I stay at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit three or four times a year, although the Westin Grande Sukhumvit across the street is a newer hotel (that's another fine hotel) and it is less centralized than the Intercontinental or the Hyatt (at Chitlom), because the staff remember me and I always get a genuinely warm welcome.

At the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (there is another Royal Orchid Sheraton on the riverside), I always get a quiet corner room; checking in or out is always a breeze, and I never need to wait for a taxi if I need one. The Asok skytrain station is just outside the hotel so it takes only five minutes to reach Ploenchit office area two stations away. The hotel has a small but efficient business centre, and its location next to the BTS skytrain station and five minutes walk from the Sukhumvit MRT light rail station, making it easy to reach all the upmarket and downmarket shopping areas in Bangkok.

I love my spacious corner room overlooking Sukhumvit Road and the Klong Toey district. It has a king bed, a huge desk, a comfy armchair and a TV that can be viewed from the bathroom if you leave the door open. It is nice to have towels, toiletries and the fruit platter replenished twice a day, and to be greeted by cheerful but unobtrusive room attendants along the corridors.

The hotel has a tropical themed pool area and three international buffets daily. I am a fan of the fine thai cuisine at Basil, and when time permits, I do enjoy the cooked-to-order breakfast at Rossini's - the Italian restaurant next to Basil on level 2. There is live music at Riva's, and a Jim Thompson shop, both on the lower ground floor, which leads to the busy Sukhumvit Road - one of Bangkok's major shopping and commercial thoroughfares.

The Boots Pharmacy in Times Square next to the hotel sells bottled water and snacks in addition to the usual house-brand and imported toiletries. Across the street is the night market and a local department store with a Tops supermarket at its basement. There is also a small shop next to the supermarket that offers hour-long foot massages and your choice of a non-alcoholic beverage for a song.

New hotels appear in Bangkok every year and I like to check these out whenever they dangle irresistable promotional or introductory rates. But I pick the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit whenever I need to spend three or more nights in Bangkok because it is here that I am made to feel truly at home.

I stayed at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok from June 27th to June 29th 2008. I have been to Bangkok a few times before and I have stayed at places like Lebua, Rembrandt, Majestic, Dusit Thani etc so I feel that I do have some experience when it comes to Bangkok hotels. The purpose of this visit was just rest and relaxation.

We arrived at the hotel in the evening and I was assigned to room 2007 on the 20th floor. The service was good upon arrival by the way…they helped us with our suitcases and it was sent to my room a few minutes after I had gotten there. When I came to my room and opened the door the room was bigger than expected. First of all there was a small hall with tiles before you got into the actual room which had carpet on the floor.

The bed was huge and had lots of big pillows. The bed was also very comfortable and I slept like a baby while I was there. The room also contained a small chair for relaxing, a work desk with two chairs, a big flat screen TV on the wall in front of the bed (with a DVD player) and a small mini bar. Unfortunately the hotel does not offer free Internet access but as we were done with our business I as able to get by without this. BUT I have to say that I would like to see free Internet at every hotel I stay at.

The room had a separate wardrobe room with space for the suitcase, there were lots of hangers and there was also a big safe with room for the laptop…quite clever :-) The bathroom was big but pretty old fashion in style…and the greenish tiles are not very pretty in my opinion. But it was a very nice layout and it contained a bathtub, a big shower corner and lots of huge towels  Around the sink I found amenities heaven by the way…it included everything that you normally find but also toothbrush, shaving kit, talcum powder, mouth wash etc…simply impressive.

The pool area at the Sheraton is quite nice. It is not just a big pool with lots of chairs around it…instead it is a pool with lots of plants and vegetation…I guess you get a feeling of swimming in the jungle. And it you have a tender skin like me it is also easy to find some shade. The health club looked OK and I never did get to test out the SPA so I can’t comment on that.

We ate at the hotel a couple of times. First of all I have to mention the breakfast that was more or less out of this world. If you can’t find what you like in this buffet, you must have a very special taste. I normally just have muesli for breakfast but this buffet made me break all the rules :-) One of the most spectacular “show of” pieces in the buffet was the bee hive frame that was setup so that the honey could drip down in a bowl…how creative is that? :-)

We also had a buffet there one night and I think it was about 1500 THB (45 USD). But for this we got access to all sorts of good stuff and it was hard to decide where to start. I had parma ham, caprese salad, Parmesan cheese etc for starter. For main there was a wide selection of meat, fish, prawns, sushi, oysters etc. The dessert table include so much good stuff and they even had a chocolate fountain…I don’t think I have ever seen that before…apart from in Charlie and the chocolate factory maybe.

The location of the hotel is quite good. It is located on the busy Sukhumvit road and just by the Asok skytrain station. In fact you access the BTS skytrain directly from the hotel. In this intersection you can also take the subway so getting around is not a problem.

Conclusion
We got a special deal at the hotel and we paid about 4000 THB (about 120 USD) plus taxes. It did not include breakfast but it was still a pretty good hotel. This hotel offered a very comfortable stay and the service was great. The room itself was huge and even if I do like the modern style better, this room was not bad at all. The location next to the Asok skytrain station makes it easy to get to Siam within minutes. The only thing I can’t think of that is a set back is the lack of complimentary Internet access. When that is in place this will be the perfect place to stay if you are taking a short break in Bangkok.

Very friendly and helpful staff throughout the hotel. The room was enormous, with a nice view over Bangkok. There were some very nice touches such as a fresh fruit plate in the room on check-in.

The hotel is right by the subway and elevated tram, so it's very easy to get around using public transportation.

Friendly, professional, helpful, courteous staff. Impeccable 5 star service but with a warm, personal touch. Lovely, clean, quiet rooms with comfy beds. Great location with a Skytrain station at your door - you can be almost anywhere in a matter of minutes. Stunning, tranquil pool area. Mind boggling buffet breakfast and great food at the restaurants - we used our Starwood Privilege card to dine, which made it very affordable. We didn't use the spa or fitness centre - too busy eating, drinking and seeing the sites of vibrant Bangkok - but they certainly looked impressive.

A fabulous hotel. We really enjoyed our stay and definitely hope to return one day.