Comfort Zone

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Are you stressed out; weary of all your responsibilities, and in dire need of a break from the tedium of your work life? Want to get away, but not go away? Well, then, the answer to your worries may be found right here in Bangkok on Rajadamri Road. Check into a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. By the time you leave you will be feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated that the worries of your work life will no longer seem insurmountable.

Getting to or from any holiday destination in Thailand take can at least three hours both ways; that’s wasting six hours of your precious weekend time. So why not put that time to better use by pampering yourself and partner at the Four Seasons? The key to this rejuvenation package is turning your phone off and not checking your email. If you can do that without totally messing up your life, you are sure to enjoy the amenities and comforts the hotel has on offer. And you don’t even have to leave the hotel while you are there, it has everything you need.

Upon checking in, why not kick back and soak in the tub for a while, and read your favourite publication. Then relax on the comfy triple bed while watching the news, or some of your favourite programs or movies on the 42-inch plasma screen TV.

When you are ready to go for lunch, check out Biscotti. Designed by New York-based architect and designer Tony Chi, this is a contemporary Italian restaurant with an open-air kitchen. The pastas and pizzas that Chef Giovanni Speciale creates are so good that you’ll be expecting those who serve you to be speaking Italian by meal’s end.

For dinner, try Madison, a Manhattan style steakhouse where Chef Nicolas Schneller serves up excellent charcoal-grilled Kobe, Australian and Argentinean beef. You can also savour some fine Andaman seafood including lobster, jumbo king prawns, sea bass and Scottish salmon. And there’s grilled “milk fed” veal chops, lamb chops and chicken and “grass fed” prime beef as well as barbequed pork ribs, all served with a wide selection of delicious sauces. A number of tasty desserts finish off the deal all complemented by an extensive wine list, Cognac or Armagnac. The restaurant also offers the largest single malt whisky selection in Thailand.

For breakfast the next day, stay in bed and order from an exquisite room service menu. Read the paper and if you have a suite facing the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, watch the horse races, or even the Skytrain quietly whiz by your window in Blade Runneresque fashion.

Every Sunday from 11:30am to 3:00pm, Madison, the Spice Market and the Aqua Bar, all situated close to one another in the hotel’s Parichart Court, play host to a fabulous brunch. The aforementioned eateries plus Shintaro, the hotel’s Japanese eatery and Biscotti tempt guests with an enticing variety of signature dishes (including four types of cooking foie de gras), which are on offer at a number of live cooking stations. There’s also a wide variety of cheeses, New Zealand jumbo oyster, fish roe, shabu shabu and freshwater crayfish.

The hotel’s Health Club & Spa are state-of-the-art with a wide range of equipment featuring Life Fitness Treadmills to Life Steps, Life Cycles, Cybex Bikes, Spin Bikes, Life Rowers, Cybex Strength Machines, Cardio-TV with individual headsets and even iPods to work out to. There’s a steam room and Jacuzzi in each changing room and Thai Traditional Massage, Aromatic Massage, Oriental Massage and Wild Mint Foot Massage are available from specially trained masseuses.

Regional Vice-President and General Manager Patrick Ghielmetti oversees the smooth running of the Bangkok Four Seasons. The Swiss-born Ghielmetti is no stranger to the hotel chain’s culture, as he was previously the GM at the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, which was recently ranked as the second best resort spa in all of Asia by Travel and Leisure magazine. And the Four Seasons Bangkok, itself, recently received a perfect score of 100% for service in a Conde Nast readers’ survey.

When the hotel was known as the Regent, Canadian Bill Black was it’s General Manager and he was one of the most well-respected and well-loved hoteliers in Bangkok history. During his tenure, Black sponsored many initiatives including helping found the Thai Business Coalition Against Aids (TBCA), a group set up to help those suffering from the disease, spread awareness and fight job discrimination.

The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts (www.fourseasons.com) is a Canadian chain, founded by Isadore Sharp, who opened his first hotel in 1961 on Jarvis Street across from the old CBC headquarters. Sharp, who lost his youngest son, Christopher, to cancer, has played a huge role in spreading the success of the Terry Fox Run, and this year the Four Season’s in Bangkok staged its 11^th Terry Fox Run (the run itself started in 1981). Among the many honours Sharp has won over the years is the Financial Post Magazine’s “CEO of the Year” in 1992, an honour that was bestowed upon him by Canada’s Governor General.

Also, if there is still some space, would you mind adding in a mention of our other restaurants, i.e., Shintaro, Spice Market, Lobby which is another dining outlet serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper.   Dine and wine to the sounds of 4-Tissimo, a four piece acoustic and harmonic vocal group.   Likewise, if you could add in _Mocha & Muffins, our bakery where we sell home-made cakes, pastries, chocolates, delicatessen such as bacon, ham, etc. and ice creams.  Hampers for various occasions and prepared to your specifications.  And don't forget a mention of our annual World Gourmet Festival.

(Ed note: The Four Seasons Bangkok is now called Anantara Siam Bangkok).