One of my favorite features of a “high-end” hotel room is a beautiful bath tub. When I am home I rarely ever soak in the tub, but when on holiday in a beautiful hotel with a beautiful tub, I simply can not help myself.
To Soak or to Skip?
I know that there is always the question of just how clean the tub is, and after reading Matthew’s recent post, I can’t decide if I am able to continue on in ignorant bliss or not. When you find your self in a beautiful hotel room with a bathtub, do you soak or skip?
Personally, I have a hard time skipping out on this little luxury. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
I was excited to attend the opening of the Park Hyatt Bangkok and I will say that the suite did not disappoint. This large stone soaking tub was placed inside of a large walk in shower and immediately transformed into a personal spa. There is not much for a view from this tub, but there was a tv and a very relaxing ambiance.
During our stay at the Grand Hyatt Taipei we enjoyed a lovely suite where our soaking tub was also located next to the window and provided great natural light and a view over the city. The (above) bathtub can be found in the Presidential Suite and to me is the picture of simplicity and luxury.
I am a fan of the Park Hyatt Beijing. We typically find ourselves at this property during the colder months and there is nothing more satisfying than enjoying a warm bath after a long day out in the brisk air. This giant square-shaped tub is spacious and inviting.
I must confess I enjoyed the enormous steam shower more than this gorgeous tub at the Park Hyatt Ningbo. However, this bathtub was still worth the mention.
On a recent mileage run for my husband he tried out the Ritz-Carlton Pudong Hotel in Shanghai and found (the above) charming bathtub situated by itself in the bathroom. He says he skipped it, but how could he?
The cabanas in the Cathay Pacific lounge (“The Wing”) at HKG are worth a mention. If I have the opportunity to enjoy a nice hot shower in the lounge, I am happy. But what about that large tub? Are you diving in?
As you can see every tub I have mentioned is located in Asia as that seems to be where we travel most often and most of my favorites are from Hyatt properties. (Thanks to my Hyatt loyalist husband) I am looking forward to branching out next year and would love recommendations for beautiful bathrooms to seek out next!
Do you go for a soak or do you skip it? If so, which luxury bath tub do you recommend others check out?
That’s the only time I take a bath, when I’m in a room with a really nice one. I usually have ample time, plus all the messy cleanup is done by someone else!
Some of the suites in The Langham Chicago have stunning bathrooms and soaking tubs.
Super nice “bath tub” yes I would. “Jacuzzi” type whirlpool tub, never, ever, ever. They can’t get the jets and pump lines clean of hair, mold, bodily fluids, etc.
Skip, skip, skip. Not even if you bring your own gallon of bleech.
Totally skip. I never put my children in them when they were little. They had what we called stand up baths.
The Hilton hotels in Osaka and Tokyo have real Japanese bath tubs. Which means you can scrub yourself clean outside the tub, then soak in *hot* water up to your neck … the tub doesn’t look big but it’s deep and delivers a real soak, unlike the “luxury” tubs that merely look good but don’t get you clean nor relax you.
(The Tokyo Hilton also has a good sauna and a nice communal Japanese bath.)
Soak. Every single time. I enjoy a good relaxing soak at the end of a long day. (And count me in the extreme minority of people annoyed by the trend towards shower only in hotels these days, even luxury brands.)