This upscale brand's first Thai hotel is a haven of good taste
The room
Madi Paidi Bangkok has 56 guest rooms and suites. My sapphire premium king room with city views occupies 40 square metres on the ninth floor. There's plenty of natural lighting via floor-to-ceiling windows with blackout curtains, plus a large TV and high-speed Wi-Fi.
The bathroom is a pleasure, with deep blue wall tiles and a voluminous bathtub. The lid of the over-fangled bidet loo spookily opens whenever you pass, as though one is being prompted to spend a penny. Unnerving.
The room's drawbacks are minor but deserve mention. Neither of the chairs matches the room table height for comfortable working. The bed cover is a thick duvet: either you roast under it or have to crank up the air-conditioner to chill the room. The Nespresso coffee maker comes only with sachets of creamer, no UHT milk.
Food + drink
'Kin khao rue yang?' A cheerful waiter greets me with a traditional Thai welcome: 'Have you eaten yet?' Madi Paidi's busy EKKALUCK restaurant is overseen by executive chef (and ex-Melbournian) Khun 'Tor' Tishabhiromya, whose east-west menu, brunch, lunch and later (buffet and a la cate) spans the gaps for late-risers, early-lunchers and all-comers thereafter. With blended Thai and international components, there is a superior pad thai, pasta, chicken ballantine or a lip-smacking, pumpkin creme brulee creation called sang ka-ya fuk thong.
Prices in the international wine list inevitably reflect Thailand's hefty tariffs on imported alcohol. Surprisingly, the alternative, more reasonably priced local labels such as GranMonte are not listed.
Out + about
Madi Paidi is on an upmarket residential street parallel to busy Soi Thong Lor (Soi Sukhumvit 55), an extended zone of restaurants, clubs, shops, bars, day spas, hotels and dental practices. Acclaimed Thai restaurant Bo.lan is on the same street. Think Thong Lor for wining, dining and teeth whitening rather than history or temples. For serious brand-name mall trawling, travel one stop on the Skytrain to Phrom Phong and the EmQuartier complex, or one more to Terminal 21 at Asoke for even wider choice.
The verdict
Madi Paidi is a haven of good taste, art and cuisine – an enjoyable respite from the intensity of Bangkok, complete with compact gym and rooftop pool. Tailor-made for city trippers, design fans and adventurous diners.
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Essentials
Rooms from $268 (THB 5794) a night, plus taxes and fees. There is a limited number of accessible suites. Madi Paidi Bangkok, Autograph Collection, 22 Soi Sukhumvit 53, Thong Lor, Bangkok. Phone: +66 2 127 5953. See marriott.com
Highlight
Convenient location, creative design and at-ease ambience.
Lowlight
Minor in-room issues such as no milk (creamer only) and a heavy duvet.
Our score out of five
★★★★½
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