Chapter 11. VERTIGO & THE DOME - ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Banyan Tree Hotel (Photo courtesy of the Internet)

After our Patpong stint, we caught a Tuk Tuk over to Banyan Tree Hotel. Not to stay of course, we could never afford its 7650Baht (RM765 / AUD$255) per night rooms. ;(

The lobby area on the ground floor was really posh. The service was top notch as we had the butler guide us all the way to the elevator. Felt like a VIP for a moment.

In the lift

We were headed to Vertigo Bar, one of the highest rooftop bar in Asia. Located on Level 59 of the Banyan Tree Hotel rooftop, it offers a splendid paranomic view of Bangkok City.

Night View (with stupid tiang)

Another view

As we stepped out onto the open air area, an instantaneous gush of cool breeze brushed past our faces. We gazed upon the night view and was temporarily stunned at the amazing panorama.

We arrived there about 8pm and there was already a steady flow of customers.

Dining Area

Vertigo Bar is divided into 2 sections, mainly the dining area and the bar area. Rest assured that both sections are open air and offers unrestricted view of the entire Bangkok City view.

Don't you think the "Tiang" is very in the way?

Torch reading menu

Since we've just had dinner, we landed our bums by the bar. The entire area is dimly lit, utilizing the moonlight to engender a romantic atmosphere. (It would be romantic if only there were 2 instead of 3)

The waiter passed us the menu with a black metal thingy, which took us a while to figure out what to do with it. ;p

Some entrees/tidbits/food ???

What do you call the tidbits that are served with alcohol in bars?

Night scene on the left of dining area

Night scene on the right of dining area

The drinks were prepared by a bartender who doesn't seem to have any sense of time, took about 15-20 mins for the drinks to arrive.

We weren't pressed for time, I just felt like complaining. ;p

We used the time to take in the breathtaking night view of Bangkok. Lying back and gazing up at the stars scattered around the night sky. Clouds were building up, obstructing some of the stars. The cars and people below continue on their hectic pursuit as we took a step back.

We closed our eyes .... cleared our minds as the soft, romantic music played in the background. Our minds drifted back to one year ago, when we too were at a similar place ....



.... We were at The Dome, which is located at Level 63 of the State Tower.

The Dome (Photo courtesy of the Internet) - Dining Area

The layout is an exact replica of Vertigo, or vice versa. However The Dome had an extra section which was outstanding in its own terms.

Lounge Area

It was a semi-circular lounge area, lined with cozy cushions and a few bar tables in the middle for your drinks. We felt snug and comfy the moment we stepped out to the lounge, the feeling was out of this world.

So captivating ....

Drink in hand, view in backdrop

The warm, cozy and plush cushions beckoned to us and welcomed us with its rich leather texture as we sat on them.

We ordered our drinks and took in the view, that was so marvellous and spectacular it left us mesmerized for hours.

The busy city 63 storeys below

Bangkok City at its best

Backdrop of skyscrapers

It was a tragedy most of the pictures we took was blur as our old Olympus camera was awful at night. Only a handful of them turned out decent. ;(

The Dome - The place to be ....

"Sir, your drinks ...." the waiter's voice rocked us back to reality.

Magarita - 330Baht

Blue Hawaiian - 330Baht

Fruit Juice

Posing

I ordered a Blue Hawaiian while the GF had a Magarita.

Just as our drinks arrived, the rain decided to pay us a visit. Damn soi.

So we shot down our drinks and left the open air area hurriedly before the rain turns into a torrential downpour and sweeps everything over the building and down 59 storeys to the ground below.

Goodbye Bangkok view

Well, overall it was an enjoyable place. There's supposed to be a strict dress code but we saw numerous T-shirts and slippers entering the venue.

"View" wise and "feel" wise, I'd much preferred The Dome to Vertigo. The location of The Dome seems to offer a better view of the city. Service at The Dome is also relatively better, albeit at a higher cost. Drinks at The Dome are about 600Baht while it costs 300Baht at Vertigo. It could be the higher price that gave us this misconception, or not.

The Dome has a very strict dress code that prohibits jeans, T-shirts & slippers from entering the venue. Seeing everyone dressed nicely adds to the overall luxurious feel. Its like going to a real high class and luxurious bar.

Although our time at Vertigo was short-lived, we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. An unanimous vote decided it was time to call it a day.

And that was how we spent our 1st day in Bangkok.



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