-By Maciek Klimowicz-
Bangkok moves at a breakneck pace, and in all directions. It expands, it shoots up, it fills up, but most importantly, it pushes ahead. If you visited it in the past, even a few months back, you may find some parts of it transformed beyond recognition; if you stay here long term, you can see the changes unfold in front of your eyes. But no matter what your connection with the city – permanent or temporary – you will benefit from a pause, or even – a step back. For a fresh perspective on the city that never sleeps, take a step back into its golden age. Take a step into the Muse.
Stepping over the threshold of The Muse hotel feels as much like travel is time as it does like travel in space. Space wise, the change from the noisy, crowded, boiling hot streets of the very center of Bangkok, to the dim lit, plush and stylish interiors of the hotel’s lobby, is striking. But this one step not only takes you inside, it takes you back.
The lobby’s sophisticated décor – those arches and rolling balustrades, the wood and leather, the dim lights and enchanting reflections – don’t belong to this day and age, but rather to the days gone by. The interior design of the Muse transports the guests back to the fin de siècle époque, when travel was glamorous and Thailand on the verge of becoming cosmopolitan. The devil, as always, is in the detail – the antique saucers in display cases, the patterns on the walls and ceiling, it all adds up to the vintage feel of the place.
This journey back in time continues in the rooms, all 174 of them and each decorated to play on the guest’s nostalgia and longing for the good, old days. Decorating a space so that it looks vintage, but not dated, can be challenging, but the Muse pulls it off. In the living rooms and bedrooms, wood and leather and stylized furniture rule supreme, in the bathrooms the claw-foot roll-top bathtubs, hand-painted basins, Venetian mirrors and marble floors further add to the feel of the glorious past.
If you can look past some modern day conveniences, such as flat screen TV or automatic coffee machines in the rooms, there is nothing here to break the spell. Once you submerge yourself in the old-fashioned ambiance of The Muse, all that surrounds you works to keep you there. From the hotel’s cellar, which is home to Medici Kitchen & Bar, an Italian restaurant, set in a space which combines neo-industrial design with rusticated elements such a brick walls and wooden casks, to the stylish Speakeasy occupying floors 24 and 25 and offering a selection of shared gourmet plates, top-shelf spirits and a large selection of wines paired with spectacular urban vistas and world class entertainment – each element of The Muse experience is kept within the theme of olden days decadence.
In a place like this, it’s easy to forget that you’re still at the heart of a XXI century Asian metropolis. Bangkok observed from the rooftop’s Speakeasy or the panoramic windows of the 1920s Chicago style Babette’s Steakhouse, brings to mind Tim Burton’s Gotham – both beautiful and ugly, tempting and threatening, and best observed from a distance. Yes, it’s out there, colossal and pulsating, fast paced and congested. It’s there, within reach, while you remain, safely tucked away in a time bubble. And what a good time it is.
