Ariyasom Villa
Ariyasom Villa is a unique oasis in the heart of Bangkok, you would never believe your true location based on the serene, green and natural environment that surrounds you. Ariyasom Villa was a family home, built in 1941 and one of the very first houses on Sukhumvit Road at a time when Sukhumvit was just a dirt road, it really is hard to imagine how different Bangkok was just 70 years ago. The family still own and manage Ariyasom Villa as a luxury boutique hotel that offers an alternative to the myriad of modern, luxury hotels in Bangkok.
By choosing Ariyasom Villa you will be stepping back in time and will be sure to enjoy your stay and when you realise that the on site restaurant, Na Aroon is primarily vegetarian with multiple vegan options you just know you’ve certianly made the correct choice!
There are only 24 rooms at Ariyasom Villa with 4 room types, Studio, Deluxe, Executive Deluxe and Executive Suite; our deluxe room was larger than we expected and certainly larger than many hotel rooms in Bangkok, the bathroom included walk in shower and bath tub and the main room included a sofa area whilst outside there was a shaded terrace which allowed you to enjoy the mature and beautiful gardens at Ariyasom Villa.
Along with swimming pool, spa, Na Aroon restaurant and a meditation room there was everything you need to relax in this haven of tranquility in the centre of Bangkok.
The Vegan Food
Expect the original artwork, teak floors and high ceilings to take you back to a bygone age when you dine at Na Aroon, the restaurant at Ariyasom Villa which serves a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan food; the menu has some seafood but no meat, all ingredients are organic and everything is clearly labelled making this a great options for vegan guests.
Breakfast is served a la carte and includes tropical fruit, fresh juice, tea and coffee followed by your choice from the menu. On the first day our ‘Kao Pad Rod Fai’, translated as ‘Train Fried Rice’ due to this being the dish many would choose to take on a train journey wrapped in banana leaf, was simple yet delicious. The perfect amount of soy and seasoning with huge chunks of crunchy and super healthy kale, tofu and onion was very good indeed, we were tempted to order this again on the second day!
On the following morning, the thoughtful staff had arranged for soy yoghurt to be available (this was not on the menu) and this was a real treat with our tropical fruit, as was the option to enjoy a home brew Kombucha. For our main course we resisted the urge to order ‘Train Fried Rice’ again and went for a variation of ‘Villa Speciality’. This would normally be eggs benedict served with veggie bacon, veggie sausage, fried potato, spinach, grilled tomato, baked beans and sautéed mushrooms so we ordered ‘eggs benedict with no egg’ and were assured all of the accompanying items were vegan and would be cooked in oil, not butter. It’s not often one can order a vegan full English breakfast when staying in a hotel so this was a chance not to be missed for sure.
We enjoyed a number of vegan dishes from the main menu at Na Aroon during our stay at Ariyasom Villa and they were all authentic and delicious, there is no doubt that we will return for lunch next time we’re in Bangkok even if we aren’t staying, the food was very good indeed, the staff were gracious and we loved the setting.
Our vegan food included a rich massaman curry packed with shallots, mock meat and potato, generous skewers of fried tofu with a superb satay sauce and a green curry with eggplant, mushroom and tofu that was so creamy we could have eaten the whole bowl as a soup, that was before the owner explained it would taste even better with bread and she was correct!
The ‘Guay Thiew Pad Pong Kari’ was a stir fried noodles with yellow curry that certainly hit the spot but it was the ‘Papaya Salad’ that was the star of the show; this was no ordinary papaya salad (although that would have been perfectly acceptable as we love ‘Som Tum’ and order it whenever we can) but was a next level version of this ubiquitous Thai dish. It was served with an amazing grilled soy ‘chicken’ which was delicious, homemade Thai style BBQ sauce, a selection of raw vegetables including delightfully crunchy and flavoursome red long beans and black sticky rice; the papaya salad at Na Aroon is the best we’ve ever eaten and to add to our intrigue was garnished at the table with shredded rose apple flower, we love discovering new ingredients and this was new to us for sure.
The Vegan Essentials
Our bedding was non feather and the drinking water was supplied in glass bottles which is always good to see. A tasty fruit platter awaited us on check in which after a rather arduous and exhausting journey including tuk tuk / aeroplane / train / taxi it was very welcome indeed. The bathroom amenities were own brand in reusable plastic bottles and made from natural ingredients although we cannot be sure if they were 100% vegan. There was also natural insect repellant in the room too which is far better than the deet and chemical based alternatives.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Ariyasom Villa was number 4 on Tripadvisor at the time of writing out of nearly 1000 hotels in Bangkok, and rightly so in our opinion. It truly offers a unique opportunity to step back in time and stay in a hotel that has a history dating back to 1941, way before anything else you will find in this exciting and energetic city. The rooms are perfectly appointed, the gardens, swimming pool and spa offer the chance to escape the fast paced city that surround Ariyasom Villa and the vegan food at Na Aroon is some of the tastiest we’ve tried in Bangkok.
Ariyasom Villa is the most vegan friendly luxury hotel in Bangkok and you should certainly consider it on your next visit.
We were guests of Ariyasom Villa but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.
Ariyasom Villa
65 Sukhumvit Soi 1
Klongtoey Nua
Wattana
Bangkok 10110
Telephone: +662 254 8880
Email: info@ariyasom.com
Cost From: £115 / $150 (Sept 2018)