Lobby view of the beach.

One of two restaurants in the hotel, but this is where breakfast is served in the mornings.

My friend testing out the king size bed in his room.  Our rooms were actually connected so it was nice to open the connecting doors and double our space.

Didn’t put the patio to much good use because there were too many mosquitoes.

The room had these towel elephants on the bed, very creative.

Complimentary food in the room.

One of the outdoor swimming pools.

On the Jetty where people have had their weddings.

At the edge of the Jetty were people can swim.

Cheap, comfortable, convenient, and modern are the words I’d use to describe my first night stay in Thailand at the Somerset Residence.  This is a new location referred to by a friend who lives in Bangkok, and he made one terrific recommendation.

You’ll notice how this is a serviced residence meaning it’s meant to make you feel at home.

With three of us in this room, I volunteered to sleep on the couch while my buddies each took the two twins.

Some of the in-room amenities included a washer/dryer, wi-fi internet, lcd TV, iPod dock connection to the home entertainment system, and a balcony.

A look at the view from the balcony.

Looking straight down is the outdoor swimming pool.  I had to try it out.

Down at the pool is a restaurant

and weight room.  Think we were the first ones to use the weights as the room was opened just the previous day.

Infinity pools seem to be the standard at all hotels now.

At about 3000 Baht (~$92USD) a night split amongst three people, it almost didn’t feel right staying here and using all their services and facilities. Guilt won’t be enough to stop me from booking this spot the next time I visit though. Location and info below.

Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor Residence
No 115 Sukhumvit 55 (Thonglor)
Sukhumvit Road Klongton Nua
Wattana Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 365 7999

Today you get a short tour of 1 of 3 different kind of suites you can stay in at the Venetian Macau.

What stands out most about the royale suite is its sunken living room.  It’s the perfect area to relax or do work at the desk with high speed internet, printer, copier, and fax.

The view outside the window is of Venetian’s miniature putting course.

Looking straight is the new City Of Dreams.

Back inside we have the all marble bathroom.

Separate shower and bath to the left.

The right takes you out of the bathroom and to the front door.  This suite is best if you want to enjoy a little luxury all by yourself or with a special someone.  Check the Venetian website for packages and rates.

Website: Venetian Hotel

Asked one Japanese friend advice for a convenient district to stay in Tokyo.  He recommended Shibuya, so I went online in search for Shibuya hotels and landed the Cerulean Tower just minutes away from the busy Shibuya train station.

When I arrived and told my friends where I was staying their jaws dropped.  This was apparently the best hotel in Shibuya.

I felt a bit out of place wearing t-shirt and jeans while everyone else were in suits and had business meetings in the lounge area.

My room was on the 22nd floor although the highest guest room is on the 37th.

There were three things in particular I liked about the bathroom.

One was the marble flooring and walls.

Second was the all in one toilet and bidet which is nothing new for the people in Japan.  Third (not pictured) was the built in speaker in the ceiling above the toilet that broadcasted the audio from the room TV.  That way you don’t miss a thing while you’re busy handling your business.

Beds were comfortable, but I’ve slept on better at other hotels.

The daytime view from the window looking straight at Shibuya station.

Loved the night view.  Found myself staring out the window a lot around this time.  The only complaint I have about the hotel is the non-free internet.  The cost for internet a day is 1,065 yen and resets everyday at 11:59am.  That means if you purchase the internet at 11:58am you’ll only have a minute to use it.  The cost for my 5 day stay was about 180,000 yen for two people.  And because I know you’re lazy, that amounts to about $180 USD a day per person.

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8512 Japan
Tel: (+81)3-3476-3000