You can’t always explain why some places feel like home. For us, the Royalview Resort in Bangkok is one of the least likely of them – an almost unnoticeable hotel on a small soi whose rooms are average size and certainly not Hilton in feel. Yet there’s a charm that pervades the Royalview that has had us returning since our first visit in February 2011.
The staff, despite whatever amount of turnover there seems to be over the years is exceedingly friendly and helpful. The buffet breakfast is not the best anyone has ever had, but it’s really good and has a great diversity of Western and Asian selections with unerringly fantastic fruit. The rooms have wood parquet floors – which is unusual for a hotel, but cheery. The rooms always have nice big windows and a lot of light. The light yellows and use of simple, warm tones give a positive feel. The beds are very comfortable. And while small, the bathrooms are clean with great water pressure and hot water (in a country where you can’t take these things for granted). And now in the kid era, the porter service is a major plus – they always grab our bags from the taxi or shuttle bus, bring them in and deliver to our room – and vice versa without a word and to quote Dr Seuss, “with great speedy speed.”
As a result, we are always delighted to show up at the Royalview – even if just for a night. In fact, we asked ourselves if there was any way we could make Royalview work for eight days instead of an Airbnb condo. The setup just didn’t make sense – but we acceded to our circumstances with great regret.
Luckily, yesterday afternoon after arriving back in Bangkok and seeing Matheus off to his flight home to Los Angeles, we found ourselves walking into the Royalview, where we were greeted with welcome drinks, snacks and cold, scented washcloths. We sat at a table where the check-in came to us as we sipped our drinks and they took our order for the complimentary beverages we would like sent to our rooms later. Our bags zipped through the lobby and in not time at all, we found ourselves in our rooms – one a suite – with bags and drinks in tow.
More than the condo we inhabited two weeks prior, it felt like we had come home.
We knew we didn’t want or need a late night, so we walked down the soi we knew so well to the main street where we knew we could find some great street food. At metal fold-out tables and plastic chairs on a sidewalk we dined on a feast of street food – spicy papaya salad, sticky rice, noodle soup, barbecue chicken, Thai fried chicken, seafood fried rice and fresh cut baby pineapple. A perfect final Bangkok dinner.
And what could cap off a perfect Bangkok dinner? Some perfect Thai massage – which is available at a very affordable massage parlor on the ground floor of our hotel. After bathing and putting the kids to bed, Emily and I traded turns getting two-hour massages and enjoying simply going up the elevator, to bed.
The night was not as great for Sennen who fell out of his bed at 1:30 am and split his lip. But after some hugs and clean-up, he slept through the night and awoke happy and wanting to watch the street life below – and the park visible across the soi. He spent 45 minutes watching Bangkok at the window while I dozed and got dressed. Ailyn too woke wanting to look out the window – and then play with her brother as they talked about all they saw, including Sennen’s adamant belief that the squirrels in the park were mongooses.
Beyond the celebrated breakfast buffet where warm Chinese soymilk and French toast intermingled, we spent our last Thailand day at none other than the Paragon Siam Mall, largely to check two final items off the list: a movie at the first class, luxury cinema for me and foie gras sushi for Emily. Because Mary Poppins Returnswasn’t playing in the luxury theaters, Emily and the kids went to one of the “normal” (and still very nice) theaters at the same cinema – and I proceeded to watch about two-thirds of Bumblebee just to have the experience of the luxury lounge, the refreshment set, the box seats that recline fully into a bed, the satin blankets and pillows and the automated, self-cleaning private restrooms that go with the first-class ticket. I didn’t need the movie to be good – or even to finish to get what I wanted out of the experience. Even the most luxury of American theaters – Cineopolis, iPic, etc have nothing on Bangkok’s first-class movie experience.
One of my favorite aspects of seeing a movie in Thailand, is when before the movie starts, the audience stands for the King's Anthem as a montage celebrating him is played. The montages for the late, great Bhumibol Adulyadej, titled Rama IX, were powerful and showed how much the Thai people loved their king. The song struck a note of true pride among Thai movie goers and while the montages could be a little over-the-top, the people's adoration for their king was real. The photos in the montages displayed the numerous times the King traveled his land, seeing the facts for himself, talking with everyday people, supporting them – in deed and spirit. His 70 year reign was indeed a time of great growth and change for Thailand and many regard him as the moderating force that kept Thailand moving forward despite turbulent politics – sometimes as a democracy and other times not. The King always hoped to see his Kingdom a true, thriving democracy – and sadly didn't end his life with that dream realized.
The Thai people have watched the life of the former Crown Prince, now King – Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, Rama X – with trepidation. Like Prince Charles of England, he spent his entire life in the public eye – with many opportunities to become tabloid fodder. Many hoped that the Rama IX might take advantage of changes in succession laws to pass the crown to his eldest daughter. But he did not break the tradition of passing the crown to the eldest male (who in this case is also the eldest child) and so an unpopular Crown Prince became King without the adoration his father enjoyed.
The King's Athem montage told an interesting story. The photos emphasized the new King's military service – but more substantially, that he was always right there, next to his parents. We just didn't notice him. Tons of photos of the new king, standing behind, next to and in the general proximity of his parents made up most of the visuals. The message: he learned from the best, so it'll be okay. Not the same as the photos of people in the streets, thrilled to have their sovereign in their town or village. Maybe it will change. Or not. I'll look forward to seeing how the montages progress.
By the time we saw late morning movies, got some lunch and walked around, it was time to head back to our hotel to grab our bags and meet our shuttle van driver. In the taxi on the way to the hotel, Sennen said, “Before we leave Thailand, I just want to say that I had the best time with everyone on this great Thailand vacation.” He has enjoyed so much and been so appreciative throughout the trip.
Ailyn took the opportunity to tell us, “And before we leave Thailand, I just want to say that I saw a taxi that has NO COLOR.”
While Ailyn’s statement led to some provocative conversation with her brother, Sennen’s statement summed up how we all felt. Thailand 2018 was a great trip. We missed Jesper and Arielle – trip-mates from years past. But we enjoyed the trip with Matheus. Some places and things were familiar – giving the kids some grounding. Others – like Khao Lak – were new for all of us. I don’t think anyone is dying to go home and resume life as usual, but the trip has felt long and full. No one is going home disappointed.
Bangkok is a city I’m always happy to see and never sad to leave – which makes the going easier. Once through the airport and having dined, we boarded the first of our flights home – the quick leg to Singapore. Unfortunately, due to Tropical Storm Pabuk which is pushing through most of Southern Thailand, we faced our bumpiest flight during which Emily got brutal motion sickness, barf bag at the ready. Sennen sitting next to her was oblivious, watching a movie and laughing his head off while his mom looked like death warmed over.
Luckily, we made it to Singapore, without any embarrassing incidents and to our transit hotel rooms. A brief sleep and we board the plane that will take us home.
