No shame in being bookish @ the Zetter Townhouse (Image by Jefferson Smith)
The hotel: The 13-room Zetter Townhouse offers cosy digs with a ‘my great aunt lived in India’ club-house feel; it opens onto the pleasing St John’s Square in Clerkenwell, just across from the original Zetter Hotel.
Rm. 4 suggests you lie back & think of Cool Britannia: but its stumpy four-poster is not recommended for long-legged lovers. (Image by Jefferson Smith)
The neighbourhood: The ye olde neighbourhood of Clerkenwell could be described as ‘hidden in plain view’. While even Londoners struggle to locate it, it could hardly be more central; it is walking distance to Shoreditch, Barbican, Convent Garden, Soho, and Islington. Nearby cultural institutions include the Tate Modern, the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells dance theatre. The closest tube (Farringdon) is just one station from Kings Cross St Pancras. The neighbourhood is peppered with creative businesses, the odd residential loft conversion and the remains of the old city walls. It has more than its fair share of tasty eating options nearby in Exmouth Market and the historic meat market at Smithfields.
Hello Kitty: Yes, it seems the in-house cat is quite stuffed (Image by HWL)
The vibe: Club house meets country house in a distinctly English (read eccentric) vein. The fit-out is the product of months of trawling through action houses and estate sales for club lounges, bric-a-brac, circus off-casts and oddities, such as a stuffed kangaroo for the dining room. (Begetting the question: why doesn’t everybody have one?) Continue reading →
One of the joys of travel is stumbling upon a special place to stay that defies the status quo, yet is traditional and remains loyal to its origins. These rare gems become a destination in themselves. Such is Bangkok’s Atlanta Hotel.
The neighborhood: Nestled at the end of the long and uneventful Soi 2 off Sukhumvit Road, the Atlanta is an oasis in the concrete jungle of Bangkok. Its sense of refuge is remarkable, despite being only a few minutes walk from the red lights of Soi Nana, 10 minutes away from the bustling Arab quarter and 15 minutes from some of Asia’s best shopping malls.
The hosts: The Atlanta has an intriguing history, founded by German Dr Max Henn in the 1950s who converted the hotel from his pharmaceutical factory. These days the hotel and its philosophy are the product of Max’s reverent son Dr Charles Henn, who you may catch a glimpse of if he’s not abroad pursuing his academic career.
The hotel: If you’re after a hotel with an impressive facade, this place isn’t for you. The Atlanta’s dull, non-descript exterior works to repel those with an inclination towards the conspicuous. Says the welcome sign: ‘This is the place you are looking for, if you know it. If you don’t, you’ll never find it.’ (This sign is accompanied by another to repel the licentious: ‘Sex Tourists Not Welcome’.)
Dasch it! Lobby, ornamental hound, Siam staircase @ Atlanta Hotel, Bangkok. (Images by Carly Hammond)
However for those who do ‘know it’, a feast for the senses begins through the front doors. The hotel’s iconic lobby transports guests back in time with its art deco grandeur and class. It is complemented by other charming features not least the guest’s writing room, ornate winding staircase and original swimming pool, making the hotel very popular with – in the Atlanta’s own words – ‘cultured occidentals’ and ‘innocuous eccentrics’.
In fact, eccentricity defines the Atlanta with its numerous claims to fame (most photographed hotel lobby and home to one of Thailand’s oldest travel agencies are just the beginning), uncompromising moral proclamations and annotated restaurant menu that reads more like a PhD.
Jazz age lobby, Hotel Atlanta, Bangkok (Image by Carly Hammond)
Yes epicureans, no description of the Atlanta would be complete without acknowledgement of its fine restaurant, open only to hotel clientele, and offering an extensive array of quality Thai food and more-than-adequate western favourites (note to readers: when in Rome, please…). The relaxed yet refined old-world ambience is made complete with the playing of classical music or jazz music composed by HH the King of Thailand. (Kingly jazz video here.)
The room:We live in an imperfect world, and serious hotel-buffs may encounter disappointment with the Atlanta’s basic, functional rooms, unless they manage to score one of the more coveted first-floor suites. However the rooms are all clean and, with a basic bathroom and cooling that works, are perhaps the reason the Atlanta remains one of South East Asia’s best value hotels.
What we love: With its inimitable style and reliable features, the Atlanta Hotel is a home away from home for many an intrepid soul. It provides romantic splendour with a dash of ‘mai pen rai’, and offers the perfect antidote to a big day out in the steamy megalopolis. Indeed, where else in Bangkok will you receive a complimentary fruit shake at check-in, have a porter lug your bags up four storeys of stairs and get to laze by a pool ALL for the price of a music CD?
Tips: While The Atlanta offers free wireless internet for guests, its own booking services remain in the last century, with fax the preferred communications medium. Given the hotel typically books out weeks in advance, we highly recommend confirming bookings a couple of times including a day or so before arrival.
Tariffs: Prices ranges from 1700 baht (US$56) for an air-conditioned family suite, sleeping four people to 500 baht (US$17) for a basic fan-cooled room for one. As another small sign in the reception area states ‘Complaints are not permitted – not at the prices we charge’.
Suggested lullaby for this hotel:The Very Thought of You by Billie Holiday.
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Contact Info: The Atlanta Hotel, Bangkok. For bookings: fax (yes, it’s back to the future via the 80′s): +66 2 656 8123 or +66 2 656 8124.
Alternatives: In the event that you think The Atlanta is just a little too weird or their rooms not sufficiently salubrious, alternative hotels in Bangkok include: the charming and eclectic Phranakorn Nornlen which has a lovely garden and grows its own organic veggies; the modestly priced but very cute Seven, a six room art hotel by a cool 30-something Thai (the seventh room is a communal space); cosy, ‘an-teaky’, elegant and a bit more grown up is the Old Bangkok Inn with good green credentials; the tiny three-room Ibrik Resort takes you out of the concrete jungle to the breezes of the Chao Phraya river (order a Singha and watch the world float by); finally The Eugenia is insanely beautiful, your address for exotic nostalgia (wear a linen suit, carry a vintage camera and look enigmatic). All are popular, so book ahead!
Carly: writer, global citizen
Carly Hammond is a Melbourne-based communications and community engagement specialist working with environmental and international development organisations. She has written for various publishers and websites including Lonely Planet, and lived in Thailand, Kenya and Belgium. In her spare time, she blogs at The Other: Dispatches from Humanity, discussing migration, multiculturalism and human rights.
This is a brilliant B & B set is within easy walking distance to the Royal District, Old Centre and EU area, but away from the touristic hoards. (Is there anything more absurd then camera wielding hordes jostling for position around the city’s unlikely icon ‘Manneken Pis’? This sight alone should fast-track you into the Belgian sense of humour. But we digress…) Walking the streets of a new city it’s hard not to peek into living room windows and wonder how your life could be if only… Set in an 1883 townhouse crammed with original details this B&B gives you a look behind closed doors in a truly inspiring way.
the romantic blue room
Each room has a theme and is decorated with eclectic but skilfully chosen bric-a-brac – including personal treasures gleaned from host Karin’s own extensive travels. Our pick of the bunch is the blue room with private terrace and Japanese style bathroom. The Mezzanine and Office room (with shared facilities) are also charming. We’d steer clear of the Brown room and its somewhat unusual bathroom arrangements.
Phileas Fogg: your open sesame in Brussels
This place is the ultimate antidote to the characterless and sterile hotel. As Karin says on her website: “We might not be the best, nor the most strictly organised, but certainly the warmest welcome of Brussels, and the quirkiest designs, is what you will find here.”
We couldn’t agree more, yes, there’s a certain level of family chaos and you get the impression that dusting is sometimes rushed over in favour of more enthralling activities, such as importing tango shoes from Argentina…(yes, Karin has many interests!). But ultimately, we find it difficult to fault these priorities…This is the most atmospheric address in Brussels.
mandarine room @ phileas fogg
Pluses: Karin speaks seven languages fluently (English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian). Rooms and mini-flats are available for longer-term rental.
Our Tips: early morning evacuees should avoid the school run rush by settling their accounts the evening before. Be aware there are two friendly but large dogs on site. Late night arrivals can kickstart their Brussels experience at the nearbyLe Perroquet(31 Rue Watteeu, Sablon) an art nouveau beer hall/bistro with a glass of the local ‘half and half’ and a serve of moules frites.
Nightly Rates: €130/150 (single/double) 10% discount during low-season Info & Bookings: Please tell Karin we sent you!
Visiting NYC is a little like being plugged into an electric current but, the Jane’s in-house hotel manager (a laid-back Australian) brings a chilled vibe to this hipster haven with a budget price-tag and salty seadog roots. Wedged between the Chelsea art district the Highline and the revamped cycle path along the Hudson, The Jane hotel once housed survivors from the Titanic before morphing into a flophouse. Today it provides shelter to both hotel visitors and long-term residents and is pitched at those with short pockets and a tolerance of eccentricity.
