Centara Grand at CentralWorld Bangkok, Thailand – Hotel Review

Recently, I took a trip to Bangkok to visit a few friends, enjoy some street food, and, importantly, get access to solid and reliable WiFi for a few days (when you work online and have big work presentations, sometimes you just have gotta travel for the best connection). I knew I wanted to find a hotel that had an excellent reputation, so I opted for the Centara Grand at Central World. And boy oh boy am I happy with that decision!

Checking in to Centara Grand at CentralWorld Bangkok, Thailand

The first thing I noticed when arriving at Centara was the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby, with a stunning view of the Bangkok skyline.

I knew instantly that the hotel was going to give some amazing views, and I was already looking forward to checking out the rooftop bar later in my stay (more about that at the end of the post).

After checking in with the main reception, I was brought up to the World Club Lounge check-in area, since the room I was staying in was part of their Club Lounge offer. Once again, I was greeted with a beautiful view of the city, and comfortable lounge chairs and couches to relax on while they checked me in.

As the hosts were busy with my passport, I decided to help myself with some of the free drinks and snacks on offer.

I arrived at the hotel a few hours before the official check-in time, so my room wasn’t quite ready. But that wasn’t a problem, as the Centara Grand Hotel is literally situated on top of one of the best malls in the city, Central World, so it was easy to kill some time by heading down the elevator and checking out what the mall had to offer.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s  Floors of Shopping Goodness

A huge grocery store is also close by.

A movie theatre is just next to the hotel in case you’re feeling like having a night in.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Room

Around noon, I came back to the hotel to check into my room and got my first glimpse of where I’d be staying for the next few days.

My first thought upon being brought to the room was that I’d made the right decision by booking a stay at Centara. Even just the feeling of the carpet outside my room, the gentle click of the bedroom door when it closed, and the peaceful quiet inside the room all confirmed that this was the right hotel for me.

My hosts were also gracious enough to leave a bottle of champagne in the room for my arrival!

Did I mention how much I love views? The room was on the 49th floor, so I had a wonderful and expansive view of the city. Unfortunately, I was in Bangkok during a particularly bad pollution season, so the entire city was covered in a layer of smog. It wasn’t the greatest time to see the city, but I still appreciated the feeling of being so high up.

The room itself was spacious, clean, and very tastefully organized. A couch against one wall, a lounge chair in the corner, and a huge TV that I never used, but could imagine myself enjoying if I was in the mood for it.

The bed was a king-sized bed and oh-so-comfortable. The sheets were soft, and the mattress was perfectly balanced between firm and soft. I think it might have been the best sleep I had in months, also in part due to the quietness and soundproofing of the room, which is one of the most important aspects of finding a nice hotel in my book.

The bathroom was just as luxurious as the rest of the hotel. Dark marble countertops of floors nicely accented the mirrors all around.

As you would expect, the bathroom came with a nice selection of toiletries. I had the feeling of being completely pampered in this place.

Check their nightly rate here.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Spa

One of the aspects of the hotel I’d been looking forward to was their famous spa experience. I was treated to an incredibly relaxing 2-hour deep-tissue massage with aromatic oils.

Upon arriving at the spa, I was seated and asked to note any trouble areas in my body that needed more or less attention from the masseuse. Then I was able to choose the particular scent of oils for my massage. Finally, I was brought into the massage area, and my wonderful masseuse gave me one of the best massages I’ve ever had. It was a truly world-class experience!

Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Pool & Gym

As a traveler, I like to find ways to stay healthy while I’m traveling, and part of that’s making sure I’m getting enough exercise and vitamin D from the sun. Fortunately, I could get both of those easily from the pool and gym area.

In terms of the gym, it was more than suitable for my needs. It had ample free weights, a squat rack, a bench press area, and tons of cardio equipment.

The pool was also great, and I felt like I could get sun at almost any time of the day.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Club Lounge

If I had to choose one aspect of my stay that I enjoyed the most, it would definitely be the exclusive Club Lounge. At almost every hour of the day, there was some kind of food service available, from the complimentary breakfast to mid-day soup, to afternoon tea, then a cocktail hour, and finally, a post-dinner service.

I probably gained about 10 kgs while I was there because the food was just so incredible.

Aside from the delicious breakfast, which had a mix of made-to-order dishes like Eggs Benedict and pancakes as well as buffet hot food and pastries, they also had incredible soups and noodles served in the middle of the day.

On the first day, I had their miso soup, which was delicious. And on the second day, I had their roasted pork and roasted duck noodles. My compliments to the chef!

Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Rooftop Bar

As a final cherry on top of my stay at Centara Grand, I was treated to an experience at the Cocoa XO rooftop bar on my final night.

It was an absolutely unforgettable experience, in part due to how gracious my hosts were with the appetizers, the specialty drinks, and a trip inside the chocolate bar.

Imagine something like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where you get brought into a room with hundreds of different kinds of fancy chocolates and truffles. From chocolate bark with sea salt and macadamia nuts to cognac-filled truffles, and chocolate fountains to dip strawberries in. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Centara Grand Hotel’s Location

If there’s one downside to the hotel, I’d have to say it’s the location of the hotel, which is both good and bad. As I mentioned already, the Centara Grand is located on top of Central World, which is great if you’re looking to go shopping and eat at nice air-conditioned restaurants.

That being said, one of my favorite aspects of traveling to Bangkok is getting out and about, and exploring the street food and the rest of the city. The good is that it’s in one of the best and biggest malls in the city. 

The downside of that is that it’s a bit of a schlep to get out! Walking from my room to the BTS Skytrain would take around 10-15 minutes and involved a confusing maze of finding my way out of the mall. Even once you get out of the mall, you’re about halfway between two BTS stations, and it’s a bit of a walk to get to either one, as opposed to some malls that are literally connected to a single BTS station (for example, EmQuartier Mall by Phrom Phong station).

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I chose Centara Grand in part because of the reputation, as it was somewhere I knew I could rely on for good WiFi so I could work online and have no issues with the internet.

But I now know that Centara Grand is far more than a reliable hotel: it’s a magical place that makes you feel pampered at every turn. I would definitely come back to Centara Grand on my next trip to Bangkok. I just might have to avoid the Club Lounge, or I might risk gaining another 10 kgs!

Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld
999/99 Rama 1 Road,Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330,Thailand
cgcwreservation@chr.co.th

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Special thanks to Centara Grand at CentralWorld for making this stay possible! All opinions remain my own.