曼谷索菲特（Sofitel So Bangkok）So Suite Spa

旅館：曼谷索菲特（Sofitel So Bangkok）
地址：2 North Sathorn Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
官網：http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6835-sofitel-so-bangkok/index.shtml
交通方式：搭乘 MRT 至 Lumphini 站下車，飯店就在斜對面

入住房型：訂 So Studio，升等 So Suite Spa
（官網介紹：http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6835-sofitel-so-bangkok/index.shtml#./suites.shtml）
房號：1108
網路：免費有線／無線上網 Free internet access

最初在規劃這次曼谷行的時候，最期待的就是入住 Sofitel So 的行程了。不管是飯店面對 Lumphini Part 的絕佳景觀，大師 Christian Lacroix 操刀設計的風格，還是每間房內都有的 Mac Mini 設備，都讓人非常期待這次入住。


Sofitel So 主打四種不同的設計元素：Earth, Water, Wood, Metal。最初在訂房時看上的是 Water Element 的 So Suite 房型。但下訂後不久便收到飯店回覆，表示因為所有 Water Element 的房型都還在施工中，因此無法入住。So Suite 的另一個元素選項是 Earth，但因為個人私心認為實在是有夠醜，所以選擇低一級的 So Studio 入住，元素則選擇比較大眾的 Wood Element。

When I was planning my trip, reviewing the Sofitel So was definitely the most anticipated part of the entire trip. I was anxiously waiting for its opening ever since the project was announced. Everything about it just sounded so exciting, the front-row view of Lumphini Park, the Mac Mini devices, and the design by Christian Lacroix. I literally cannot wait to stay here.

The hotel has four different design "elements" in their rooms: Earth, Water, Wood, Metal. When I booked the hotel I originally opted for the So Suite with a Water theme. A booking agent quickly replied and told me the Water element rooms were not available because they were still under construction. I did not want to stay in the other option - Earth - as I find it to be quite hideous, so I decided to book the So Studio with a Wood design instead.

飯店門口的工作人員一看到我下車，立刻上前幫忙我處理行李，然後引導我到樓上的大廳進行 check-in。令人激賞的是他們的 check-in 一樣是在座椅區完成，不會讓客人站在櫃台前等候手續完成。另外一坐下就會有負責前台服務的 "Guru" 前來自我介紹，然後奉上一杯迎賓飲料。

在 Check-in 時，我就被告知因為 Wood Element So Studio 已滿，將替我升等為同樣是 Wood Element 的 So Suite Spa。最初當然是很高興地接受了，但直到走進房間之後，才發現這並不是一個非常明智的選擇。

Once I stepped out of the tuk tuk from Banyan Tree, I was quickly greeted and escorted to the upstairs lobby for check-in. The "guru" directed me to a seat, introduced himself, and offered me a welcome drink.

Upon check-in, I was told that they upgraded me to a So Suite Spa because all the "Wood" So Studios were occupied. At this point I gladly accepted the upgrade, but I did not know what I was getting myself into.

大廳非常的明亮寬敞，一整排的落地窗不但引進了陽光，也同樣提供了絕佳的 Lumphini Park 和城市景觀。整體設計對我來說有點太「超過」，但最初準備入住 Sofitel So 的時候，就已經做好被「設計」轟炸的心理準備了。

The lobby was very nice. Full of natural lighting coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and also offering a perfect view of the park and the city skyline. The design was a little out there for my taste, but I was fully prepared for some design overload.

So Suite Spa 位於飯店的 Spa 樓層（11樓）。在11樓的好處就是有樓梯可直接通往位於十樓的無邊際泳池跟健身房，在游泳後可以快速回到房內換洗，不需要跟其他客人搭電梯回到房內。但壞處就是因為 Spa 樓層屬於公共區域，安全性跟隱私性就較差一些。

The So Suite Spa is situated on the Spa floor (11th floor). The nice touch about this floor is that it has a staircase leading directly to the infinity pool and gym on the 10th floor. So you can walk straight back to your room after some workout or a quick dip in the pool. But on the other side, this makes it a public area so be prepared with less security and privacy.

客廳篇 Living Room

對客廳的評語就只有一個「暗」字。而且因為燈光實在過於不足，不管在客廳做什麼事都嫌暗，因此這次幾乎沒有在客廳多做停留，無法再給什麼其他的評價。

FIrst impression of the living room: DARK. There was simply too little lighting to do anything. So I hardly used the living room for anything. Not much comment here.

明亮的臥室和昏暗的客廳對比

The well-lit bedroom and the dark living room

在沙發上試坐了一下，還算舒適

I did try the sofa, and it is quite comfortable

Mini bar

Illy 咖啡機

Illy coffee machine

冰箱內的免費飲料

Complimentary drinks!

寬敞但一樣昏暗的衣櫃空間

Spacious but also dark walk-in closet

臥室篇 Bedroom

臥室大概是這間套房最棒的地方了。床鋪相當寬敞舒適，書桌也是配備齊全，還有搭配 Mac Mini 系統的電視。另外撇開擋在前方的柱子不談，還算有相當好的景觀。

The bedroom is the best part of the suite. A massive, extremely comfortable bed, well-equipped desk, and a TV with the Mac Mini system. Also comes with a great view of the park, if you don't count the column there.

Mac Mini 的鍵盤和遙控器

keyboard and remote control of the Mac Mini

Mac Mini

非常美的房卡

Beautiful key card

從臥室望向客廳

Looking back at the living room

牆上設計

Wall design

夜間開床

Turn down service

浴室篇 Bathroom

既然稱作 So Suite Spa，床內自然是有一張 Spa 床讓房客可以在房間內享受 Spa 服務。但對於我這種不做 Spa 的人來說，不過就是擺張床在那邊浪費空間罷了。

Well, it is called the So Suite Spa, so naturally it's designed so you can get your spa service right in your room. But to people who doesn't like spas (me), it's just an extra bed that takes away most of the space in the bathroom.

廁間 toilet

淋浴間 shower room (w/ rain shower)

備品 amenities

男士備品組

men's amenities kit

女士備品組

women's amenities kit

看到這裡，應該很多人想問浴缸跑哪去了吧？沒錯，浴缸就在浴室外面的陽台上！對於這樣的設計，其實目前的評價相當兩極。一方面一邊泡澡一邊享受夜景絕對是個相當夢幻的經驗。但是同樣的就會缺乏隱私（還有空調）。

At this point you're probably wondering where the bath tub is. Yes, it's OUTSIDE on the balcony. This feature is receiving both positive and negative comments. The good thing about it is having a dream experience of taking a bath with the breathtaking view. The bad side: lack of privacy (and air-conditioning).

我個人並不是非常喜歡這樣的設計，因為真的太缺乏隱私了。房間的陽台其實距離泳池非常的接近，所以其實在泳池可以看到陽台上的一切。如果真的在陽台上泡澡，是絕對會被泳池的客人們看光光的。

即便是房間內的情況，在泳池也是看得一清二楚。雖然說飯店工作人員再三保證所有的窗戶都有做過防窺處理，無法從外面看到裡面。但在親自到泳池走了一趟之後，我就發現在泳池確實可以看到臥室內的每個角落，這點飯店真的應該好好改善。

Personally, not a huge fan of this feature. My considerations are mostly based on privacy. As you can see from the next picture, the room itself was quite close to the pool area. So pretty much everything is visible from the pool. There will be completely NOTHING separating you and the pool guests. 

Even the room itself was quite visible from the pool as well. I was told by the hotel staff that the windows are all tinted. Well, after a visit of the pool and having a peek at my room. Their words are incorrect. I can see pretty much everything in my bedroom.

從陽台可以直接看到泳池（反之亦然）

Great view of the pool from the balcony (and vice versa)

頂級景觀無邊際泳池 Infinity Pool

無邊際泳池毫無疑問地是 Sofitel So 最重要的設施，我想這些照片就已經證明這件事情了。

The infinity pool is the best feature of Sofitel So. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves here.

飯店常常在泳池邊舉辦泳池派對。建議大家可以在入住前先到旅館的網頁或是 facebook 查詢，看看自己入住期間有什麼活動。

The hotel often host pool parties here. So make sure to check their calendar or check out their facebook to see if there are any events during your stay.

夜間雞尾酒 Evening Cocktail

因為飯店還在施工中的關係，Club Signature 貴賓廳還無法供套房房客使用。為此旅館特地改在飯店大廳設立夜間雞尾酒的服務。

但其實這是一個非常糟糕的決定。因為大廳人群非常混雜，不但沒有貴賓廳該有的寧靜和專屬感，工作人員也很難分別到底誰是一般旅客，誰又是 Club Signature 的房客。而且在食物上的選擇也非常少，只有少數幾樣點心可以取用，而且在房客們拿完之後也沒有再補充。雖然有可以另外單點的菜單，但我卻被告知廚房人手不足，準備餐點需要半小時的時間。整體而前夜間雞尾酒服務非常讓人失望。但我相信在旅館完全完工之後，應該會有所改進。

Due to the ongoing construction of the hotel. The Club Signature access that was supposed to be offered to Suite guests were unavailable. Instead they set up the evening cocktail service in the hotel lobby.

This was not a good arrangement, because it's quite difficult for the staff to tell who's their club guest, and there's no sense of exclusivity or tranquility at all. Plus the selection of food was minimal. There's hardly anything there; and no re-stocks after the trays were emptied. There's a small a la carte menu, but I was told that the kitchen was short-staffed and needed half an hour to prepare the orders. The cocktail service was a complete disappointment. But I'm sure this will be improved once the construction is finished.

Red Oven 早餐 Breakfast @ Red Oven

關於早餐，我只想說他們的法式土司實在是太美味了！！除了讚嘆之外無法有任何反應。Red Oven 提供的其他食物選擇也都非常好吃。他們還有現打的果汁櫃檯，讓客人直接點自己想要的現打果汁。人生至此，已經了無遺憾了啊！

Let me just say their french toasts blew my mind away. Simply delicious. The rest of the breakfast selection in Red Oven was also perfect. They even have a fresh juice station, and you can order a wide range of freshly-squeezed juice of your choice. What else can one ask for?

早餐之後，我就跟飯店預約了前往機場的接駁服務。雖然說價格稍高，但實在是不想要在大熱天拖著行李去搭機場捷運，希望能好好休息一下。過去自己在曼谷搭計程車的經驗也不是很好，所以決定還是搭飯店的車比較保險。比起其他曼谷的五星級飯店接駁要價 2500 泰銖以上，Sofitel So 接駁服務僅要價 2000 泰銖，還算是比較平易近人一些。

後來事實證明這真的是一個不錯的選擇。飯店不但提供 BMW 豪華轎車，車內還提供不少飲料跟他們著名的 Chocolab 點心可以選擇。而且到了機場之後，還有飯店工作人員招呼，並親自護送我完成報到、海關跟安檢程序。讓人覺得每一分錢都花得非常值得！

After breakfast, I ordered a hotel limousine transfer to the airport. Just to avoid dragging my luggage all the way to the airport link and to relax on my last hours in Bangkok. My previous experiences of taking a taxi by myself in Bangkok was not that pleasant as well. So booking a hotel transfer seems to be a reasonable choice. The hotel offers a acceptable price (2000 Baht) for airport transfers compared to other five star hotels in BKK (2500 Baht or more).

It turned out to be a great decision. Not only was I offered a BMW sedan and various drinks and snacks from their famous Chocolab on board. There's also a hotel staff who greeted me at the airport and personally walked me all the way through check-in, immigration, and security. Now that's how it's supposed to be done!

飯店外觀 hotel exterior

儘管有幾個差強人意的地方。Sofitel So 還是個值得一試的地方。那邊的景觀和無邊際泳池決定是曼谷其他飯店無法匹敵的。我也相信服務在飯店完工後一陣子應該會有所改善。畢竟這還是一間新飯店，所有工作人員都需要一段時間才能熟悉業務運作。所以如果想要在 2013 年造訪（飯店會在 2012 下半年完工），仍然是一個不錯的選擇。

Despite its several flaws, I think the Sofitel So is still a great place to be. The view and the pool of the hotel is unrivaled in Bangkok. And I'm sure the service will improve after some time, and after the hotel finishes its construction. After all, it's still a new hotel and I understand they need some time to adapt and get familiarized with the operations. I'll give a thumbs up to anyone who's planning to stay there in 2013, after the hotel is fully completed.