Amid the neon-lit bars and clubs of Bangkok is a place of calm, elegance and luxury, writes Andrew Taylor.
It's hard to imagine a greater contrast between the elegant surrounds of my hotel room and the view from the 17th floor of the JW Marriott Bangkok, which is dominated by a voluptuous woman in yellow neon cavorting around a pole above a sign that reads "Land of Smile: Your Second Home".
The hotel's proximity to Nana Plaza, the self-proclaimed "World's Largest Adult Playground", is not one of its advertised drawcards, although the staff member who shows me the room happily points out the neon-lit collection of bars and clubs.
There are plenty of features inside the hotel that are worth getting to know before braving the nocturnal diversions of Bangkok's Sukhumvit area, beginning with the luxurious JW's health club and spa.
I'm booked in for the spa's signature treatment, the Blissful Relaxation, and it is soon obvious my masseuse, Wandee, is a class above the cheap massages available in the Thai capital. Over 90 minutes, she kneads and pummels my aching muscles. At one stage, she kneels on my calves and slowly crawls up my legs and along my spine. The hot herbal compress and frangipani oil are just as soothing, sweetly clearing the fogginess of jetlag.
The spa also offers a long list of body polishes, facials and other types of beauty treatments to cure the effects of long-haul flights.
For the athletically minded, the hotel gym is well stocked with free weights and machines and offers classes in yoga, aerobics, muay Thai and the intriguingly named fan dance. Or you can float lazily in the 18-metre outdoor pool, before lolling about in the sauna and jacuzzi.
Solo business travellers are the JW Marriott's target clientele and the hotel lobby has the atmosphere of a gentlemen's club, with its black marble and wood-panelled interiors.
Gold-lacquered panels, vases of orchids and bamboo, statues of Buddha and reflective pools from which escalators emerge create an impression of restrained luxury, a trait not shared with many of the neighbouring establishments.
On arrival, guests are greeted with tea and lemongrass-scented towels to wipe away the grime of the sweaty Bangkok summer, while check-in is quickly completed.
The JW Marriott is undergoing renovations and our executive room is a beneficiary of this facelift, with its pastel green tones, glass-top desk and dark wood cabinetry. The renovations produced some noise, although it was not too intrusive.
The plush white bedding on the king-sized bed is an invitation to sleep in and cancel those business meetings or early-morning jaunts. Five different types of pillows, including one made from Japanese igusa grass, are offered on a pillow menu.
Free Wi-Fi, fresh food delivered daily and complimentary pressing of three pieces of clothing each day are examples of this hotel's hospitality for guests on the executive level.
A wide variety of restaurants and bars are housed in the hotel, including its latest addition, the Manhattan Bar, which specialises in whiskys, wines and martinis and excellent food from the hotel's New York Steakhouse.
The hotel is a five-minute walk from the BTS Skytrain Ploenchit and Nana stations.
An oasis among the city's skyscrapers, hectic traffic and ceaseless activity, the JW Marriott Bangkok is a retreat yet still handy to the best and worst the Thai capital has to offer.
WHERE JW Marriott Bangkok, 4 Sukhumvit Road Soi 2, Klongtoey, Bangkok.
HOW MUCH Room from $US275 ($283) a night.
TOP MARKS Nothing says luxury like a pillow menu.
BLACK MARK The noise from the renovations could disturb some people.
MORE INFORMATION jwmarriottbangkokhotel.com.
The writer was a guest of JW Marriott Bangkok.
