Geneva. I find the layout of the Superior Suite to be weird. It felt like the hotel converted a Junior Suite and a connecting Superior bedroom and called it a 1-bedroom suite. The sleep quality on the king bed was decent, and the furniture in the suite shows signs of Aging. Despite the limited interaction with the hotel staff, we felt welcomed by the friendly staff in the hotel.

[Accommodation Review] – Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre (Superior Studio with Terrace), Zurich, Switzerland (16 – 18 Jan 26)

April 8, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre is situated north of Zurich Hauptbahnhof, approximately 7 minutes on foot from the train station and 10 minutes on foot to Zurich’s old town. As this seems to be a residential area, we did not find a lot of amenities near the hotel. There are several restaurants located next to the hotel, but they always seem to be closed whenever we walk past them. The nearest supermarkets are situated near Zurich Hauptbahnhof, which is approximately a 7-minute walk away. There is a bus stop near the hotel, but not directly in front of the hotel, which is a 3-minute walk from the hotel entrance to this bus stop. The hotel shares the same building as Ibis Styles Zurich City Centre.

Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre shares the same building as Ibis Styles Zurich

The reception counters of Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre and Ibis Styles Zurich

The lobby at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre

There is compllimentary coffee and tea at the lobby of Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre

There is a small shop at the lobby selling drinks and snacks to guests

The Suite

We checked into the 40㎡ Superior Studio with Terrace, which is a one-of-a-kind room in the hotel. Although it is termed a studio, the suite features a separate living room and a bedroom. The highlight of the studio is the spacious outdoor terrace that overlooks the city.

Layout of the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre

Entryway

The entryway to the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre occupies a small area of the studio suite. There is no furnishing at the entryway, and it shares the same space as the living room.

Living Room

The living room of the Superior Studio with Terrace is made up of the lounging area, the dining area and the kitchenette.

Lounging Area

The lounging area is immediately next to the main entrance and features Scandinavian decor, with woody tones from the flooring to the sofa. The sofa, which can comfortably sit two, is placed next to the main entrance to the Superior Studio and can be converted into a bed, which would increase the capacity in the studio by an additional two guests. In fact, the sofa was converted into a double bed when we first entered the Superior Studio. Instead of a large coffee table, I like how the hotel uses small round tables that not only save space but can also double up as stools for more people to sit on. There are three such stool-tables in the living room of the Superior Studio, one placed in front of the sofa, another placed next to the sofa, and yet another placed by the floor-to-ceiling window. I thought that not furnishing a TV cabinet was a great idea, as having a TV cabinet would clutter the lounging area due to the space allocated. The TV in the lounging area is mounted on a wall, opposite the main entrance and at a corner of the living room. Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre is one of the few hotels that I have stayed in Switzerland that offered its guests more English channels. The placement of the TV with a pivoting mount allowed us to watch the TV while dining in the dining area. The living room, from the lounging area to the dining area, has a total of three floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to a French balcony. These three windows allowed lots of natural light into the living room and created an indoor-outdoor concept. They also made the elongated living room feel larger.

We converted the bed back into a sofa in the living room

The sofa in the living room was made into a double bed when we first entered the suite

The TV is mounted on the wall opposite the sofa in the living room

The lounging area in the living room is furnished with one sofa and a coffee table that can also double up as a stool

View from one of the windows in the living room

Dining Area & Kitchenette

The dining area & kitchenette took up about ⅓ of the living room space. Placed between the lounging area and the bedroom, the dining area is furnished with a suitably sized round table with four accompanying leathered seating dining chairs. As there are no work desks in this Superior Studio, the dining table also doubles up as a work desk. Behind the dining table is a kitchenette that has all one needs to whip up a simple meal. Other than a sink and the usual Nespresso Coffee machine and mini fridge, the kitchenette also has a two-stove induction cooker, a microwave oven and even a dishwasher. Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre also equipped its Superior Studio with a full set of dining set for four, together with pots and pans. I like how the kitchenette, despite a small footprint in the Superior Studio, was able to function as a full kitchen with the many amenities the hotel provided.

The dining area is furnished with a round dining table with four chairs

The kitchenette in the living room is packed with facilities that gave us the option of whipping up a simple meal

The mini fridge is tucked in a cabinet in the kitchenette

Nespresso machine is found on the kitchen cabinet

Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre even installed a dishwasher in the kitchenette of the Superior Studio with Terrace

There is a microwave oven in the kitchenette of our Superior Studio with Terrace

The two hob induction cooker in the kitchenette

The glasses and mugs are found in the cabinet next to the microwave oven

Bedroom

The bedroom is further into the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre. Instead of a wall and door, the bedroom can be isolated with the use of thick blackout curtains. The bedroom is simply furnished with a queen-size bed and two bedside tables. One of the bedside tables is mounted onto the headboard of the queen bed, while the other is a standalone cabinet. Another TV is mounted on the wall opposite the queen bed, which has the same international and local channels available as the one in the living room. Underneath the TV is a long bench fitted with a cushion, I guess to double up as a seating area in the bedroom, as well as a luggage rack. Perhaps the weakest link in the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre is the wardrobe space. The hotel fitted an open concept hanging rack that only has sufficient space for us to hang four jackets, which is grossly insufficient if the Superior Studio is maxed out with four guests. There is a deep drawer underneath the hanging rack, which gives us more storage space, given the limited space for storage in the bedroom. The enclosed cabinet next to the hanging rack also did not provide us with more storage space. Of the four tiered cabinet shelves, we were only able to use three, as one of these precious shelves is being occupied by the in-room safe.

The queen bed is furnished with two small side tables in the bedroom of the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre

The TV is mounted opposite the queen bed with a small wardrobe featuring an open hanging rack and a cupboard of shelves

The queen bed in the bedroom is quite comfortable to sleep on

Bathroom

The bathroom in the Superior Studio at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre comprises two rooms, the toilet and the shower room. The toilet is located in a separate room from the shower and sits right at the end of the corridor in the studio suite. Despite the modest space, the toilet does not feel cramped. There is even space in the toilet for the hotel to install a small basin with a countertop that is large enough for me to place my toiletries on. I thought the hotel was clever to put a sink here, creating a dual sink in the bathroom area. Further into the bathroom, next to the toilet, is where the shower room is situated. Sitting next to the entrance of the shower room is the other sink in the Superior Studio, placed on a slightly larger countertop compared to the one in the toilet, giving us more space for toiletries. In the corner of the shower room sits a standing walk-in shower stall, equipped with both rain and regular shower heads. Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre supplies its guests with a PRIJA combination of shampoo cum shower gel that gives off a woody scent after a shower. The only flaw in the walk-in shower is the lack of a ledge for us to place our facial wash and dental kit.

The bathroom in the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre comprises two separate rooms

The sink in the toilet makes the Superior Studio with Terrace having some form of dual sinks

The toilet in the bathroom is housed in a separate room

There is a wooden shelf outside the toilet that gives us additional space to stow our stuff

The walk-in shower is housed in another room futher into the bathroom

There is another sink in the shower room, making the Superior Studio with Terrace having a dual sink set up

Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre supplies guests of PRIJA with shower and bathroom amenities

The walk-in shower features a rain and a regular shower head

Terrace

What surprises me most is the terrace. From the picture on the hotel’s website, the terrace looked like an extension of the Superior Studio, having the same width as the studio suite. However, when we entered the terrace, we were surprised that the terrace took up the entire width of the 7th floor. In fact, we thought the size of the terrace was approximately the same size as our Superior Studio. Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre furnished the terrace with two sets of outdoor furniture. The area immediately in front of our Superior Studio is furnished with a sofa for three and another four single-seater armchairs, together with an outdoor table. There are some holders for potted plants, which were empty due to the wintry weather. The other side of the terrace is furnished with three sundeck chairs and a single armchair with a matching table. I guess this area sees more use in the summer.

The terrace in the Superior Studio with Terrace at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre occupies the entire terrace on level 7 and is the biggest space in the suite

The part of the terrace just outside our suite is furnished with outdoor sofa and armchairs

The outdoor furniture with deck chairs are located further from the suite

View from our terrace

View of Zurich from our terrace

Service

The service at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre is good. We were warmly welcomed by the staff during check-in, who processed our check-in with much efficiency and patiently answered our questions about the breakfast and our half-board booking. The next day, we approached the reception staff about our welcome drink, who gleefully recommended us her favourite drink. Although there are signs in the hotel lift that state housekeeping services are only available every seven days, we were pleasantly surprised to find our rooms being made up when we returned to our Superior Studio in the evening. We booked a half-board package to dine at the YUKA restaurant. The staff there appeared to be aloof initially, but they started to warm up after our initial interaction with them. Despite us having the set menu, the staff took the effort to check with the kitchen if they were able to customise the dishes for us.

Welcome amenities provided by Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre

Hotel Facilities

Gym

The hotel shares a small gym with Ibis Styles Zurich City Centre, located on the ground floor of the hotel. The gym is equipped with a limited number of cardio workout machines, with only one stationary bike, one elliptical machine, one rowing machine, and two treadmills. Guests who want to engage in strength training are limited to one strength workout machine that targets every muscle group, as well as free weights. We found a sauna in the gym at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre.

Entrance to the sauan in gym

The free weight and strength training machine in the gym

The kettle bells and stretching area in the small gym

There is a sauna fitted inside the gym

There are a few cardio training machines in the gym

Breakfast @ YUKA

Breakfast is served at the YUKA restaurant, located on the ground floor of the hotel, adjacent to the reception. Breakfast is limited to a large selection of bread, some hard-boiled eggs, sausages and cold cuts. Despite the limited breakfast variety, the hotel still serves a hearty breakfast to fuel guests for the day before exploring Zurich.

Breakfast is served at YUKA restaurant on the ground level of the Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre

The hot food section in the breakfast buffet line

The cold cuts available for breakfast

The bar in YUKA restaurant

The bread and pastries station in YUKA restaurant during breakfast

Overall

We had a pleasant stay at Aparthotel Adagio Zurich City Centre. I liked the terrace that looked out into the streets of Zurich and the amenities in the Superior Studio. Despite being termed as a studio, the bedroom can be isolated from the living room and the bathroom, creating a one-bedroom suite. The inclusion of a kitchenette gave us the option of preparing a simple meal, and the dishwasher eliminated the need for doing the dishes. The hotel is close to Zurich Hauptbahnhof and the city centre, making exploring Zurich and its surroundings a breeze.

[Accommodation Review] – Jägerhof Hotels & Apartments (Modern 3-Bedroom Apartment), Zermatt, Switzerland (13 – 16 Jan 26)

April 4, 2026April 7, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments is located about a 7-minute walk from the centre of Zermatt and 15 minutes’ walk from Zermatt Bahnhof. The hotel is situated in a quiet location in town, offering stunning views of the Matterhorn. Despite its somewhat secluded location, the hotel is about a 15-minute walk to the cable car stations bound for the Matterhorn and Gornergrat. I thought the location of the hotel was ideal as we were never too far from the action in Zermatt. The hotel provides a complimentary transfer from Zermatt Bahnhof in one of its electric cars.

The lodgings in Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments offers a variety of lodging options from hotel rooms to apartments

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments facade in the day

The reception at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments lobby

The hotel resturant and bar

The Apartment

Jägerhof Hotels & Apartments offers two types of accommodations: standard hotel rooms and serviced apartments. For the serviced apartments, Jägerhof Hotels & Apartments offer apartments ranging from studios to 3-bedroom units. We checked into their 150㎡ spacious 3-bedroom apartment.

Layout of Jagerhof Hotel & Apartments 3-bedroom Apartment (Source: *https://www.jaegerhofzermatt.ch/en/flats-in-zermatt-with-hotel-service/*)

Entryway

The entryway to the Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments 3-bedroom apartment is the area that links the bedrooms to the living and dining room. Technically, the entryway is not furnished, but we found a wooden bench mounted onto a wooden feature wall outside Bedroom 1. This is our first look at the Scandinavian decor in the apartment, and it was a great addition for us to put on our shoes. However, we merely used this as a place to stow our backpacks. The hooks on the wooden feature wall gave us a spot to hang our outer coats without taking up space in the wardrobes in our bedrooms. The painted posters of Zermatt hanging on the wall provided some colour in an otherwise plain entryway wall.

There is a bench and hooks for our jackets at the entryway

The entryway that links the rooms to living room

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 1 sits right across from the entrance to the 3-bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments. This bedroom, like the rest of the apartment, is decked out in a natural Scandinavian theme, apparent in the large usage of natural wood and green colour on parts of the walls. The bedroom is not large, and the king bed in the middle of the room occupies a bulk of the real estate here. The power outlet is conveniently installed on the headboard above two-tiered open shelving bedside tables that were mounted onto the headboard of the king bed, providing us with space to charge our lifestyle devices. The two-tiered design gave us additional space to put more stuff on the bedside tables. I like how Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments installed the reading lights onto the headboard of the bed, freeing up the already tight space on the bedside tables. Across the king bed is a table mounted on the wall with a bench. This table is a little odd in its function. It does not come with a mirror to call it a vanity table, and it is not large enough to function as a work desk. However, there are power outlets here for guests to charge their lifestyle devices as well. A flatscreen TV is mounted above the table that faces the king bed, providing occupants of Bedroom 1 with entertainment in the comfort of the bed. Next to the entrance of Bedroom 1 sits a double-panel wooden wardrobe. The space afforded by this wardrobe is not large, but sufficient for us to stow a few days’ clothing. Other than the hanging rack, I like how smaller shelves are designed into the wardrobe, which increases its storage capacity. The in-room safe is tucked at the bottom of the hanging rack part of the wardrobe. The small safe only provides enough space for us to place our passports, but it is not large enough to place even an iPad. Bedroom 1 is connected via a door to the right of the table to the wrap-around balcony that extends all the way to the living room.

The sleeping area in Bedroom 1

The king bed in Bedroom 1

One of the two bedside tables in Bedroom 1

The table in Bedroom 1 is wedged between the wardrobe and the exit to the balcony

The wardorbe in Bedroom 1

Bedroom 1 has a flatscreen TV mounted on the wall above the table

The wardrobe in Bedroom 1

View from Bedroom 1

Bathroom 1

Bedroom 1 does not have an ensuite bathroom; bathroom 1 is situated outside, next to the bedroom. Bathroom 1 is more utilitarian than trying to create an atmosphere to impress its users. Bathroom 1 is rather compact, but it has all that is required to function as a full bathroom. The sink counter is a little on the compact side, but it still has space for its users to place their toiletries. The walk-in shower sitting in one corner of the bathroom is only fitted with one regular shower head. There is a ledge for us to place our toiletries. The porcelain throne is stationed next to the walk-in shower. Despite the compact layout, there are hooks installed here for us to hang our clothing.

Bathroom 1 is rather compact but has everything to function as a bathroom

The sink in Bathroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 2 is further down the entryway next to Bedroom 1 and is the largest bedroom of the three. I’d call this the Master Bedroom. Bedroom 2 also has the same Scandinavian decor as Bedroom 1, decked with natural wood furniture and a green wall. Unlike Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2 is fitted with two wardrobes, an open wardrobe at the entrance and a second double-panel wardrobe further in. The open wardrobe has only hanging racks and a shelf on top. We mainly used this wardrobe to hang our outer coats. As there is space at the bottom of this wardrobe, this is also where we place our backpacks. The second wardrobe, further into the room, is identical to that in Bedroom 1, with one side of hanging racks and the other side five shelves. We mainly used this to hang our clothes, and the shelves on the side were perfect for us to place our smaller clothing items. Similar to Bedroom 1, there is also a table next to the wardrobe, mounted onto the wall in a corner of the bedroom. As a work desk, I find this table a little tight, but the power outlet here allowed me to keep my iPad juiced up. However, we mainly used this table to stow our loose items. A TV is mounted on the wall above the table, which provides us with limited English Channel entertainment, as most of the channels are in French or German. A King bed is furnished opposite the TV. The king bed is very comfortable to sleep in, and the blanket provided kept us warm and cosy on a colder winter night. Unlike most hotels, the king bed is topped with two single-sized blankets, so we did not have to fight over a blanket. Like the bed in Bedroom 1, the two-tiered open shelving bedside tables are mounted on both sides of the king bed. With the power outlet fitted on each of these tables, we found it especially useful to charge our lifestyle devices overnight. As the bedside tables were not large, I applauded Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments for fitting the bedside lamps, which essentially are reading lights, onto the headboard of the bed. This frees up the already tight bedside table for us to put more of our stuff.

Bedroom 2 in the Modern 3-Bedroom Apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments

The wardobes in Bedroom 2 are situated at the entrance to the bedroom

The wardrobe in Bedroom 2 is identical to that in Bedroom 1

The comfortable King bed in Bedroom 2

The table in Bedroom 2 with the TV mounted on top of the table facing the king bed

Natural motif above the king bed in Bedroom 2

Bedroom 2 is also fitted with the same bedside table as Bedroom 1

View of Zermatt from Bedroom 2

Bathroom 2

Unlike Bathroom 1, Bathroom 2 is located inside Bedroom 2, with its entrance located opposite the open wardrobe in the bedroom. Like the bedroom, it is also the largest of the three bathrooms. We were greeted by an oversized sink counter top at the entrance of the bathroom. Fitted with only one sink, the space afforded by this sink countertop felt larger. We were not complaining as this meant we were able to stow more toiletries on this countertop. The porcelain throne is situated behind the door to the bathroom. A bathtub is fitted at the end of the bathroom. This bathtub also doubles up as a walk-in shower. Although no ledge was installed here, we used the window sill to place our toiletries. Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments provided Absolute Nordic shampoo/body wash shower amenities, which have a hint of musky smell and left our skin feeling soft and refreshed after showering.

Bathroom 2 at a glance

The sink in Bathroom 2 has a relatively larger countertop

The toilet in Bathroom 2 is situated behind the door

Bathroom 2 has a tub/shower combination set up and is fitted with only a regular shower head

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments supplies its guests with Nordic Brand shower amenities

Bedroom 3

Bedroom 3 is a similar layout to Bedroom 1, with the exception of having an ensuite bathroom inside the bedroom. The decor is the same except that the wardrobe is now further into the bedroom, in a corner rather than by the door, which made perfect sense as the door would be in the way of the wardrobe. Like Bedrooms 1 and 2, the enclosed double-panel wardrobe has a section for a hanging rack and a slightly smaller section fitted with five shelves. The table in this bedroom is the same as those we saw in both Bedrooms 1 and 2, and the location of the TV in the bedroom is mounted on the wall above the table, facing the king bed. The king bed and the bedside tables in Bedroom 3 are exactly designed the same as those in the other two bedrooms.

Bedroom 3 has a similar layout as Bedroom 1

The set up in Bedroom 3 in our Modern 3-Bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments

Bedroom 3 has the same bedside table as the other two bedrooms in the apartment

The table in Bedroom 3 is situated next to the entrance to the bedroom

The wardrobe in Bedroom 3

The wardrobe in Bedroom 3 has the same design as those in the other two bedrooms

View from Bedroom 3

Bathroom 3

Unlike Bedroom 1, Bedroom 3 has an ensuite bathroom with the entrance located next to the king bed. Bathroom 3 felt slightly larger than Bathroom 1, which had the fittings lined up in a linear fashion. Like Bathroom 1, the walk-in shower in Bathroom 3 took up the spot in a corner of the bathroom, fitted with a regular shower head. Next to the walk-in shower is the sink. Similar to Bathroom 1, the sink countertop here is tight, but it still offers sufficient space for my friends to stow their toiletries. The toilet took up the space in the other corner, opposite the entrance to the bathroom.

Bathroom 3 is located inside Bedroom 3

The toilet in Bathroom 3

Walk-in shower in Bathroom 3

Bedroom 3 has similar sink layout as Bathroom 1

Living Room

The living room in the Modern 3-Bedroom Apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments is the largest space in the apartment. The Scandinavian design language is especially pronounced here with the wooden flooring, the large green wall, and natural wood furniture. Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments fitted out the living room with two three-seater sofas that are comfortable to sit on and relax while we watch TV. The mustard colour chosen for these sofas blended in with the overall colour theme very well. I like the usage of a log as a coffee table in the centre of these sofas, which, together with the moose logo and the fake moose skeletons, gave the living room a cosy and lodge vibe. The cabinets and shelves around the TV not only gave the overall Scandinavian look, but they are also functional, giving us additional space to put our stuff.

The living room of our Modern 3-Bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments gave us ample space to hang out

The couch in the living room

The couch that is placed by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room

The couches in the living room were comfortable to sit on and the unique log coffee table

The TV in the living room sits on a cabinet that gives us lots of storage space

Dining and Kitchenette Area

Situated next to the living room is the open dining room and kitchenette area, segregated by the black matt tilings used for the flooring. The dining area had the Scandinavian elements, as seen in the large natural wood finished dining table that caters to six pax and matching dining chairs. We used this dining table a lot. Other than using it for dining, we mainly gathered at this table to do our work and discuss our itinerary. The placement of the dining table by the large windows not only brought in natural light in the day, but it also connected us to nature (our apartment faces the forested area of Zermatt. The overhead lighting that hangs down from the ceiling gave the dining area a modern look, which fits perfectly into the theme of the open kitchen. A couple of reindeer decorations hanging on the wall at the end of the dining and kitchenette area reinforce the natural theme in the dining area.

The large dining table in the dining area provided with ample space to dine

The dining area in our Modern 3-bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments

The kitchenette in our Modern 3-bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments is actually a full kitchen. The hotel equipped the kitchenette so well that we were able to whip up a full meal. In the centre of the kitchen counter, there is a set of four induction cookers where we used to fry eggs and bacon for breakfast. We also used this to cook the rosti that we bought from the supermarket in town, made possible with the full set of cookware and china. Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments equipped the kitchenette with a large oven, perfect for us to cook up the ribs we bought. The kitchenette is also equipped with a large full-size fridge, which is great for longer stay guests who want to eat in to save a few bucks. There are also the usual suspects, such as a toaster, a Nespresso machine and a kettle, made available in the kitchenette. Despite being fitted with a large kitchen sink for us to do the washing, Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments also equipped the kitchenette with a dishwasher, saving us the time to wash the crockery and china that we used.

The kitchenette in the dining area

The kitchenette is well equipped with a large oven and a full fridge

There is a Nespresso machine in the kitchenette

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments equipped the kitchenette with a full set of cutlery for six pax

We also found a toaster in the kitchenette

We also found full sets of cups and glassess for six pax

There is even a dishwasher in the kitchenette

The cook wares in the kitchenette

The kitchenette in our Modern 3-bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments is equipped with a full set of china for us to dine on

Balcony

The Modern 3-bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments features a wrap-around balcony that extends from the living room to Bedroom 1. The part of the balcony outside the living room is furnished with four chairs and a table, while the part of the balcony outside Bedroom 1 is furnished with two outdoor chairs. The balcony was a perfect place for us to sit and relax in the morning with a cup of coffee while watching the golden sun rays lighting up the peak of the Matterhorn during sunrise. The balcony not only offered us the million-dollar view of the Matterhorn, but it also gave us views of the town and the two nearby mountains. We find ourselves using the balcony a lot, just chilling with the view of the Matterhorn.

The balcony in our Modern 3-bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments

The part of the balcony in front of the living room

The part of the balcony outside Bedroom 1

View of the Matterhorn from our balcony at night

View of the Matterhorn from our balcony in the day

Service

The service was fantastic at the hotel. I’d say the service at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments was thoughtful. Before our arrival, I had emailed the hotel to request a train station pick-up. Despite our late arrival (after 8 pm), we were delighted to find the hotel pick-up was already at the train station waiting for us. The staff who did the pick up volunteered to carry our luggage up two flights of stairs, despite our insistence that we would do it ourselves, as our luggage was very heavy. Before we could stop him, he had already brought our luggage to our apartment building. Even with our late arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the reception staff, who processed our check-in with much efficiency. She also gave us a brief of the breakfast timing and the locations of the hotel bar and restaurant. We met with another staff at the reception the next day, requesting to top up our shower amenities. She was equally friendly and ensured our requests were being fulfilled. The staff at the restaurant were awesome as well. We dined at the restaurant for their cheese fondue, where the staff patiently explained the menu and constantly checked with us how we found the food. The housekeeping staff deserve a mention. As we were not too sure if Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments makes up rooms daily, we hung out towels back onto the towel racks in the bathrooms. We were surprised that our apartment was meticulously cleaned the next day we returned to the apartment with fresh towels in the bathrooms.

Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments arranged an electric bus to pick us up from and take us to the train station.

Overall

We had a pleasant stay in the Modern 3-Bedroom apartment at Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments. Not only was the apartment very well appointed and had everything that we needed for a comfortable stay, but it was also very cosy. We also found the apartment value for money; it is difficult to find lodging with three bedrooms and three bathrooms at this price point, and yet it offered us a direct view of the Matterhorn. The sleep quality on the king beds was excellent, leaving us recharged every night. The service at the hotel was excellent, with every staff member we met being so welcoming and friendly. I would return to Jägerhof Hotels and Apartments the next time I return to Zermatt.

[Accommodation Review] – Hotel Royal St Georges (Royal Suite), Interlaken, Switzerland (11 – 13 Jan 26)

April 1, 2026April 7, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

Hotel Royal St Georges is located about an 8-minute walk from Interlaken Ost Bahnhof. The hotel sits on the street that runs through the town between Interlaken Ost Bahnhof and Interlaken West Bahnhof. There are a few restaurants and cafes around the hotel along the street, with most of the amenities, such as the supermarket (in fact, there are two), located outside Interlaken Ost Bahnhof.

View of Hotel Royal St Georges' modern wing

Hotel Royal St Georges facade with both the historic wing and modern wing

Hotel Royal St Georges reception

The historic staircase next to the hotel reception

The hotel lobby in front of the reception

The hotel lobby

The main entrance to the hotel

The Suite

The historic Hotel Royal St Georges has two wings, the newer modern wing and the historic wing. The Royal Suite is the only suite category room in Hotel Royal St. Georges, where the hotel has several configurations of this 50㎡ suite. All of the Royal Suites are located in the historic wing of the hotel.

Layout of the Royal Suite in Hotel Royal St. Georges Interlaken

Entryway

The heritage of the Royal Suite can be witnessed from the entryway. From the brown carpeting to the mirror, it seems that this suite has withstood the test of time. The entryway in the Royal Suite at Hotel Royal St Georges is a short corridor in the suite that links the main entrance to the living room of the suite. I found the three hooks fitted in here, next to the entrance to the suite, very convenient for us to hang our outer coats before entering the room. The presence of these hooks also gave us a place to stow our outer coats rather than finding a space in the suite to hang them. Mounted on the wall of the entryway is a mirror that allows us to do a final appearance check before heading out. The frame of this mirror suggested that it might have been in this suite for a long time. The entrance to the only bathroom in the Royal Suite is situated in the entryway, opposite the mirror.

The entryway is a small corridor linking the suite's main entrance to the rest of the suite

The entryway is fitted with a mirror and some hooks and is also home to the bathroom entrance

Bathroom

The next room closest to the main entrance to the Royal Suite at Hotel Royal St Georges is the bathroom. I find having the bathroom at the entrance is a tad weird. Maybe there are some historical occurrences that led the designers to arrange the bathroom here, or maybe the suite was renovated over the years, leading to the placement of the bathroom. I also find the detachment of the bathroom from the bedroom a tad inconvenient. The only good thing about having the bathroom here is that our friends staying in the other rooms in the hotel can use the bathroom without having to go through our bedroom when they pop by our suite for a gathering.

Unlike the entryway (or the other parts of the suite), the bathroom predominantly uses blue colour, seen in the floor tiles and the furnishings such as the toilet, the bidet and the sink. Right next to the entrance of the bathroom stood the walk-in shower. Fitted with both a rain shower and a regular shower head, the space afforded by the walk-in shower felt a little tight. The glass screen doors also felt a tad flimsy. A large, deep-seated bathtub sits across the walk-in shower. This tub has seen better times, as there are scratches visible on the tub. To our dismay, we subsequently found out that this tub is currently used as an antique display piece after checking with the hotel reception when the water is not flowing from the taps. We were informed that the hotel was not able to find the spare parts to fix the tap, and owing to a strict Swiss law, the hotel was not able to remove or replace the bathtub. A European bidet with a blue gryphon carved onto the base is found next to the bathtub. As we did not use the bidet (rather, we were not used to the European bidet), we couldn’t confirm if the bidet is working or, like the bathtub, is merely a display piece. Opposite the bidet and next to the walk-in shower, positioned the (literally) porcelain throne. Like the bidet, the toilet is also engraved with a gryphon painted in blue at its base. Fortunately, the toilet was in working order.

The walk-in shower in the bathroom of the Royal Suite

Hotel Royal St Georges treats its guests with the luxurious Clarins shower amenities

The walk-in shower is situated next to the bathroom entrance

The display bathtub and bidet

The bathtub is not usable due to a lack of parts for the tap

The toilet bowl has an elaborate gryphon carving

The bidet also has gryphon carving

At the end of the bathroom, after the toilet, is a large sink that also has the head of a gryphon carved onto the base of the sink. The blue pattern on the sink top demonstrated the opulence that the original owners of the hotel placed in the decor of this Royal Suite. The opulence is also seen in the golden tap used in the sink. The biggest flaw of this bathroom is the amount of space for us to place our stuff. The sink is large, but there is not much space for us to stow our toiletries. I also found a lack of space to hang the towels after use. The only place for us to hang our towels is on the heater mounted on the wall above the toilet. The lack of hooks also meant there is no place for us to hang our clothing when we shower. Hotel Royal St Georges worked around this issue by placing a large marble top table in front of the door to the balcony in the bathroom, which I found weird to have a balcony in the bathroom. Speaking of weirdness, the other thing I found peculiar is a connecting door to the room next door, right in the bathroom. This made me wonder how many designs and redesigns this Royal Suite has gone through to arrive at this peculiar design.

The bathroom in the Royal Suite is fitted with a single sink

The sink also has gryphon pattern at its base

Clarins bathroom amenities available in the bathroom

Even the towel holder has a gryphon carving

The table in the bathroom gave us some space to stow our stuff

Living Room

The living room is the next room that the entryway leads to in the Royal Suite. Decked in blue wallpaper and parquet flooring, and together with the patterned cornice, the living room presents a vibe of yesteryears. The furnishing is a mix of modern and historic in the living room. A side table is positioned next to the entrance of the living room from the entryway. This somewhat oversized side table is equipped with a large lamp, which brings a sense of cosiness to this space. I found the sitting situation to be a little thin in the living room. Other than a large fabric two-seater sofa that can sit three adults, placed next to the side table, the only other sitting space in the living room is a single-seater armchair opposite it. To make matters worse, instead of a regular coffee table, the living room is furnished with a small dining table in the middle of the room. The height of this table is too high to be used as a coffee table or even dining table when seated on the lounge sets, or useless as a dining table due to a lack of dining chairs.

The sofa in the living room is capable of sitting three adults comfortably

The odd table in the living room that can neither function as a dining table nor a coffee table

The table and the only other armchair in the living room of the Royal Suite

Nestled in a corner of the living room, next to the sofa, sits a minibar table. The minibar table is sparsely equipped with a Nespresso machine and a kettle with tea cups, coffee pods and tea bags. I found it impossible to use both the kettle and the Nespresso machine at the same time, as there is only one power outlet fitted at the minibar table. The wooden table has seen better days, as it wobbles whenever we make coffee out of the Nespresso machine, giving me the impression that the legs will give way at any moment. We found a cabinet sitting in the corner opposite the minibar table. This cabinet (that we never used) could have been repurposed for some other functions, but finding a cabinet here is indeed out of place. Placed in the corner next to the bedroom is a TV cabinet. That is where we could receive entertainment from the TV positioned to face the sofa. Unless we understand French or German, there are very few channels, mainly news channels in English, that we can receive entertainment from the TV. The in-room minifridge is tucked inside a cabinet underneath the TV, stocked with chargeable drinks.

The mini bar in the living room with Nespress coffee machine

The cabinet in the living room

The cabinet in the living room can be used to stow stuff

The TV console sitting in a corner of the living room

The TV console and the fridge

The mini fridge under the TV is fully stocked with beverages

Bedroom

The heritage of the Royal Suite at Hotel Royal St Georges flowed into the bedroom with the same blue wallpaper used in the living room, and the same brown carpet seen in the entryway. The same patterned cornice design is also visible in the bedroom, while the chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room and the LED light candles on both sides of the bed, as well as the vanity table, brought some elegance of yesteryears into the room. The king bed occupied the centre of the bedroom, providing us with excellent sleep quality that kept us recharged for the next day. The wooden bedside tables furnished on both sides of the king bed provided us with limited space to stow our lifestyle devices. I found a lack of power outlets installed here for us to charge our lifestyle devices. The only place we could charge them is on the vanity table, which has only one power outlet installed. I had to use the outlet in the living room, which created some inconvenience.

Peeking in the bedroom from the living room

The bedroom in the Royal Suite at Hotel Royal St Georges

The king bed in the bedroom is very comfortable

The bedside tables offered limited space and are not equipped with power outlets

This bedside table has a radio

The chandelier in the bedroom brings about a vintage vibe and a sense of lux

The bedside lamps also have a vintage vibe

Fitted onto the wall to the left of the king bed is a set of two white wardrobes. The single-panel door innermost wardrobe is fitted with shelving that allows us to stow small clothing items, while the two-panel wardrobe reveals a hanging rack that is capable of hanging at least two weeks’ worth of clothing. The Royal Suite in Hotel Royal St Georges is not furnished with a work desk. We had to rely on the vanity table in the bedroom next to the wardrobes to perform any work. The vanity table would be sizeable if not for the TV that is placed at the end of the table. As a vanity table, the large mirror with a similar design to that in the entryway allowed guests to put on makeup or style their hair. As a work desk, the power outlets installed on the wall allowed guests to keep their laptops powered up. There is another cabinet, similar to that in the living room, on the right side of the bed, occupying the corner. Here is where the hotel stores the in-room ironing equipment. We also found a wooden luggage rack by the entrance to the bedroom. However, its size is too small to hold our 28” trunk luggage, and we ended up using it to place our backpacks.

The wardrobe in the bedroom

The hanging rack wardrobe is capable of storing two weeks of clothing

The shelving wardrobe in the bedroom increases the amount of clothing we can store inside

The vanity table in the bedroom also functions as a work desk and TV console

The door to the balcony in the bedroom

There is a small vintage luggage rack in the bedroom

The cabinet next to the exit to the bedroom balcony has the ironing equipment inside

Balcony

There are technically three balconies in the Royal Suite that were assigned to us, of which two are usable. The first one is the bathroom balcony. Due to its location, we almost never use this balcony. Moreover, it is not furnished with any furniture. The other two balconies are accessible via the living room and the bedroom, respectively. These two balconies are furnished with an outdoor table and two chairs, which allowed us to relax and people-watch from the balcony. The balcony in the living room faces the main road, where we mainly used to drink coffee in the morning or just hang out and enjoy the winter breeze. The balcony in the bedroom faces the new wing of Hotel Royal St Georges. This is the largest of the three balconies. Due to its facing, we hardly use this balcony, as there are hardly any views.

View of the living room balcony seen from the bathroom balcony

The bathroom balcony seen from the living room balcony

View of the street from the living room balcony

The bedroom balcony

The bedroom balcony is the largest of the three and furnished with outdoor furniture

View of the modern wing from the bedroom balcony

Service

Service in Hotel Royal St Georges is nothing short of impeccable. The staff we met were warm and welcoming. Prior to our arrival, we received an email from the hotel offering to pick us up from the railway station. We were initially sceptical about the pick-up service, as we did not receive any reply emails from the hotel. To our surprise, the hotel staff called us to confirm our arrival timing and were present at the train station waiting for us before our arrival time. All the hotel staff we met were very friendly. The reception staff, the same guy who picked us up from the train station, processed our check-in quickly and showed us to our room. He also gave us a detailed brief on the usage of the sauna and breakfast timings. During breakfast, the staff at Brasserie St. Georges welcomed us with a smile every morning and cleared our table as soon as they spotted that the plates were empty. We visited the reception to ask about our defective bathtub. The staff took the time to explain the situation with the bathtub and offered to change our suite, which we declined. At check-out, the staff, upon knowing that we would return later in the afternoon, offered to store our luggage and send us to the train station. In the evening, the staff took care of our luggage and also brought us to the train station. He even helped us load the luggage onto the minibus and gave us tips for visiting Switzerland.

Hotel Royal St Georges provided us with round trip transfer from Interlaken Ost Bahnhof

The welcome amenities provided by the hotel in the living room

Breakfast @ Brasserie St Georges

We were pleasantly surprised that our rooms come with a complimentary breakfast. Breakfast is served at the hotel’s only restaurant – Brasserie St Georges. The spread is a typical Continental breakfast with a small section of Indian selection with rice and Indian food. The hotel served a good variety of bread, and the croissants were very fresh and crispy. There is a selection of cold cuts and salads with very fresh ham and cheese. The hotel also serves a small selection of hot food with sausages, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Though the selection of food for breakfast is small, it is hearty and certainly provides us with the fuel to explore the Jungfrau region.

The hot food options during breakfast

The cold food options are avialable in the counter behind the hot food table

Bread and pastries during breakfast

The hotel provides a good selection of cereals and a huge selection of spreads during breakfast

Brasserie St. Georges is the hotel's only restaurant and where breakfast is served

Overall

The Royal Suite in Hotel Royal St Georges pays homage to the heritage of the hotel. The suite is spacious, providing us with space to gather with our friends. The sleep quality on the king bed was excellent. However, the lack of seating space in the living room and the non-functioning bathtub in the bathroom were the main flaws in the suite. Additionally, the odd placement of the bathroom was a tad inconvenient for occupants of the suite. The service provided by the staff at Hotel Royal St Georges was excellent. They were always ready to help and were never stingy with their greetings and smiles. The breakfast served at the hotel’s only restaurant had simple offerings, but they did provide a hearty meal and the much-needed energy for our sightseeing in and around Interlaken.

[Accommodation Review] – Ibis Styles Luzern City (Family Room), Luzern, Switzerland (9 – 11 Jan 26)

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

Ibis Styles Luzern City is located north of Lake Luzern and close to Luzern Alstadt, with the Lion Monument being the closest attraction to the hotel, at only a 5-minute walk away. The hotel’s location is excellent for exploring Altstadt Luzern, which can be reached in about 7 minutes on foot. The hotel is approximately a 3-minute bus ride from Luzern train station, and a 7-minute walk to Luzern Lake. Being close to two bus stops that ply through the city, Ibis Styles Luzern City is a great base to explore Luzern and the nearby towns. In terms of amenities, the hotel is right across from Löwencenter, a two-storey shopping mall with shops and a large Coop supermarket. When it comes to food options, there is no lack of restaurants and bakeries within 5 minutes from the hotel, where we were spoilt for choice of food.

Ibis Styles Luzern signage

Ibis Styles Luzern reception

Ibis Styles Luzern lobby opposite the reception

Ibis Styles Luzern is located at the end of this street

Hotel lobby

The Room

The Ibis chain is known for its no-frills accommodations; naturally, most of the rooms in the chain are rather compact. As we wanted more space, we booked the biggest room in Ibis Styles Luzern City, the Family Room with a total area of 25㎡. There are several configurations and varying sizes of the Family Room, and the room that we were assigned happened to be the smallest Family Room the hotel has (my friends in the other Family Rooms were bigger than this). The decor in the family room felt no-frills, but I applauded the hotel’s effort in dolling up the otherwise plain and boring room with pictures of Luzern and its attractions.

Layout of our Family Room at Ibis Styles Luzern City

Entryway

The Family Room at Ibis Styles Luzern City has a small entryway that is only furnished with a two-door cabinet with no additional furniture. The entryway is so small that there is no room to accommodate any other furniture. The entrance to the bathroom is also located next to the main entrance to the room in the entryway.

Bathroom

The bathroom in the Family Room, despite its compact size, is very well designed. Due to the overall size of the room and subsequently the area allotted to the bathroom, there is no additional room for the hotel to install a dual sink. Despite the small setup, we welcomed the additional ledge at the sink that offered us additional space to place our toiletries. The toilet is wedged in between the sink and the bathtub, sitting at the end of the bathroom. I am pleasantly surprised to find a bathtub in the compact Family Room. However, the shower/tub combination setup left much to be desired. With such a setup, the shower/tub can be challenging for old folks and guests with children. The bathroom is only fitted with a regular shower head, but with very strong water pressure. The shampoo/body wash combination shower amenity provided, and the absence of other toilet amenities, reminded us of the price bracket the hotel positioned itself in.

The sink in the bathroom is next to the entrance

The bathroom is fitted with a shower/tub combination

Shower amenities

Bathroom in Family Room of Ibis Styles Luzern

Sleeping Area

The sleeping area took up most of the space in the Family Room. I like how the hotel maximises the space usage by fitting a large work desk cum TV console next to the wardrobe. This table, made of solid wood, is also home to the minibar in the room. Speaking of minibar, we only found a Nespresso machine and no mini fridge in the Family Room. Although the hotel offered tea bags as part of its mini bar setup, there is no kettle in the room that allows us to boil water for making tea. Despite having multiple functions, I still find space to work on the work desk. The TV in the Family Room has very limited entertainment options and offers us only local channels to watch.

The work desk is located next to the wardrobe and houses the minibar

The in-room TV is placed at the end of the work desk

As the name of the room suggests, the Family Room in Ibis Style Luzern City is furnished with not one but three beds. According to the photos of the room from the hotel’s website, the bed placed next to the work desk was supposed to be a sofa bed. However, a regular wooden queen bed was found in place of a sofa bed. I’d rather find a sofa bed here, where we could at least have a sitting area to relax or place our backpacks on. I also find it odd that there are no bedside tables next to the queen bed, showing that the addition of this bed seems to be an ad-hoc addition by the hotel. Opposite the queen bed is a twin bed placed next to each other, next to the only window the room has. I find the mattress on the twin bed very hard, which affects the sleep quality on the bed. It doesn’t help that the pillows provided were too soft for my liking and that the hotel does not offer a pillow menu. Two stools that were supposed to be the bedside tables were installed on either side of the twin bed. Unlike a regular bedside table, where one would at least find a drawer, this stool does not offer any form of storage. The only space for storage is the limited stool top, which was already full when I placed my mobile phone and two other gadgets I wanted to charge overnight.

The double bed in the Family Room next to the window

View of the sleeping area in our Family Room at Ibis Styles Luzern

The bedside table is rather small

Our Family Room facaes the back of the hotel

Service

We were not impressed by the service of a male staff member during check-in. The staff came across as cold and aloof. During our arrival, he was observed to stand at the reception counter waiting for us to approach him for our check-in instead of initiating the check-in formalities. This male staff member also demonstrated a lack of knowledge in the ACCOR programme. During check-in, I enquired about the complimentary breakfast that came with our booking due to our status with the ACCOR group (our status comes with complimentary breakfast worldwide during weekend stays, and we were at Ibis Styles Luzern City over the weekend). The staff insisted that the complimentary breakfast is only for the Asia Pacific region. He only relented when we showed him the terms on the ACCOR app on our phone. Only at this time was he more forthcoming with information, such as the breakfast timing and where we could get complimentary coffee and water.

Fortunately, the bad service is limited only to this one person. We met with friendly and warm reception staff who were generous in their greetings for the next two days of our stay at Ibis Styles Luzern City. The one who left a deep impression on us was Jasmin. We approached Jasmin and asked her about the luggage lockers in the train station. Jasmin demonstrated excellent local knowledge and generously shared it with us. She even offered for us to leave our luggage at the hotel, but when she found out that we had a tight schedule on our check-out day, she elevated our concerns regarding the safety of our luggage when leaving it in the lockers at the train station. Jasmin is always spotted with a warm smile, which is very much appreciated on a cold winter day.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the only restaurant in the hotel, next to the reception. We had breakfast on our last day (we had to leave early the day before) of our stay at Ibis Styles Luzern City. I am impressed with the breakfast selection for an Economy hotel. For hot food selection, Ibis Styles Luzern City offers bacon and scrambled eggs. A huge selection of garden greens, hams and cheeses was made available for cold food. The hotel also has a considerable selection of bread, and I found the croissant to be fresh and crunchy. On top of these, the hotel also offered juices and various cereals. We had a hearty breakfast at Ibis Styles Luzern City.

Breakfast timing at Ibis Styles Luzern

Seatings in the restaurant where we had breakfast

The cold cut section and self-served coffee and tea

Salad and fruits bar during breakfast

Bread station has a number of selection

The hot food section

Overall

For an Economy hotel, the Family Room in Ibis Styles Luzern City is spacious and served its purpose of providing us a roof to rest for the night. The bed is a tad uncomfortable to sleep on, and the storage situation is a little challenging. Other than the one bad apple, the service in the hotel is actually quite good. For an Economy hotel, I thought the service exceeded my expectations. The location of the hotel, being close to the train station and the sights in Altstadt Luzern, is a plus point.

[Accommodation Review] – Swissôtel Kursaal Bern (Vitality Suite), Bern, Switzerland (8 – 9 Jan 26)

March 26, 2026 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is situated in a quiet neighbourhood north of the River Aare and the old town. Other than the on-site restaurants and the casino, there are no other amenities in the vicinity of the hotel. It takes about an 8-minute walk across the Kornhausbrücke to Zytglogge, where we found restaurants and supermarkets. The main train Station, Bern Bahnhof, in the old town is about a 20-minute walk or 8 min by tram. Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is very well connected to Altstadt Bern with the tram stop right in front of the hotel, with very regular tram intervals, making sightseeing in the city a breeze.

Swissôtel Kursaal Bern facade at night

Reception at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern on the ground floor

Interior of the hotel seen from the corridor of our suite

Swissôtel Kursaal Bern lobby next to the reception

The Vitality Suite

We checked into the Vitality Suite at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern, which has a total floor area of 54㎡. The suite is decked out in a Scandinavian interior design, featuring a minimalist look and a massive use of natural wood colours.

Layout of our Vitality Suite in Swissôtel Kursaal Bern

Entryway

The Scandinavian decor of the Vitality Suite at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is immediately seen at the entryway. The natural wooden finish can be seen from the walls to the flooring and extended into the living room and the bedroom. At the entrance, a knee-high drawer with a large slab of marble-looking vinyl top sits quietly at the side of the entrance. I am very sure the hotel intended this furniture to function as a stool for us to wear our shoes, and the drawer is meant for us to stow our shoes away. However, we found it suitable to be used as a luggage rack as the length is the same as our luggage. We found the only wardrobe in the Vitality Suite next to the knee-high drawer. I thought for a suite of this size, the space allotted for us to stow our clothing is a tad underwhelming. There are two single-panel wardrobes installed in the entryway: one filled with shelving where the in-room safe is, and another with a hanging rack. While the space for hanging our clothing is tight, the shelving next door provided us with the much-needed space to stow our clothing.

Entryway of our Vitality Suite at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern

The knee-high drawer in the entryway that we mainly used as a luggage rack

The only wardrobe with hanging rack in the Vitality Suite is found in the entryway

The wardrobe in the entryway with shelvings for us to stow clothings and other items

Sharing the same space in the entryway and situated across the drawer is the second entrance to the bathroom. I thought it was genius of the hotel to fit another door to the bathroom here. Having a door here gave us the convenience of accessing our clothing from the only wardrobe in the entryway after a shower. The other purpose I could think of is having a powder room without actually fitting a powder room. Most suites in four or five-star hotels would feature a powder room. Due to the design of the layout, it does not seem that Swissôtel Kursaal Bern would have additional space to fit a powder room. Instead, having a door at the entryway creates the illusion of having a powder room where our friends can access the toilet without barging into the bedroom.

There is another entrance to the bathroom in the entryway

Living Room

Next to the wardrobe are two double-panel wardrobes, marking the start of the living room. Hidden inside these wardrobes, which the hotel termed as Vitality Closet, are workout equipment. The closet next to the wardrobe features a wooden wall bar and some yoga mats. This system allowed us to do some core training and stretching. The closet next to the wall bar is fitted with sandbags of various weights and some sort of pulley system. This machine serves the same function as the functional trainer that we would see in gyms. The pulleys and the weights allow us to perform functional and strength training without needing to leave the room. There is a small LED TV installed in the Vitality Closet, but we couldn’t figure out how to turn it on. I suspect this TV would be loaded with workout videos that would guide us through the various training in the suite.

The wooden wall bar is hidden in the closet next to the wardrobe with hanging racks

The functional trainer inside the Vitality closet nearer to the sofa in the living room

Further into the living room, next to the Vitality Closets, sits the sofa in the suite. Unlike conventional sofas, the sofa in the Vitality Suite is essentially a wooden platform with backing and some thin cushioning stacked on the platform. I like how the hotel extended its Scandinavian design theme to this sofa. There is space on both sides of the sofa with wall-mounted reading lights and USB charging outlets, providing more illumination and additional spots for charging our lifestyle devices. The living room is also decked with two additional single seater, one in the form of an armchair and another a stool, which provided us with more seating space. Instead of furnishing the living room with a large coffee table that takes up space, Swissôtel Kursaal Bern placed a small wooden table between the chairs in the living room. This small coffee table is not only consistent with the Scandinavian theme, but it also makes the living room less cluttered.

The lounging area in the living room of the Vitality Suite

The armchair by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room of the Vitality Suite in Swissôtel Kursaal Bern

The sofa in the living room of our Vitality Suite

TV in the living room of our Vitality Suite

The TV and minibar in the living room are placed next to the window

Cups and glasses as well as coffee capsules are found in the top drawer underneath the TV

There is a false wall in the living room, opposite the Vitality Closet, that separates the living room from the bedroom. Instead of mounting the TV on this false wall, the TV is mounted onto the wall next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. I thought it made sense to fit the TV here as the lounging area in the living room is not placed in the centre of the room, but to the side. Having a TV here meant guests were able to receive the multiple local and international channels better. Underneath the TV lies a three-drawer chest that doubles up as a mini bar area and additional storage space. As a minibar, Swissôtel Kursaal Bern installed a Nespresso machine and a kettle and placed the mugs, glasses, tea bags and coffee capsules in the top drawer. Swissôtel Kursaal Bern dedicated the space by the false wall as a work area, complete with power outlets to keep our laptops juiced up by the work desk. The mini fridge in the suite is found underneath the work desk, where the hotel keeps it stocked with complimentary beverages for guests to enjoy.

The work desk is fitted onto the false wall separating the living room and the bedroom of the Vitality Suite in Swissôtel Kursaal Bern

The mini fridge under the work desk is fully stocked with complimentary beverages and snacks

Bedroom

On the other side of the false wall lies the bedroom, which has the same natural wood Scandinavian design language as the living room. The bedroom has a minimalist decor, furnished with a king bed and a vanity table. The king bed, which occupied the bulk of the bedroom space, is topped with a firm mattress that provided us with great sleep quality, which kept us refreshed after our one-night stay at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern. Usually, I am not a fan of soft pillows, but I was still able to get a great night’s sleep despite the soft pillows used by the hotel. A large natural wood bedside table flanked both sides of the king bed. These bedside tables gave us a generous amount of space to lay out our lifestyle devices, including my iPad, and other knick-knacks to charge overnight with the European power outlet and two USB-A charging ports. I like how Swissôtel Kursaal Bern kept the bedside tables clean by mounting the bedside lamps onto the headboard on both sides, and was free of an in-room phone. Unlike most bedside tables, these tables were not fitted with drawers that increase the storage capacity. Instead, there is one open shelf on these tables, which somewhat limits the number of items we can stow here. However, the generous tabletop space was more than sufficient for us to place our stuff. The advantage of such a design is that we will not forget things that are placed on these bedside tables. At one glance, we were able to tell if we had unintentionally left things behind.

Bedroom of the Vitality Suite in Swissôtel Kursaal Bern

The bedside table has generous space for us to stow our items

The king bed in the bedroom provided us with excellent sleep quality

Swissôtel Kursaal Bern provided guests with a pillow menu

Mounted on the false wall opposite the king bed is a large LED TV, which we can watch from the numerous local and international channels from the comfort of the king bed. A vanity table, which is the same size as the work desk in the living room, is furnished on the false wall underneath the TV. The vanity table uses the same natural wood finishing that reinforces the Scandinavian design theme. The generous space on the vanity table, fitted with one small mirror, also allowed us to stow our small items here. There are three power outlets fixed onto the false wall at the vanity table, allowing us to use this space to charge more of our lifestyle devices. I welcomed the three-tiered, large drawers designed under the vanity table, which vastly increase the storage space in the bedroom. The absence of additional wardrobe in the bedroom reinforces the minimalistic theme.

Balcony

The Vitality Suite has a small balcony accessible from the bedroom. The balcony is large enough to accommodate four pax, but is only furnished with two metallic outdoor chairs and one outdoor round table. The furniture in the balcony allows guests to sip coffee or dine in the balcony and enjoy the views of Bern with the Berner Münster standing tall amongst the buildings.

The balcony in our Vitality Suite

The balcony is furnished with outdoor table and chairs

View of Bern from our balcony

Bathroom

The Vitality Suite at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is fitted with a spacious bathroom. Decked in light olive green, the bathroom presented a natural theme. As previously mentioned, the two bathroom entrances are located in the bedroom and the living room. Across from the bedroom entrance sits the sink area. Despite Swissôtel Kursaal Bern fitting dual sinks in the bathroom, the countertop offered at the sink is rather generous. We had no issues with placing our toiletries on this countertop space, and we still have plenty of space on the countertop. I like how the bathroom, particularly the sink area, is brightly lit. Occupying the space on the right of the sink, separated from the bedroom with dark glass, is a large standalone bathtub. The placement of the tub here not only accentuates the spaciousness of the bathroom, but also allows us to watch TV in the bedroom from the bathtub through the black glass. The inclusion of a small table by the bathtub is a welcome sight, as it gave us space to place our stuff on (like mobile phones). The excellent water pressure in the bathtub filled the large tub in a short amount of time.

The bathroom is fitted with dual sinks with generous countertop space

View of the bathroom from the entryway entrance

Swissôtel Kursaal Bern furnished a large bathtub in the bathroom

Bathroom amenities at the sink of the bathroom

Bathroom amenities on the sink

A corridor opposite the bathtub and past the sink leads to the walk-in shower and toilet cubicles. These two facilities in the bathroom are located a little shy of the bathroom entrance from the entryway. Their location here, especially the toilet, allowed our guests to use the toilet without having to bash through the bedroom. The space allocated to the walk-in shower is generous, so I was able to shower without engaging in an elbow war with the walls. I like how Swissôtel Kursaal Bern installed a ledge next to the taps for us to place our toiletries and dental kits. The water pressure was excellent from both the rain and the regular shower heads fitted in the walk-in shower, and the hot water heats up pretty fast. The toilet cubicle, fitted with a lone porcelain throne, sits opposite the walk-in shower.

The walk-in shower in the bathroom has a large space

Shower amenities in the walk-in shower

The corridor that leads to the walk-in shower and toilet in the bathroom

The toilet in the bathroom

Service

The service in the Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is good. The staff at the reception initially came across as cold, but soon warmed up as she processed our rooms with great efficiency. We got the keys to the three rooms we booked in under 5 minutes. She even upgraded one of the rooms that we booked. The reception staff were patient in explaining how we could activate the Bern Guest Card, which granted us complimentary transport within Bern, and how we could use it. She even reminded us not to purchase any tickets while on public transport. We went back to her on multiple occasions with queries about our rooms and amenities around the hotel. She was patient and warm in answering all our questions, and welcomed us back to her if we had any more questions.

Welcome amenities provided by Swissôtel Kursaal Bern in our suite

We also met a very friendly bartender at the lounge when redeeming our welcome drink as part of the perks of being an ACCOR member. He was also patient in explaining the drinks that we were eligible to redeem (any drinks that are under CHF16 are covered under the welcome drink) and even allowed us to bring the drinks back to our rooms (we eventually had them in the bar). The friendly bartender brought us some nuts while we waited for our drinks to be prepared.

We requested to leave our luggage at the concierge’s desk the next morning after we checked out, so we could do some sightseeing in Bern. The reception staff happily helped us with our luggage and even recommended some sights she reckons are worth visiting. Upon our return to the hotel to collect our luggage, the friendly reception staff quickly attended to us and brought our luggage out immediately.

Hotel Facilities

Gym

The gym is the only facility (other than a restaurant and a bar) in the Swissôtel Kursaal Bern. The spacious 24-hour gym is located on the third floor of the hotel premises, which has machines for both cardio and strength training workouts. The gym is home to two elliptical machines, two treadmills, and two stationary bikes, placed by the window. Meanwhile, several strength training machines are spread out from the middle of the gym to the entrance. We also spotted a free weight area in the gym. Despite the modest set-up, the gym has everything catered to guests’ needs for a good workout.

Free weight and yoga area in the gym at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern

Strength training machine in the gym

Cardio workout machines in the gym

The gym in Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is very well equipped

Overall

We had a pleasant stay at Swissôtel Kursaal Bern. The hotel is close to the sights in Altstadt Bern. The Vitality Suite was very well appointed and very comfortable to stay in. The sleep quality on the king bed was so good that we felt refreshed after a night’s sleep. The staff that we interacted with were friendly and welcoming.

[Accommodation Review] – Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16 (1-Bedroom Mansion – Black Galaxy Theme), Macau, China (25 – 28 Dec 25)

January 24, 2026 / kktong76 / 3 Comments

Location

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 is located on the Eastern part of the main Macau Peninsula, on the banks of the Pearl River Delta, facing the Chinese city of Zhuhai. The hotel is about 30 minutes from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Immigration Building and 1 hour from Macau International Airport. Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 is situated in the historic district of Macau and is conveniently located near the city centre, where sights such as Senado Square and the Ruins of St. Paul are within 7 minutes on foot. Sights located on the other islands of Macau can be accessed by bus from the bus stop directly in front of the hotel, which links to other parts of Macau, such as Taipa, Cotai, and Coloane. There are numerous local restaurants within a 5-minute walk from the hotel, where we were able to find food. The hotel is also conveniently located near 24-hour convenience stores and a supermarket.

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 facade

The reception on ground floor

Hotel lobby

Hotel reception on ground floor

Hotel main wing facade

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 Mansion wing facade

The Mansion

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 offers a wide range of room types, including superior rooms, suite rooms, and mansions, which are unique to this Sofitel. We stayed in the massive 120㎡ 1-Bedroom mansion, which the hotel offers in several configurations, both single-storey and duplex layouts. We were assigned the single-storey 1-Bedroom Mansion.

Layout of the 1-Bedroom Mansion we stayed in (*not drawn to scale*)

Entryway

The moment we entered the 1-Bedroom mansion, we could immediately see the Black Galaxy theme of the mansion. The entire mansion is decked in black marble, exuding a sense of class and sophistication. The first thing that caught my eye was the artwork hanging on the wall opposite the double-leaf door entrance to the suite, giving the mansion a sense of classiness. The entryway to the mansion is a relatively large space, but it lacks furnishings. I thought it was a waste that the hotel did not at least furnish this area with shoe cabinets or shoe-changing benches. Here is also where we find the entry to the pantry, the powder room and the karaoke room (yes, there is a karaoke room in this mansion).

Main entrance to the 1-Bedroom Mansion

There is a large painting at the entryway facing the main entrance to the mansion

Pantry

Immediately after the entrance, the first door on the left leads to a small pantry in the mansion. The pantry has a relatively simple layout, a single kitchen countertop fitted, a small kitchen sink, and mostly empty cabinets in the pantry, except for some glasses and champagne flutes. Mugs are laid out on the kitchen countertop, next to the Nespresso machine and the filter water dispenser. There is a mini fridge tucked inside the cabinet underneath the coffee machine, where we found complementary drinks and snacks, restocked daily. There is another door inside the pantry that seems to lead outside the mansion. However, it was constantly under lock, and there was no way for us to confirm where it led. I can only assume this was a service entrance for the hotel’s catering staff.

The pantry in our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The hotel provides complementary drinks in the mini fridge

The pantry is equipped with a Nespresso machine and a filter water machine

Powder Room

The powder room is also located in the entryway, next to the pantry, with the same Black Galaxy decor. The gold trimmings used on parts of the open cabinet and the mirror above the sink did not feel excessive and added a certain luxury to the room. The use of warm lighting also contributed to the powder room’s elegant look. Despite only being furnished with a toilet and a large sink countertop, the space afforded to the powder room was rather generous. I guess this is necessary to prevent guests from feeling claustrophobic because of the black colour theme here.

The powder room in our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The hotel supplies its guests with Lanvin toilet amenities in the powder room

Karaoke Room

I was pleasantly surprised to find a karaoke room next to the powder room in the entryway, just shy of the living room. The karaoke room, having the same black theme, is furnished with a six-seater couch and a large coffee table. While most of the room is decked in black, the purple in the couch cushions adds some colour without contradicting the overall theme. The karaoke room’s sound system was good, and the soundproofing was excellent. We did not hear any music when the door was closed, even with the sound system blasting. The karaoke system was well curated with a song library, with oldies to recent hits in multiple languages. With the door closed, we did not feel like being in a hotel room’s karaoke room.

The Karaoke Room in our Black Galaxy themed 1-Bedroom Mansion

The karaoke system in our mansion

Living Room

The living room occupies the largest real estate in the Black Galaxy themed 1-Bedroom Mansion at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16. The space was divided equally between the lounging and dining areas.

Lounging Area

The lounging area occupies the left side of the living room, and the Black Galaxy theme is most pronounced there. Furnished with two large three-seater European-style sofas and two oversized armchairs, the living room felt very cosy. With the large windows behind both sofas, the living room was a space we could sit and relax while either receiving entertainment from the 55″ flatscreen TV, which is loaded with local and international channels, or simply relax and gaze into the old Macau neighbourhood or the neighbouring Zhuhai. The use of turquoise in the sofa cushions complemented the Black Galaxy theme well without compromising on the overall theme of elegance and luxury. The three chairside tables, fitted with muted red lamps, made the lounging area feel cosier and more classy. The large coffee table in the centre of the seating area gave us ample space to place our drinks and snacks while watching TV. There is a gold-painted cabinet beneath the TV, which greatly expands the already enormous storage space we had in the mansion.

The lounging area in the living room of our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The lounging area in the living room is furnished with two large sofas and two armchairs

The lounging area is equipped with a 55" flatscreen TV

The sofas in the lounging area are placed in front of the large windows that let us look out into the city

Artwork in the living rooom of our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The armchairs in the lounging area of the living room

View of Macau and Zhuhai from our living room

The living room is separated by a wall from the bedroom

Dining Area

On the other side of the lounging area sits the dining area. Furnished with a large, gold-trimmed, round, black glass-top dining table and six comfortable fabric chairs, the dining area is a great space for us to dine, with my family occupying the 2-Bedroom mansion next door. The choice of furniture, along with the crystal chandelier hanging above the dining table, complements the Black Galaxy theme, adding a sense of luxury to the mansion. At the end of the dining area are two additional dining chairs and a table placed against the wall.

The dining area of our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The dining area is furnished with a large round dining table

The chairs at the side of the dining are serves more for ornamental purposes

Night view of the city from our dining area

The chandelier from hanging over the dining table

Bedroom

The entrance to the bedroom in the Mansion is also found in the entryway, opposite the entrance to the Karaoke Room. Compared to the rest of the mansion, the bedroom feels much brighter in its colour scheme, mainly thanks to the beige carpeting. Despite a slight colour change, elements of the Black Galaxy are still visible in the walls. The beige carpet, together with the black walls, makes the bedroom feel cosy and comfortable. Right beside the entrance to the bedroom is the workdesk, which is quite sizeable for us to get some work on our laptops and iPads. The work chair at the desk was comfortable to sit in for hours. The only thing I did not like about the study desk is the placement of the power outlet. The deep, narrow power outlet meant we were unable to use our international adaptors, which have USB power outlets at the bottom. I like how Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 furnishes the wall space behind the work desk with an ornamental shelf. Despite serving no other purpose than display, the shelf not only adds a sense of luxury but also makes this space feel more like a study room.

The work desk in the bedroom is rather sizeable

The cabinet behind the work desk creates a study room effect

There is a cabinet at the entrance of the bedroom equipped with a mini fridge

The luggage ledge is fitted next to the bedroom's entrance

The sleeping area in the bedroom is farther into the room, next to the window. Furnished with an oversized king bed with an elaborate European-style headboard, the sleeping area is very inviting. We had an excellent sleep on the king bed with its firm mattress and the choice of pillows that suited our preference. The mansion’s opulence was also evident in the king bed. The hotel installed slim chandeliers as bedside lamps that hang above the bedside tables, which not only frees up space on these already large bedside tables, but also reinforces the luxury theme that is seen in the mansion. The bedside tables were generous with the space afforded to us. Other than the large table top, the two drawers offered us tons of space to put away our stuff. Regarding charging, the power outlet’s design suffers from the same poor design as the one on the work desk. We had the same issues with fitting our international power adaptor and had to request an extension cord from the hotel. The bench the hotel provided at the end of the bed gave us the flexibility to stow our backpacks or sit to watch the TV mounted on the false wall opposite the king bed. The TV in the bedroom had the same entertainment options as the rest of the mansion (yes, there are more TVs in the mansion).

The king bed in the bedroom of our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The king bed provides excellent sleep quality

The TV in the bedroom is mounted on the wall opposite the king bed

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 provides an extensive pillow menu

The false wall that the hotel installed in the bedroom not only provides a space for the hotel to mount the 55″ flatscreen TV, but it also creates a pseudo walk-in wardrobe in the bedroom. Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 fitted two sets of two large wardrobes in the closet area of the room, with the wardrobes on the left side having more space. Two of these wardrobes are fitted with two four-tier drawers, giving us a total of eight drawers for smaller clothing items, while one is fitted with a smaller four-tier drawer. This is also where the in-room safe is tucked away. With the combination of the wardrobes, we were able to fit at least two weeks of clothing. Sitting between the two sets of wardrobes is the vanity area. An European-style mirror hangs above the vanity table, accompanied by a dark purple European-style vanity chair. The area at the vanity table is sufficient to lay out one’s entire set of skin care products and cosmetics.

One of the two wardrobes in the bedroom

The smaller wardrobe in the bedroom of our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The wardrobe area in the bedroom

The vanity table in the wardrobe area of the bedroom

The vanity table is wedged between the two sets of wardrobes

Bathroom

The bathroom is situated inside the bedroom. Like the rest of the 1-Bedroom Mansion, the Black Galaxy theme extends into the large bathroom, which is mainly tiled in black marble for walls and floors. A large sink countertop with dual sinks runs the entire length of the bathroom wall, with a generous amount of countertop space for placing our toiletries. Behind the sink area are not one but two toilet cubicles, but only the one closest to the bedroom is equipped with a Japanese-style bidet. I am pleasantly surprised to find a small TV in both toilets to keep guests occupied while using these toilets. Equally surprising is the three-seater leather sofa in the bathroom, in front of the sink area. While weird it might be, I thought having this sofa gave us space to place our clothes.

The 1-Bedroom Mansion is fitted with dual sinks with a large countertop

Toilet amenities provided by the hotel on the sink

Sink in the bathroom of our 1-Bedroom Mansion

The toilet near to the bathroom entrance is fitted withe bidet function

Both toilets are equipped with a small TV

The toilet that is further from the entrance to the bathroom has a normal porcelin throne

There is a leather sofa in the bathroom which we mainly used to put our clothing

Behind the sofa, and occupying ⅔ of the real estate in the bathroom, is the jacuzzi. Sitting on a raised platform and facing the large windows that looked out into Zhuhai, the jacuzzi is large enough for two to three people to enjoy the powerful massage jets in the tub while taking in the scenery of the river and Zhuhai. Due to its size, it can take quite a while to fill the tub with water. As the flooring was all black, I felt one could easily trip on the steps leading to the jacuzzi area, despite the hotel’s best efforts to lay down toilet mats on the stairs. A generously sized walk-in shower with a large rainfall showerhead mounted to the ceiling and a separate regular showerhead is installed next to the Jacuzzi. There is so much space in the walk-in shower that the hotel even fit a bench inside, doubling the shower as a steam room. Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 supplies its guests with the luxurious Lanvin shower amenities, which not only smell great, but also keep our skin feeling soft after every shower.

The jacuzzi tub and the walk-in shower in our bathroom

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 supplies its guests with the luxurious Lanvin shower products

The jacuzzi tub in our bathroom has strong water jets

The massive walk-in shower in our bathroom

Massage Area & Sauna

I was quite surprised to find a massage corner at the end of the bathroom. The massage corner is equipped with a massage table, a sink countertop, and a privacy curtain, which seem to cater to guests who want to order an in-room massage. I am equally surprised to find our private sauna sitting in the corner of the massage area, though we never used the in-suite sauna room throughout our three-night stay in this 1-Bedroom Mansion at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16.

The sauna in our 1-Bedroom Mansion at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

The massage and sauna area sits in the furthest most corner of the bathroom

The massage table in our bathroom

Service

The service at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 is good, but the service seems to stop at the hotel’s main reception. The reception staff were very friendly and helpful. As we had booked the mansion and will be checked into at the Club Millésime Lounge, like guests staying in the executive rooms and suites. When we approached a staff member at the reception, instead of shuffling us to the main queue, the staff member put down what he was doing and attended to us immediately. He arranged for his colleague, Sam, to bring us to the lounge to check in. Sam was very helpful and welcoming. He immediately jumped in to help us with our luggage and kept insisting even after we repeatedly declined. Throughout the journey to the lounge, Sam took the time to orientate us to the hotel’s facilities, pointing out where the breakfast restaurant was and the breakfast timing. Upon arriving at the lounge check-in area, instead of leaving us there, Sam waited around to escort us to our mansions. We bumped into Sam the next evening, and despite having worked the whole day, Sam was still as enthusiastic and friendly, and carrying a warm smile.

Welcome amenities

The hotel arranged not one but two birthday cakes for my sibling

The other person who had displayed warmth at the hotel was our housekeeping staff, Bonnie. Despite the late night, Bonnie helped us arrange for our connecting doors to be opened. Before she left, she even checked if we required turndown service and if there were any items we would like to top up. The next day, we bumped into Bonnie along the corridor one floor below us. Upon spotting us, Bonnie immediately greeted us with a good morning and asked when it would be convenient for her to make up our mansions. Our mansions were always kept spick and span after Bonnie did her magic.

The great service that we had experienced at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 seemed to stop with the reception staff, Sam and Bonnie. The rest of the staff came across as if they couldn’t be bothered. Firstly, the male staff at the lounge check-in was rather rude. He also came across as impatient when we asked him some questions regarding the lounge. Fortunately, most of our check-in was processed by his female colleague sitting next to him, who was quite polite and welcoming. The male staff, instead of helping her to hasten our check-in process, just sat in front of his computer, seemingly staring at the blank screen and doing nothing. He only interrupted with a rude response when we asked his female colleague if the lounge would see a shorter line during breakfast. The staff at Mistral Restaurant were equally bad. We checked with one of the female staff members at around dinner time on the buffet, who seemed unwilling to answer our questions by replying with short, unrelated answers.

Having said that, when we requested to speak to the duty manager the night before our departure to share our displeasure that my sister’s mansion was not made up when we returned. Instead of being defensive, the duty manager listened with much empathy. I even spotted his female staff, Laura, checking on our mansions and taking down notes on the points we raised.

Facilities around the Hotel

Breakfast @ Mistral Restaurant

Breakfast was served at the Mistral Restaurant, located on the 6th floor of the hotel. The restaurant could accommodate a large number of guests for breakfast, thanks to its size and plentiful seating. The food served was tasty, with a good mix of local and Western options, ranging from salads to bacon to fresh-cut fruits. There is even a small selection of Indian food, catering for the hotel’s Indian guests. In terms of the spread, I’d say the restaurant offers a huge breakfast menu, with its signature croissants placed on the table just inside the entrance. There is a made-to-order noodle bar where we could pick the type of noodles and the vegetables to pair with them. However, the menu stayed the same throughout our three-night stay at the hotel. Despite the repetitive menu, I thought the breakfast served was quite hearty and filled us up with energy to explore Macau.

Breakfast is served in Mistral Restuarant on Level 6

Main warm food section during breakfast

The noodle bar and Western selection section

Salad and cold cut section

Noodle bar in Mistral Restaurant

Local and a small Indian selection

Loca selection for breakfast

Club Millésime Lounge

The Club Millésime Lounge, perched on the 17th floor in the hotel wing, is the hotel’s Executive Lounge. The lounge’s decor feels a bit tacky, with overuse of marble on the walls and fixtures that create a sense of luxury. The dark wooden wall cabinets at either end of the lounge, along with the dark brown carpet laid throughout most of it, create an old-school, luxurious vibe. Most parts of the lounge are furnished with dining tables for four, with those placed next to the large window that looks out into Old District Macau only accommodating two. A couple of sets of sofas occupied the ends of the lounge, catering to larger groups. An orange marble bar table was placed in the centre of the lounge for large groups to mingle. The lounge offers a great space for guests to relax, serving finger food during afternoon tea and evening cocktail hours, in addition to the smaller breakfast menu served in the mornings. Outside these hours, guests can visit the lounge to enjoy a drink, where cookies and nuts are also available. We were at the Club Millésime Lounge only for one evening cocktail; the food spread was rather limited. As the evening cocktail approached its end, the staff did not bother to top up the food (despite assuring us the chef would keep it flowing).

Club Millésime Lounge entrance

Club Millésime Lounge in Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

Food selection during evening cocktail at Club Millésime Lounge

Swimming Pool

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 boasts not one but two swimming pools: the larger main pool, open to all hotel guests, and another located in the mansion wing, exclusively for mansion guests. The free-form main pool, located on the 6th floor of the main hotel building, appears to be designed primarily for families, making it somewhat challenging to complete decent laps. There is a small area in the pool, curved out as a jacuzzi, which makes relaxing here ideal. There are also a limited number of sundeck chairs around the main pool, which means only a small number of guests can use them at any one time.

The main pool at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

The main pool at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 is a freeform pool

The main pool at the hotel

The main pool on level 6 of the hotel

There is a small jacuzzi pool in the hotel's main pool

We found a small wading pool at the side of the main pool area

The free form pool in Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

The private mansion wing pool sits on the 8th floor of the mansion wing, catering to guests staying in the mansion. The mansion wing pool features an elongated design, ideal for swimming laps and for families to spend quality time together. There is a separate, dedicated jacuzzi pool at this pool. There seem to be more sundeck chairs at this pool facing the river than at the main pool.

The pool at the Mansion Wing of Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

The mansion pool overlooks the Pearl River Delta and Zhuhai

The Mansion Wing pool

There are more sun deck chairs at the Mansion Wing pool

The outdoor jacuzzi at the Mansion Wing pool

Gym

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 features a spacious gym, located on the 6th floor of the main hotel building. The gym consists of two parts: a smaller room located next to the reception and the main gym floor. The smaller room beside the reception features free weights for guests to perform strength training. There are gym balls at the end of this room for guests to use for core training. The main gym floor is equipped with mainly cardio equipment like treadmills and stationary bikes positioned to face the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the main swimming pool. There are only three strength training machines, which work out only the arms and back muscles, placed in the centre of the gym floor and arranged to face the swimming pool.

There is a small weights room in the gym of Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

Treadmills in the gym

The treadmills in the gym faces the main pool of the hotel

The cardio station in the gym

Ther eis a small weight machine section in the main floor of the gym

Overall

The location of the hotel was good, as it was close to the historic centre of Macau, making visiting these sights very convenient. The 24-hour supermarket within a stone’s throw of the hotel made it convenient for us to get stuff even late at night. However, due to no casinos operating at the hotel, there are no free shuttle buses that run here. Fortunately, the bus stop in front of the hotel connects us to the major attractions in Macau, making exploring here a breeze. The 1-Bedroom Mansion that was assigned to us was very well-appointed. The large floor area allowed the hotel to fit many facilities, such as a Karaoke Room and a Sauna, within the room. The mansion’s decor was classy and luxurious, and the king bed provided excellent sleep quality. The breakfast menu was huge, and despite staying the same, it kept us fueled for the day of exploring Macau. It seems the reception staff were the only ones (as well as Bonnie) who were interested in providing good service. The rest of the staff, including those in the restaurant and lounge, and especially the male staff at the lounge’s check-in desks, do not seem to be providing good service to its guests.

[Accommodation Review] – Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort (Presidential Suite), Bangkok, Thailand (18 – 20 Jul 25)

August 2, 2025August 2, 2025 / kktong76 / 1 Comment

Location

Despite being located in the heart of Bangkok, Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort’s location is somewhat remote. We did not spot any restaurants or convenience shops near the resort, but only one Starbucks in the BDMS Wellness Centre, which is connected to the hotel by a linked corridor. However, the nearest shopping and restaurants are housed in the Central Embassy shopping mall, which is approximately 5 minutes from the resort on foot. The nearest BTS station, Phloen Chit, is about 6 minutes walk from the resort. The resort offers an hourly shuttle service to the BTS station, operating from 9 am to 9 pm. Phloen Chit BTS station is about two stops from the Siam shopping area, and two stops away from Terminal 21. In addition to taking the BTS, taking a boat is also a popular mode of transportation in Bangkok. Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort is situated next to the canal, with the Saphan Wittayu Pier just a 2-minute walk away, allowing us to commute by riverboat to the Siam shopping area.

The reception at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

There is a manned counter for ACCOR members, which are becoming rare in ACCOR properties

The reception at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

The lobby of Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

The Tuktuk in the lobby of the resort gave it a Thai identity

The shuttle schedule provided by Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort to Chit Lom BTS station

The shuttle that took us from the resort to the BTS station

The Suite

The Presidential Suite is the one-of-a-kind suite in Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort. With 164㎡ of real estate, the suite is the biggest room the resort offers. In addition to the living room, bedroom, and bathroom, the suite is also fitted with a dining room, a study, and a pantry.

Layout of the Presidential Suite at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort (*not drawn to scale*)

Entryway

Behind the double-leaved main door lies a relatively large space dedicated to the entryway to the suite. Other than the two large gold-leaf art sculptures installed here, there are no other furnishings in the entryway, which makes it feel somewhat bare. The entrance to the powder room is also located at the entryway.

The entryway to our Presidential Suite at Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

The artpieces in the entryway

The entryway is rather large and introduced to us the size of the suite

Powder Room

Sandwiched between the powder room and the entryway is an area dedicated to a walk-in wardrobe, hidden behind four wooden panels. Here we found only hanging racks. I find it odd that the resort has designated a space for the wardrobe, yet no hangers are provided here. In countries with four distinct seasons, this space would make sense, but in Bangkok, where it is practically summer all year round (except for a few months of the rainy season), this space felt redundant. Another door separates the walk-in wardrobe from the entryway. Beyond this door lies the powder room, where only a porcelain throne is placed by the wall. A single sink with ample countertop space, along with a set of bathroom amenities, is situated by the wall next to the toilet.

There is a wardrobe between the entryway and the powder room that does not seem to serve any purpose

The powder room in the Presidential Suite is rather large and only houses a toilet and a sink

Living Room

The biggest area in the Presidential Suite at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort is dedicated to the living room. The living room features not one, but two seating areas, positioned side by side. The moment we entered the living room from the entryway, a feature glass table topped with pots of arranged fresh flowers welcomed us. I thought these fresh flowers and the living plants dotted around the Presidential Suite gave guests a welcoming sense. The entryway is not situated in the centre of the parquet flooring living room; rather, it is designed on the side of the living room. The seating area near the entryway features a three-seater couch and two accompanying two-seater sofas, accompanied by a large coffee table. This first seating area is positioned to face the dining room and is a great place for the suite’s occupants to host their friends.

We were welcomed by a flower arrangement on a glass table the moment we stepped into the living room of the Presidential Suite

The first seating area in the Presidential Suite features a three-seater couch and a couple of two-seater couches

The first seating area and its matching coffee table faces the dining room

The live flower arrangement adds a nice touch to the suite

The artpieces by the doors to the dining room where we also found some fitness gears

An elongated glass-top table, ornate with horse artworks, formed a separation between the two seating areas. The second seating area is placed to face the entrance to the bedroom. Decked with another three-seater sofa as a centrepiece and two single-seat armchairs, this seating area seems to suggest its dedication to being an entertainment area. The second sofa area is placed to face the” 55” flatscreen TV placed on a gold-painted wooden TV console, meant for occupants of the suite to enjoy entertainment from the numerous local and international channels on the TV screen. Apart from serving as a placeholder for the TV, I found the TV console to be very functional, with ample storage space for us to put away our shopping. The entire living room is tastefully designed, featuring a good blend of earthy elements and a luxurious vibe.

The second seating area further into the living room of the Presidential Suite at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

The second area in the living room is furnished with a three-seater couch and two matching armchairs with the same coffee table as the first seating area

Artwork on the table between the two seating areas in the living room of the Presidential Suite

The living room is equipped with a 55"LED TV at the second seating area of the living room

The entertainment menu on the 55" LED TV in the living room

Dining Room and Pantry

A white double-leaved sliding door segregates the dining room from the living room in the Presidential Suite at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort. The dining room is furnished with an elongated dining table with chairs that can accommodate up to eight guests. The artworks installed in the dining room brought life to the otherwise monotonous decor here.

The dining area is furished with an eight-seater dining table

The dining room in the Presidential Suite is small but functional and the artpieces in this room makes the dining room look luxurious

The dining room looking out into the living room of the Presidential Suite

The Presidential Suite also features a small pantry equipped with two cabinets that run the entire length on either side. These cabinets provided us with more storage space. It is on one of these cabinets that a Nespresso machine and a kettle call home. Rather than a typical mini fridge, a mid-sized full fridge with a freezer, stocked with non-alcoholic beverages, was installed in the pantry. Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort treats its Presidential Suite guests to a one-time complimentary drink and snacks, which are available in the fridge and on the countertop, respectively.

The pantry in the Presidential Suite has another exit

The pantry is equipped with a Nespresso machine and decked with tea bags for guests to enjoy

The pantry is fited with a full fridge

There is also a microwave machine on one of the two cabinets here

The resort also prepared a set of complimentary snacks for us to enjoy

The fridge is fully stocked with complimentary drinks

The Study

Next to the second seating area in the living room is a space carved out as the study of the suite. Surrounded by walls painted white, with a shelf of metallic and glass vases installed, the large work desk in the study provided a space for us to work. I like how the work desk is positioned to face the balconies opposite it, where we could occasionally look out into the greenery when our eyes grew tired of staring at the computer. The only flaw in the study is the placement of the two power outlets underneath the work desk, which can be quite a hassle to access for charging our laptops.

Bedroom

The space allocated to the bedroom in the Presidential Suite is also quite generous, about ⅔ the size of the living room. The ample space in the bedroom allowed the resort to furnish it with a sofa set, the first thing we came across after passing through the entrance to the bedroom. The sofa area in the bedroom is furnished with a grey fabric two-seater sofa and two single armchairs. Together with a glass top coffee table, facing the TV, the seating area gave us an alternate space to relax in and receive entertainment from the 55″ LED TV.

The seating area in the bedroom is furnished with a two-seater sofa and a couple of armchairs

The seating area in the bedroom faces the other 55" LED TV in the Presidential Suite

The many local and international programmes on the TV

Beyond the sofa area, a slender marble-top table seemingly segregates the entertainment area from the rest of the bedroom. The sleeping area features a large king bed positioned against the wall, inviting its occupants to rest in it. The king bed is very comfortable and provides us with excellent sleep quality every single night. To ensure its guests have a good night’s sleep, the resort offers a wide selection of pillows to suit every need. The sleep quality is further enhanced by the iHome speaker placed on one of the two bedside tables, which plays soothing music, helping us fall asleep more quickly. Speaking of the bedside tables, we welcomed the large three-drawer bedside tables, which provided us with plenty of space to store our belongings. Each bedside table is equipped with two international power outlets and two USB-A ports, allowing us to charge our mobile devices. Despite being placed to face the TV, I thought the distance from the bed to the TV was a bit too far, making it somewhat difficult to watch TV on the bed. I suppose the resort intends to relax one’s mind, rather than stimulate it, which could impact sleep quality.

The king bed in the bedroom is very comfortable to sleep on

The bedside tables by the king bed are fairly sizable and offers us plenty of storage space

View of the bedroom from the king bed

The TV is a tad too far from the bed, making watching it somewhat difficult

Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort decorated the king bed with rose petals to welcome us

The king bed in the bedroom of the Presidential Suite

The resort offers 10 different types of pillows in their pillow menu

The artpiece on the table between the king bed and the seating area in the bedroom of the Presidential Suite

Bathroom & Walk-in Wardrobe

The wardrobe in the Presidential Suite at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort is located in a small room between the bedroom and the bathroom, creating a walk-in wardrobe effect. This part of the suite features two double-panel wardrobes and a single-panel wardrobe, providing ample space to store our clothes. Of these wardrobes, only one is fitted with a hanging rack. It is in this wardrobe that we found the in-room safe sitting on top of a two-tier cabinet. The other features are shelves and drawers that increase the number of items we can stow in the wardrobes. Like most hotels, the number of hangers provided by the resort was a bit few, but I am sure the resort will be happy to provide us with more if we request it. A small high table sits at the end of this room, where the resort places additional bath towels.

The wardrobe area in the Presidential Suite sits between the bedroom and the bathroom

The suite features two double-panel wardrobes and one single-panel wardrobe

One of the double-panel wardrobes has open shelves and drawers fitted that increases its storage capacity

The other double-panel wardrobe is mainly fitted with hanging racks and is where in-room safe is housed

The bathroom lies beyond a doorless entrance and is decked with the typical yellow marble floorings typically found in most 5-star hotels. The bathroom felt narrow due to its design. Instead of having a huge space, the placement of the bathroom features centres around this corridor with the large jacuzzi bathtub at the end of the corridor. Due to the size of the jacuzzi tub, it took a considerable amount of time for us to fill it with water. The resort fitted two sinks in the bathroom, but due to the design, these sinks are placed apart from each other. With the amenities the resort placed on the countertop, I find little space left for us to place our toiletries here. The toilet and walk-in shower are housed in spacious cubicles opposite the sinks, located on the left side of the corridor. The toilet is positioned near the entrance of the bathroom, and the shower is closer to the bathtub. The walk-in shower has only a rain shower head installed, and the lack of a ledge makes it challenging to place our dental kits and facial washes. I also thought the lack of any hooks in the bathroom was one of its major design flaws.

The walk-in shower in the bathroom has only a rainfall shower head with very good water pressure

The toilet in the bathroom

The sinks in the bathroom of the Presidential Suite

One of the two sinks in the bathroom which has limited countertop space

Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort provided its guests with Yuni bath amenities that has a critrus scent

The bathroom is fitted with an oversized jacuzzi tub that takes forever to fill up

Balconies

The Presidential Suite features a total of six balconies, with three located in the living room, two in the bedroom, and one in the dining room. These balconies are not interconnected, and although the space afforded at the balconies is not large, it is sufficient for the suite’s occupants to step out and enjoy the views of the pool. Since these balconies are not large, they are not furnished with any furniture.

Service

The service at the resort was top-notch. The moment we arrived, the bellboy greeted us at the front of the hotel. He took care of our luggage, escorted us to the dedicated counter for ACCOR members at the reception, and handed us over to his colleague Menz. We were warmly welcomed by Menz, who acknowledged our loyalty status with the hotel chain. Menz was very welcoming and processed our check-in efficiently. He was very thorough in introducing the hotel and its facilities, including the privileges that came with our booking, as well as my friend’s loyalty status. Menz also arranged for our luggage to be delivered to our suite. Menz would greet us with a very friendly “sawadee”, accompanied by the widest smile anyone could muster, and address us by our first names whenever we walked past the reception. The other staff members at the reception were equally friendly and would always smile and greet us whenever we walked past.

Welcome amenities the resort prepared in the suite to welcome us

Wefie with the friendly Menz

We felt honoured and appreciated when the Room Director, Wiyada, personally came and welcomed us. Together with Menz, we were escorted to our room and introduced to the Presidential Suite, which included privileges such as a complimentary minibar and drinks. Along the way, through our conversation with Wiyada, we discovered that the resort would go to great lengths to customise each stay to suit the needs of its guests. The resort already arranged the firmer pillows that we requested before we arrived in the suite. Wiyada also encouraged us to contact the reception if we needed anything else.

Then there is Peach from the concierge team, who always greeted us whenever we bumped into him at the front door. He always wore a sincere smile and would always be the first to greet us. I interacted with Emma at the reception when I forgot to bring my keycard. When we inquired about the status of our late check-out, Emma was able to accommodate us and even gave us an additional 30 minutes of buffer time. She also took the initiative to update the keycard to expire at 4 pm so we would not be inconvenienced.

We were warmly greeted by Sky at the lounge on the ground floor when we visited for evening cocktail. Sky was very personable and patiently introduced the drink options and the food served during the evening cocktail. She was seen patrolling the floor often and also checked if we needed another drink upon spotting our empty glasses. There is no flaw in service that we detect during our stay with Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok. Every staff member, from the reception desk to the breakfast restaurant, lounge, and even the housekeeping staff, was very sincere and welcoming, truly amplifying the warmth and hospitality that Thais are famous for.

Hotel Facilities

Breakfast @ Nourish

Breakfast is served at Nourish restaurant, located on the lower ground level, daily from 6 am to 10:30 am during weekdays and 6 am to 11 am on weekends. There are plenty of options served during breakfast, including items from continental and English breakfast to local dishes like grilled pork and soup noodles. There is also a great selection of fruits and salads offered during breakfast. As the resort promotes wellness, the breakfast served has healthier elements such as the use of brown rice and multi-grain bread. Nourish also offers detox and healthier, freshly squeezed fruit juices that aid digestion. The breakfast served was hearty, nutritious and delicious, without sacrificing taste. There are minor menu changes for both days we dined during breakfast.

Nourish is an open restaurant located on lower ground level of the resort

The main buffet area where most of the food for breakfast can be found

Some of the Western options for breakfast at Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

The bread station is located in another section next to the main buffet stations

This cart serves local noodles that changes menu everyday

The congee station is fully decked with condiments during breakfast

Executive Club Lounge Privilege @ Bittersweet

Although Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort does not have a dedicated lounge room for its suite guests, the resort carved out a section from the Bittersweet bar on the ground floor opposite the reception as lounge space. As suite guests, we were able to walk into Bittersweet anytime from 10:30 am to 11 pm for drinks. The lounge also serves afternoon tea from 3 pm to 5 pm and evening cocktails from 5 pm to 7 pm. Alcoholic beverages were served to guests during the evening cocktail hour. We only managed to visit the lounge during the evening cocktail. The variety of the evening cocktail was limited, but the food served was both delicious and nutritious. Despite being located near the reception and the main lobby, we could still find serenity at the lounge during evening cocktail time.

The Bittersweet bar is located in the lobby opposite the reception

The Executive Club Lounge sign is hidden inside the lounge

This part of the lounge is very quiet and perfect for relaxing and chilling

Some of the food on offer during evening cocktail

Evening cocktail drinks menu

The food served during evening cocktail are healthy too

Swimming Pool

The resort features a large free-form saltwater swimming pool, located on the lower ground floor just outside the Nourish restaurant. Nestled in a garden, the swimming pool resembles an oasis amid a concrete jungle, surrounded by tall buildings and green vegetation. The pool is of a good size, allowing guests to swim a decent number of laps, while catering for children to play safely in it. There is no shortage of sundeck chairs surrounding the swimming pool, which was mostly empty during our stay. Despite being surrounded by tall buildings, one can still find a spot to get a dose of vitamin D. In addition to the main pool, the swimming pool features a small section that has been carved out, housing the jacuzzi facilities.

The swimming pool at Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort faces the facade of the resort

There is a small jacuzzi pool within the main pool

There are plenty of sundeck chairs around at the swimming pool

Gym

Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort features a well-equipped gym located on the lower ground floor, adjacent to the Nourish Restaurant. There is a good mix of machines for cardio and strength workouts. The treadmills and elliptical machines, positioned by the floor-to-ceiling glass that looks out into the garden outside the gym, along with the stationary bikes, allowed guests to perform cardio workouts. The gym is also equipped with numerous strength training machines for guests to work out every major muscle group. There is also a section dedicated to free weight training. The gym at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok is also equipped with a small studio where the resort organises 30-minute group fitness classes throughout the day for guests to join. As part of the suite benefit, these classes were available to us at no charge.

Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort has a sizeable gym that has both cardio and strength training machines

There is also a studio in the gym for group exercise classes

Some of the cardio machines in the gym

The gym at Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort

Overall

We were quite surprised with our stay at Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok. For the many times we visited Bangkok, I wondered how we could have missed this gem in the heart of the capital of the Land of Smiles. Staying here felt tranquil and peaceful. Despite not having many shops outside the resort, major shopping malls and the BTS station are a mere 5-minute walk from the resort. The Presidential Suite is spacious, well-appointed, and comfortable. The sleep quality on the king bed is excellent, which kept us feeling refreshed every morning. The biggest plus of staying is its people. The service rendered by the staff was top-notch, and it felt they went all out to ensure we had a good time staying with Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok. I am blown away by the level of service and the well-appointed room that I had my next Bangkok trip booked with Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok.

[Accommodation Review] – Fairmont Peace Hotel (1-Bedroom Suite), Shanghai, China (14 – 18 May 25)

June 25, 2025June 25, 2025 / kktong76 / Leave a comment

Location

The Fairmont Peace Hotel is the most iconic hotel on the Bund in Shanghai. One cannot miss the hotel, with its iconic green metallic roof, a landmark that is part of the Bund skyline. The Fairmont Peace Hotel is situated at the end of East Nanjing Road on the Bund, where shopping options are plentiful, ranging from large shopping malls and department stores to small shops selling souvenirs and snacks. There are also several 24-hour convenience shops and multiple eateries, from street food to restaurants, within a 5-minute walk from the hotel. The hotel is conveniently located near East Nanjing Road Station, the nearest subway station, just a 5-minute walk away, providing easy access to explore Shanghai by metro. Guests wanting to visit the Pudong area across the Huangpu River also have the option of taking the Shanghai Ferry from Jinling East Road Ferry terminal, which is about a 10-minute walk along the Bund.

Fairmont Peace Hotel facade

The original main entrance of Fairmont Peace Hotel which is now closed

The entrance to the hotel

The hotel foyer with the Peace dove

Hotel lobby

Hotel Reception next to the entrance

The concerige in the hotel is opposite the reception

Hotel directory

The entrance to the hotel exudes a old Shanghai charm

The side entrance of the hotel which is closed after 11pm

The Suite

We checked into the 1-Bedroom Suite in Fairmont Peace Hotel. The suite has a floor area of 89㎡, with dedicated spaces for the living room, bedroom, bathroom, and even a walk-in closet.

Layout of the 1-Bedroom Suite at Fairmont Peace Hotel (not drawn to scale)

Entryway

We could see the old Shanghai colonial decor from the entryway to our 1-bedroom suite at Fairmont Peace Hotel, featuring dark wooden flooring and plastered walls. In addition to serving as a transitional space between the living room and main entrance, the mini bar, fully stocked with snacks and drinks ranging from soda to liquor, is discreetly tucked into a niche next to the main entrance of the suite. I was pleasantly surprised to find the latest Nespresso Vertuo machine equipped in the mini bar area. The mini fridge is housed in a dark wooden cabinet in the minibar area. The entryway was also home to the entrance to the powder room and the walk-in wardrobe, which had direct access to the bathroom.

Entryway to the 1-Bedroom Suite, where the minibar is situated and entrances to the walk-in wardrobe and powder room

The mini bar in the suite is located next to the entrance

The mini fridge is stocked with overpriced drinks

The mini bar is equipped with the latest Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine

Powder Room

The powder room, furnished with a sink and a toilet, is located on the right side of the entryway and provides an alternative location for using the toilet. Decked in white and black marble, the powder room exudes the classical luxury vibe characteristic of the other parts of the suite.

The powder room entrance is next to the minibar in the entryway

The sink in the powder room

The toilet in the powder room

Living Room

The living room of the 1-Bedroom Suite, occupying approximately half of the suite’s space, is adorned with French Colonial decor, from the beige patterned walls to the intricate carvings on the beams and ceiling. Topped with a floral-patterned hanging light on the ceiling, we were swarmed with a luxurious vibe in the living room. The beige fabric three-seater sofa, sitting next to the window and facing the entryway, immediately invites guests to take a seat and enjoy the view of the Bund. A small dark brown coffee table, decked with welcome amenities, together with the table lamp resting on the side table in a corner, gave us a cosy feel. I find the TV cabinet’s placement a little off, as it is positioned next to the sofa rather than facing it, which makes watching programmes on the 55″ LED TV a tad difficult. I also find a lack of storage space in the living room and the suite. The TV cabinet provided us with the only storage space for temporarily storing the items we had bought. When it comes to entertainment, TV channels offer only a handful of English channels, while the majority of channels are in Chinese. Fairmont Peace Hotel makes up for the lack of English channels by treating guests to a complimentary small catalogue of on-demand English movies (selectable under “Joy Cinema”).

The living room of the 1-Bedroom Suite is furnished with a comfortable sofa and a coffee table

The side table beside the sofa in the living room

The TV cabinet, our only means of storage in the suite, is placed at an odd angle for TV watching on the sofa

The TV cabinet in the living room sits in one corner

View of the Bund from our living room

The high-back armchair, tucked in a corner of the suite next to the entrance to the entryway, invites the suite’s occupants to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or read a book. The living room in the 1-Bedroom Suite at Fairmont Peace Hotel is furnished with a fairly large work desk, placed by the wall of the powder room. Despite being fitted with a table lamp, I still find plenty of space to work on the work desk.

The workdesk in the living room is placed facing the sofa

The workdesk in the living room

There is a highback armchair next to the workdesk in the living room of our 1-Bedroom Suite

Bedroom

The French Colonial decor also dominated the interior of the bedroom. The king bed was luxurious and very comfortable to sleep on, thanks to its firm mattress. However, the sleep quality was impaired by the pillows, which were too soft for my liking and gave me a neckache the next morning. Although I was unable to find a list of pillow options, the Fairmont Peace Hotel was able to provide the buckwheat and foam pillows that I requested, which significantly improved the sleep quality on the king bed. I thought the space afforded by the bedside tables for us to place our lifestyle devices was generous. In addition to the phone/alarm clock and the large bedside lamps, we still find plenty of space for us to charge our mobile devices overnight. The two drawers in each of the bedside tables allowed us to store our belongings neatly.

The king bed in the bedroom of our 1-Bedroom Suite at Fairmont Peace Hotel

Entrance to the bedroom of our suite

The bedside table had a lot of space for us to place our lifestyle devices

The other bedside table is located at the entrance to the bathroom

The king bed in the 1-Bedroom Suite offered us excellent sleep quality

The TV cabinet is placed against the wall and not facing the king bed. Fortunately, we were able to swivel the TV to face the bed, allowing us to enjoy the same entertainment as the TV in the living room. The bedroom is also furnished with a two-seater sofa and another coffee table, placed opposite the king bed by the window. Perhaps the hotel intended for guests to sit on this sofa and watch the bustle of the East Nanjing Road below, or to peek out into the Bund from the comfort of our suite.

There is another 2-seater sofa in the bedroom

The side table of the sofa is adorned with fresh roses

The sofa in the bedroom is placed in front of the king bed

The TV cabinet in the bedroom is placed in an odd angle, making watching from bed a little difficult

View of the Pudong skyline from the window of our bedroom

Bathroom

The bathroom can be accessed via the door in the bedroom or the walk-in wardrobe. Being connected to the wardrobe gave us the convenience of accessing our clothing. The bathroom is adorned with white marble, which lends it a luxurious ambience. From the bathroom entrance, the first thing that caught my eye was the deep-seated bathtub nestled by the wall furthest from the entrance. The bathtub was perfect for us to soak away the fatigue we had accumulated from exploring Shanghai. Despite having a small TV installed at the bathtub, I find it rather useless, as the angle at which it was installed made it nearly impossible to watch while soaking in the bathtub.

The standalone bathtub in the bathroom

The bathtub is placed between the walk-in shower and the toilet

Despite the TV installed at the bathtub, the angle makes it impossible to watch while soaking

The walk-in shower and toilet cubicles are installed on either side of the bathtub. The walk-in shower, fitted with a rain shower and a regular shower head, was quite sizeable and even had a bench fitted inside. The toilet on the opposite side is fitted with a Japanese-style bidet, which is also quite sizeable. The bathroom in the suite is fitted with two sinks, opposite the walk-in shower. The countertop space on each of these sinks is very generous, allowing us to place our toiletries without having to resort to a game of Tetris. As if the space is not enough, the hotel further increases the countertop space by installing another ledge underneath the large mirrors in the bathroom. The hotel also provided a vanity table in the bathroom, located outside the toilet cubicle, but we merely used this table to store our toiletries bag.

Walk-in shower in the bathroom is fitted with a rain shower and regular shower head

The toilet features a Japanese-style bidet

The sink in the bathroom

The sink in the bathroom is essentially two individual tables, which offer plentiful countertop space

The vanity table is placed in the bathroom, next to the toilet

Bathroom amenities provided by Fairmont Peace Hotel

Fairmont Peace Hotel supplies Le Labo shower amenities for its guests

Walk-in Wardrobe

The walk-in wardrobe sits between the bathroom and the entryway and can be accessed from both parts of the 1-Bedroom Suite. I like how the Fairmont Peace Hotel carved out a space as a walk-in wardrobe and made it accessible from the bathroom. The hotel fitted two large open wardrobes facing each other in this space, but with more hanging space than storage space. I thought there was plenty of space to hang up at least 2 weeks’ worth of clothing, but the limiting factor is the number of hangers, which I am fairly certain the hotel will be able to provide when requested. One of these wardrobes is fitted with only hanging racks, providing space for us to store our luggage after unpacking. The other wardrobe has a similar design, but features a three-tiered open shelf and a single drawer. Despite having these designed into the wardrobe, they only increase the storage space for smaller clothing items slightly. The in-room safe is located on the open shelf.

The walk-in wardrobe is an closed off space between the bathroom and the entryway of the 1-Bedroom Suite

One of the wardrobes only has spaces for hanging clothes

The other wardrobe has less hanging space, but more storage space. This is also where the in-room safe is located.

Service

The service around the hotel is generally very good. All the staff that we met during our stay made us feel welcome and were always wearing their smiles. The doormen at the main entrances would always be one step ahead of us and open the door for us. The reception staff were always ready to assist guests in answering any questions regarding the city and the hotel. The staff at the Fairmont Gold Lounge were always welcoming. We visited the lounge twice and were always greeted with a warm welcome by the staff. We requested to visit the rooftop terrace at night, and the lounge staff brought us up, sharing with us the best views and photo spots.

Welcome amenities in our suite

The hotel had a small birthday cake for me during our stay

Gordon, the Fairmont Gold butler, got in touch with us months before our arrival. Following our initial email to the hotel, checking on the suite we will be staying in and other options that were available to us. Gordon was very responsive and patient in answering our questions. He also helped us arrange for our private transfer between the airport, the cruise terminal and the hotel, so our trip would not be affected. He was also present during our check-in and made us feel welcomed. Gordon also arranged a private historic tour of the hotel and a private visit to the roof terrace, where we enjoyed a privileged nighttime view of the Bund and Pudong area. Gordon generously shared his local knowledge with us, enabling us to plan our stay in Shanghai effectively. Gordon’s efforts were pivotal in making our stay in Shanghai enjoyable.

Wefie with our Fairmont Gold Butler – Gordon

Hotel Facilities

Breakfast @ Jasmine Lounge

Breakfast at Fairmont Peace Hotel was served at the Jasmine Lounge, located on the Ground Floor of the hotel, next to the Jazz Bar. I’d say there is quite a good spread of food available during breakfast. For Western options alone, we were spoiled for choice, with a large variety of salads and cold cuts, as well as a wide selection of pastries, in addition to the hot favourites of bacon, eggs, and hash browns. What makes the breakfast served at Jasmine Lounge stand out is the equally large menu of Shanghainese options. We could choose from dim sum, Shanghainese street noodles, pot stickers, and Shanghainese pancakes. The food quality served during breakfast was excellent. Having said that, I did not notice any menu changes throughout my three-night stay at the hotel.

Entrance ot Jasmine Lounge

The breakfast dining area has lots of seatings

The pastry table for breakfast

Western hot food section

Egg station is located at the Western hot food section

There is a good variety of bread served during breakfast

There are lots of options for breakfast at Fairmont Peace Hotel

Soup station during breakfast

Chinese counters, including a made-to-order noodle bar and dim sum

Fruits and freshly squeezed juices for breakfast

Fairmont Gold Lounge

The Fairmont Gold Lounge is located on the 9th floor of the hotel, accessible to suite guests and Accor members with platinum or higher status. The Fairmont Gold Lounge employs an earthy tone, which feels very relaxing, while the chandelier hanging on the ceiling exudes a luxurious vibe. The relaxing feeling was even more pronounced when the lounge was empty most of the time during our visit, contrasting with the bustling scene on East Nanjing Road below. The lounge is dotted with dining tables with four accompanying chairs, creating a great space for guests to relax as a group or for business meetings. There is a part of the lounge that feels more like a living room, with couches placed in front of the TV. There are only a handful of tables that were furnished with sofa seats, allowing guests to chill.

Reception of the Fairmont Gold Lounge

The Fairmont Gold Lounge in Fairmont Peace Hotel

There are plenty of seatings in the Fairmont Gold Lounge

Fairmont Gold Lounge exudes a luxurious vibe

The food section is at the back of the lounge

We were only at the lounge on one occasion (due to spending most of our time exploring Shanghai), and we visited during their evening cocktail hour. The Fairmont Gold Lounge serves hors d’oeuvres during afternoon tea and evening cocktail time in a buffet area at the back of the lounge. Considering the evening cocktail where food is served in bite-size portions, there is a great variety of food available. From cold cuts like smoked tuna, prawns, and octopus to hot food options like fried dumplings, sweet and sour fish, and even a station with smoked duck, to pastries, I thought the variety served during the evening cocktail was quite substantial. Guests are free to help themselves with the variety of spirits and soda.

The food stations in the Fairmont Gold Lounge during evening cocktail

Finger food was available during evening cocktail

Desserts served during evening cocktail at the Fairmont Gold Lounge

Bread and cheese served during evening cocktail

Spirits are self-served during evening cocktail at the Fairmont Gold Lounge

Swimming Pool

The Fairmont Peace Hotel is fitted with an indoor pool located on the 1st floor, accessible via the same entrance as the hotel’s in-house spa, Willow Stream. The pool is a little on the small side, but still allows guests to do some decent laps. The pool is slightly heated, allowing guests to swim comfortably. There is a limited number of poolside chairs available at the pool, which allows only a small number of guests to use the pool at a time. Fortunately, the pool does not seem to be popular with guests at the hotel. During our visit to the pool, there were no other guests present. There is a sauna facility in the changing room.

Fairmont Peace Hotel has a small indoor swimming pool

The entrance to the swimming pool is at the Willow Stream Spa on level 1

There is limited poolside furniture at the swimming pool

Gym

The hotel also has a small gym, located on level 1 in the same area as the Willow Stream spa and the swimming pool. Despite its small size, the gym is well equipped with workout machines for cardio and strength training. For cardio training, guests can work out on the stationary bikes, the three treadmills, and the elliptical machine. The gym is equipped with machines that work out every muscle in the body, including a machine for the abs. On top of these strength training machines, the gym is also equipped with a set of free weights. In addition to the equipment on the main gym floor, the Fairmont Peace Hotel also features a yoga studio for guests to practice yoga. I am not sure if the hotel offers any yoga lessons, as there were no indications that it does.

The gym at Fairmont Peace Hotel

The cardio workout machines in the gym

There are some free weights in the gym of the hotel

Free weight area in the gym

The gym also has a small yoga studio

The strength workout machines in the gym of Fairmont Peace Hotel

Overall

We had a wonderful stay at the iconic Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai. Being located on the Bund, we had a great view of the Pudong skyline, the icon of Shanghai, from our hotel room. The hotel is also well-connected to the rest of the city via the metro, with the nearest station, East Nanjing Road Station, just a 5-minute walk away. The 1-Bedroom Suite is comfortable with sufficient furnishing for us to enjoy the suite without over-cluttering it. The sleep quality on the king bed was excellent, which left us feeling refreshed every single night. The service at the hotel was top-notch, from the moment we arrived to our daily interactions with the staff; everyone made us feel welcome, and nothing seemed too small to bother them.