Bangkok Reopens (Did it Ever Close?): SIN-BKK-SIN on TG A350/787 Y

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

Traffic from the airport to the Grand Hyatt wasn't too bad...



The hotel was very centrally located in Bangkok, very close to malls like CentralWorld, and the Chit Lom BTS station...



RIght next to the hotel was the famous Erawan Shrine, which seemed to be busy at all hours of the day...



This was a large hotel with beautiful public areas...

[yflyer]

My room was beautifully styled...



...with an Octagonal glass table...



...and LCD TV...



Wardrobe by the entrance...



Very tasteful design touches...



Bathrobe in the closet, along with an iron, and a generous number of hangers...

[yflyer]

The bathroom was lovely...



Red lacquer accessories...



Bathtub...



Separate shower stall...



Toiletries by Balmain...



...and Savoir Faire...

[yflyer]

The hotel had a very tempting looking outdoor pool...



I never got to swim in it.

But on one of my free evenings, I did go to the large, well equipped gym...



...for a short treadmill run...

[yflyer]

F&B at the Grand Hyatt was superb.

For breakfast, there was a very impressive buffet comprising both Western and Asian/Thai selections, including eggs cooked to order...



My omelette, with onion, green chilli, coriander and cheese, was done to perfection, still running on the inside...



Breakfast noodles were also cooked to order...delicious!



During my stay, I also couldn't resist ordering room service Pad Thai, washed down with local Singha beer -- a great combo...



It came with a full set of condiments...



Quite delicious!



On another occasion, I ordered the Khao Soi Gai (OK I have a weakness for room service dining!)...



...which also hit the spot!

[yflyer]

My business conference was at the nearby convention centre colocated with the massive CentralWorld Mall...



It was great to be back at a large in-person conference, the vast majority of which had been cancelled during the pandemic years...



Exhibitors in traditional costumes added some nice local flavour to the event...



The event was well attended...



...with guests and exhibitors from all over the world...

[yflyer]

In the evenings, and in between sessions, I took the opportunity to explore the area around CentralWorld and the Grand Hyatt...



Bangkok seemed to be as busy as before.



The pandemic did not seem to have had any lasting effect on this part of the city. Shops and eateries were open, and it was crazy busy.

Traffic was as heavy as ever...



The Erawan Shrine was just as busy in the evening as during the day.



A newer shrine (To technies anyway) was the Apple Store Central World, which opened in July 2020, while the pandemic was still raging. This was actually the 2nd Apple Store in Thailand (The first was at the IconSiam Mall), but this one at Central World was arguably more stunning...

[yflyer]

At the end of the event, my colleagues brought me to At-Ta-Rote for dinner...



This restaurant, set amidst lush foliage, specialised in traditional, even ancient, Thai cuisine...



Inside, the decor was traditional and very elegant, a cut above many other restaurants here...



While the menu looked back at traditional Thai cuisine of the Royal Court, the cocktails were modern and innovative, with a local twist...

I began with a Thiphy - Xu - Thay, an gin and triple-sec based cocktail with cucumber, mint, lime, almond and Thai herbals and flowers...



...before moving on to a Re-ya: Mekhong Thai Told Rim, with elderflower, thammarind puree, lemongrass and ginger ale...



My Thai colleague was in charge of the menu, and ordered several dishes to share...



Green curry...



Red curry...



Stir fry...



I doubt the steak was an ancient traditional recipe, but it was very nicely done...



Fluffy white rice...



Quite delicious!

[yflyer]

The next day, I headed to Suvarnabhumi Airport for my flight home...


To be continued!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

The vast driveway at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport was not busy...



But inside, the airport was buzzing...



Lots of flights departing to international as well as domestic destinations...



The only reminder that we had just come out of devastating pandemic was the statue in the departure area, which was sporting a large face mask...



Self service kiosks were available...




But as the TG check in counters were not busy at 9am in the morning, I opted to get my boarding pass the old fashioned way...

[yflyer]

Security queues were manageable. I was airside fairly quickly...



I headed straight to Thai's Royal Orchid Lounge...



This was a very large lounge, with lots of seating and several F&B zones...



There was a bar near the entrance (with another one at the far end of the lounge)...



As TG's flagship lounge in BKK, the lounge looked to be designed to handle a lot of passenger traffic...



Thankfully, this was an off peak time, so there was ample space...



One of the large F&B spaces...



...with both tables...



...and counter style seating...



The live cooking station was serving breakfast dishes...



...that looked very appetizing indeed...

[yflyer]

The buffet selection was very broad, with fruit and salads...



...hot snacks...



...savoury pastries...



...dim sum...



...and many hot selections...



...including sausages, ham, eggs...



...pasta...



...mushrooms...



...and fried rice...

[yflyer]

There were showers in the lounge, but they remained closed at this point in time.



At the far end of the lounge was another bar...

There were two red wines on offer...



...and two whites...



...as well as Prosecco, which I could not resist a glass of...





The liquor selection was decent, although they were inexplicably out of gin that day. I felt like a gin and tonic. Where could I get one?

This was a very nice lounge, but since I had some time before my flight, I decided to do a small lounge hop and head to the nearby SQ SilverKris Lounge as well to check it out.

[yflyer]

I was flying TG, but as Star Gold / Krisflyer Gold, I was eligible to use the SQ lounge. I headed in...



Unlike the TG lounge, the smaller SQ lounge was quite busy that morning...



...with almost all seats occupied...



The dining area was busy as well.



The bar in this lounge was a manned bar. There were seats available...



I sat myself down and peered over the bar counter...quite a decent liquor selection...



...and unlike the TG lounge, there was gin!

"Can I have a G&T please!"



Perfect.

The wines here looked pretty decent too. A choice of two reds...a Bordeaux and an Australian Shiraz.



A Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in the ice bucket...



Apart from regular coffee and tea, this lounge also had Thai Iced Milk Tea and a couple of other local beverages as well. A nice selection to choose from.



There was also fresh coconut water.

[yflyer]

I took a quick look around the attractively presented buffet spread...



Cheese and Salad...



Asian-style chicken soup...



Hot selections...



Vegetarian fried rice...



Fried bee hoon with chicken...



Spaghetti with mushroom cream sauce...



Dim sum...



Sandwiches, bread and cakes...



Ice cream...



A very impressive spread.

The Bangkok SilverKris Lounge remains one of my favourite SQ lounges, with great decor, facilities and catering. Also very close to the boarding gates!