In Bangkok I thought I'd find adventure, chaos, loud noise and bold colors. I did find all of those things but I also found a flat out vacation. Reading-books-by-the-pool-for-hours vacation. Like I haven't done since I was 15 next to the unserviced "jacuzzi" we inherited from the last owners of our house, reading Harry Potter for the 14th time because I was on-call for the odd life or death "retail emergency" at the local mall. Those hours were needed and so was the lack of obligation. Some will say I didn't do Bangkok right and that's fine, I ventured into the bowels of the city daily and I plan to go back - but I wanted to share this gem that gave me the rest I didn't know I was craving.

Staying in this building was like staying in a luxury hotel. I didn't plan ahead when I went to Bangkok - booked the flight literally six days prior. Once I stayed here I wished I had booked this apartment for the entire trip. Good news is, there are tons of buildings like this and there were several apartments in the building that were available to book, so I got a few more chances.

Full disclosure, if you're looking to pay $12 a night for a bed, this post is likely not going to have much to offer you. There are plenty of great hostels in Bangkok that are affordable, but if you've got some cash money to spend you can get so much Bang(kok) for your buck compared to many other cities. The apartments in this high-rise range from around $45-75 per night, weekends are more expensive, weekdays are less expensive. Even in Bangkok a lot of "go-to" hotels are $200-400 per night.

I booked three different apartments in this building but this was the nicest by far. Marble fixtures and walls, corner window bedroom, impeccably clean throughput and nice touches like a pair of slippers left by the host. The building is in the Suhkumvit area which was recommended to me by a friend. It's a popular expat haunt and I met people of all nationalities during my stay.

The notorious Soi Cowboy is located at the foot of the building, - didn't stop in anywhere but there's always next time. ;) At the end of the road across from the BTS station there is a man doing INCREDIBLE fried chicken from his street cart. The turnover is very high so you know the meat is freshly fried and it will only run you 20 Baht (0.60 USD). You might not know that I've been susceptible to some horrific food poisoning so I'm always safe about food to ensure I don't ruin my whole trip - but don't get me wrong, I LOVE trying food. Looking for street stands with high turnover in general is good practice when traveling in territories with a cuisine you might not be familiar with. Of course I chose to try the treat that likely transcends all cuisines and cultures - good old fried chicken.

While the bottom of the building has it's perks, the rooftops (yes that's an "s" for multiple rooftops) transport you to another world. High above Bangkok, revel in sunshine and the skyline. Like I said - I didn't expect to find such a restful, relaxing space at an affordable price. The infinity pool on the 27th floor has a 180 degree view of the city sprawl. There are lounge chairs in the shallow portion of the pool and many comfy oversized patio sets if you'd prefer not to lounge. The sun doesn't shine on this side of the building until about 2PM so if you're trying to soak in that Vitamin D use the morning to explore the city (cooler temps makes happy tourists). 

The second rooftop is all the way up. 360 degree views of Bangkok on a beautiful garden deck, with a glass-enclosed air conditioned library in the middle. We went up one evening with some wine and snacks and sat overlooking the magical city lights.  As some of you may know, I'm a drone photographer and sadly at the moment drones are not allowed in Thailand. It was really nice to be able to get the vantage point from this rooftop with so much access to different angles and views. It made up for the fact that I couldn't fly and I was able to get some amazing shots (one of which was published by Thrillist!)

By now I'm sure you're wondering where the heck the link for this place is - so here are three!

The unit featured in this article can be found here.

There are two other units I stayed in, very clean, a bit more basic and depending on the day maybe lower in price. Here's one and here's the other.

Thanks for reading! If you like, please share with friends, family, coworkers or anyone needs a bit of affordable R&R!