Creativity is what drives Bangkok, with extravagantly decorated temples, futuristic skyscrapers, a scintillating food scene and riotous night markets. That energy also extends to the hotels — which are generally brilliant in terms of style and service, and run the gamut from heritage piles on the banks of the Chao Phraya River to stylish city-centre bolt holes and designer hotels with rooftop infinity pools.
The temple-strewn riverside provides a fascinating (and less frenetic) introduction to Bangkok, with new hotels, restaurants and arts districts adding to the appeal. But, if you want to be in the thick of the shopping and nightlife action, head to the centre of town around Silom, Sathorn and Ploenchit. Chinatown and Thonglor, meanwhile, have a stronger sense of neighbourhood and some top eating and drinking. These are our pick of the best hotels in Bangkok.
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1. Banyan Tree Bangkok
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for foodies
Soaring above Sathorn, this 61-storey hotel has been delivering top-notch Thai hospitality for the last two decades. Despite the skyscraper setting the hotel feels distinctly Thai, with tropical greenery and traditional music floating through the ground floor lobby, and colourful silk murals and teak accents in the spacious rooms. There are restaurants for every day of the week — Thai, Cantonese, international — as well as stylish dinner cruises on the Chao Phraya River and a scene-stealing rooftop bar made famous in the 2011 comedy blockbuster The Hangover. It’s easy to keep busy here but save at least an hour to visit the renowned Banyan Tree Spa for a signature massage.
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2. Avani+ Riverside Bangkok
£ | POOL | Best for a huge breakfast
The Avani’s future-fabulous rooftop infinity pool staring down the Chao Phraya is one of the hotel’s big draws but there’s plenty more to keep guests entertained at this sleek riverside hotel, from the bright young staff and brilliant buffet breakfast, to the pumped up gym and free morning yoga classes. Entry-level rooms are fine for a night or two; smartly decorated in pale wood and patterned greys with rain showers, large windows and open views. If you’re staying longer, upgrade to one of the much roomier but still reasonably priced junior suites, which are on the corners of the building and have freestanding bathtubs with river views.
3. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for the bucket list
There’s a feeling of champagne in the air at this glamorous heritage hotel that has graced the banks of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok for nearly a century and a half. The lobby fizzes from morning to night with well-heeled tourists from every corner of the globe and Thai royalty — wearing jewels so large they can only be real. The original Authors’ Wing is a vision of gleaming white marble, crystal chandeliers, potted palms and swirling ceiling fans, while rooms combine classic Thai looks with modern accoutrements and river views. The service, spa and award-winning restaurants are faultless.
4. The Peninsula Bangkok
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for spa stays
The Peninsula Bangkok has plenty of winning attributes: a wonderful Chao Phraya River location, a beautiful palm-lined outdoor pool, a collection of first-class restaurants and bend-over-backwards service — but what really sets the hotel apart is its splendid spa. Situated in a three-storey colonial mansion within the hotel’s frangipani-scented gardens, it has all kinds of deep-reaching treatments, from traditional Thai massage using thumbs, elbows and knees, to all-day programmes including morning yoga in a nearby temple, Tibetan singing bowls and guided meditation. The therapists here are some of the best in the game.
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5. Capella Bangkok
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for hipsters
The emphasis is on the horizontal at this sleek riverside hotel, from the low-slung mid-century-style architecture to rice barges and long-tail boats puttering past your sightline and guests supine by swimming pools that roll straight towards the Chao Phraya. Add muted contemporary interiors — ivory whites, light-diffusing latticework, whole-wall murals painted using traditional Thai techniques — alongside fashionable facilities and sexy restaurants and Capella feels refreshingly different from most of the big-brand luxury hotels that line the river. This is hands down the coolest, cleverest hotel in town.
6. The Siam
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for glamour
Set in the upmarket neighbourhood of Dusit, downwater from Bangkok’s historic district, the Siam is a luxurious riverside retreat frequented by Thailand’s high society (known as the hi-so). They come for the designer looks — posing in the fern-filled atrium, by the stripy waterfront swimming pool, on tiger-shaped sofas in the Story House restaurant — and for the excellent spa. Some pick up a permanent souvenir from the hotel’s consecrated Sak Yant tattoo studio. The rooms, suites and pool villas are sexy monochrome spaces, with lofty ceilings, clawfoot bathtubs and art deco-inspired furniture.
7. Siam Kempinski
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££ | SPA | POOL | Best for shop and flop
Attached to the enormous Siam Paragon shopping centre and surrounded on all sides by street markets and mega-malls (try Central World for high street fashion, MBK for gadgets and Platinum for cut-price clothes and accessories), the Siam Kempinski couldn’t be better placed for a shopping spree. And when you’re ready for a post-shop flop, you’ll find spacious, soothing rooms, all pearl whites, mossy green and soft bronzes, and chocolatey marble bathrooms — the best have balconies overlooking contemporary tropical gardens or access straight into the lagoon-shaped swimming pools.
8. Shanghai Mansion
£ | Best for street food
If you want to tuck into some of the most delicious street food in Bangkok — creamy yellow crab curry, crispy pork noodles, chubby oyster omelettes — head for the joyfully chaotic streets of Chinatown. Located on the main drag, Yaowarat Road — just a few minutes walk from Wat Mangkon MRT station — Shanghai Mansion taps into the neighbourhood’s rich mixed heritage in extravagant style. The atrium lobby is filled with Chinese lanterns, velvet sofas, wooden bird cages and lotus flower ponds. The 76 rooms are an extravagance of pinks, limes and purples, with four-poster beds, balloon lanterns and jewel-coloured silks.
9. Four Seasons Bangkok
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for design lovers
Located on the Chao Phraya River, the glamorous five-star Four Seasons Bangkok is close to many of Bangkok’s biggest attractions, including Wat Pho temple, the Grand Palace and Wat Arun. The contemporary design is the work of Jean-Michele Gathy and his dramatic touches are everywhere, from the soaring lobby with its multi-level reflecting pools and percolating waterfalls to the cocooning silver and pewter bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. The seven bars and restaurants will keep you entertained every night of the week.
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10. COMO Metropolitan
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for LGBT travellers
You’ll want to pack your best swimwear for peacocking by the swimming pool at this LGBT favourite in the heart of trendy Sathorn. It’s not just the COMO Metropolitan’s pool that’s scene-y; flagship restaurant Nahm has won a stack of awards, including a Michelin star, and the ruby-hued Met Bar buzzes at the weekend. To keep you looking and feeling your best, the COMO Shambhala provides sun salutations, Guinot spa treatments and healthy cuisine designed to make you glow from the inside out.
11. Sala Rattanakosin
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for temples
Only monks can sleep any closer to Wat Pho temple than guests bedding down at Sala Rattanakosin — located just around the corner from Thailand’s most revered temple, adjoining the equally spectacular Grand Palace. Small and perfectly formed, this former shophouse turned boutique hotel has just 15 rooms decorated with sharp black-and-white bursts; the best have floor-to-ceiling windows with cinematic views of the ceramic-clad stupas of Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. The same sight can also be savoured from the rooftop bar with a mai tai.
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12. Park Hyatt Bangkok
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£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for the high life
This fashionable hotel is housed in a striking free-form building overlooking Bangkok’s leafy embassy district, within easy walking distance of the Skytrain line and Siam Square shops. The contemporary zen interiors are equally eye-catching, with serpentine staircases and lashings of cream stone contrasted with sharp black accents and modern southeast Asian art. The 40m city-view infinity pool is a beauty, as is the rooftop bar which wows after dark against a shimmering city backdrop.
13. MUU Bangkok
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for longer stays
Situated in hip and happening Thonglor, surrounded by some of the city’s coolest bars, restaurants and boutiques, this is a smart choice for a longer stay. Rooms are pleasingly large and fuse dark wood floors with sea-foam green walls, plush purple headboards and oversized black-and-white prints of the city. Most come with fridges and larders, while suites have full kitchens, washing machines and big balconies. There’s a swimming pool, an Italian restaurant and a bar on the rooftop, and massages can be arranged in your room.
14. 137 Pillars Suites Bangkok
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for an Instagram-worthy infinity pool
The scene-stealer at this luxury sky pad is its eye-popping rooftop infinity pool, shooting out across the 30th floor with dizzying city views on all sides. A few levels below, there’s a second larger swimming pool (with more space to lounge) and a gem of a spa, where you can book Muay Thai lessons and spoiling aromatherapy massages. The suites — 30 in total — are plush affairs, with floral wall murals, lavish bathrooms and good-sized balconies. The hotel can be tricky for taxi drivers to find but you’re within walking distance of the Skytrain.
15. Rosewood Bangkok
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for solo travellers
Sleek apartment-style living is the order of the day at the centrally located Rosewood Bangkok. A discreet entrance on Ploenchit Road (close to Erawan Shrine and numerous shopping malls) leads guests away from the hubbub into a hushed world of carved teak, black marble and urbane Thai art. Aside from sophisticated cream and dark wood rooms and suites, the Rosewood has a collection of sensational rooftop houses, with city-view terraces and private plunge pools. The ninth-floor swimming pool is mainly indoors (not great for sunseekers) but the spa is super and the restaurants and bars always draw a crowd.
16. The Standard Bangkok
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for quirky photos
Shaped like a gigantic Jenga set, the King Power Mahanakhon tower is one of the tallest and most striking buildings in Bangkok. The Standard occupies 18 of its 78 floors in exuberant style: shimmering pink curtains in the canary-yellow lobby; curtains of ferns in the pretty peach and powder blue Parlour Bar; stripy parasols around the rooftop pool. Rooms are slightly calmer but no less fun, with groovy egg chairs, perspex wardrobes and big city-view windows (a few also have balconies). There are three tip-top restaurants and a sunny sister hotel, a three-hour drive away, in the beach town of Hua Hin.
17. The Sukhothai Bangkok
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for traditionalists
The Sukhothai, in the fashionable Sathorn district, is a hotel where you never forget you’re in Thailand. At the end of a long driveway, you’ll find peaked roof pavilions, a large swimming pool and lotus flower ponds set in large frangipani-fragranced grounds. Interiors streamline glossy teak woods with Jim Thompson silks and eye-popping works of contemporary art and sculpture. There’s a Michelin star Italian restaurant, La Scala, and a Thai restaurant, Celadon, where meals are accompanied by charming Thai dance performances. The 210 rooms are split between the main building and The Sukhothai Club Wing, which has a club lounge serving complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Completing the set, a new temple-like two-storey spa with a hammam, whirlpool, steam room, sauna, wellness studios and a salt-water swimming pool is due to open in summer 2024.
18. Kimpton Maa-Lai
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for the jet set
A stay at this hotel, located on the banyan-laced edges of Lumpini Park, makes you feel like you’re in with Bangkok’s in-crowd. Beautiful people totter through the lobby with poodles and pekes in tow, often wearing outfits as striking as their owners (all of Kimpton’s hotels are pet-friendly). If they’re not checking in to one of the spacious Thai-minimalist rooms, they’re on their way to the lively Craft Café and Bar for some delicious coffee, cakes, cocktails and beer. Guests should make their way to the third floor swimming pool at sundown for some free happy hour drinks before heading upstairs for dinner and dizzying city views at the rooftop Bar.Yard.
19. Sindhorn Kempinski
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for elegant surroundings
The second Kempinski hotel to hit Bangkok looks like some kind of moon base from the outside, with its hourglass architecture, giant glass arches and chrome cantilevered swimming pool. The Thai designers have done an equally striking job inside, where soaring concrete walls encase a birdcage-like pavilion filled with hanging ferns and fountains of fresh orchids. Rooms are beautiful too — silvery cocoons popped with bright yellow, orange and turquoise silks. The restaurants are excellent and the Firefly bar was made for date nights but it’s the Sindhorn Kempinski’s health and wellness facilities that steal the show, with fitness studios, crepuscular spa treatment rooms and extensive hydrotherapy facilities spread over two floors.
20. The Rakxa
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for a wellness break
For a serious Thai wellness getaway, without the additional travelling time needed to visit Chiva Som or Kamalaya, try the Rakxa. This high-end wellness retreat is backed up with comprehensive medical facilities tucked away on a jungle-wrapped island in the serene Bang Krachao section of the Chao Phraya River. In-depth programmes — gut health, anti-ageing, de-stress — range from three to 14 nights and make use of traditional Thai therapies, Chinese medicine, ayurveda and energy healing. Expect a total mental and physical turnaround.
rakxawellness.com
21. Bangkok Publishing Residence
£ | Best for antique touches
If you prefer your hotels small, quirky, and packed with atmosphere, this former printing press turned boutique abode near Khao San Road is the place for you. A discreet glass entrance leads to a cinematic atrium furnished with leather arm chairs, fishbowl Edison bulbs, old motorbikes, magazine racks, Victorian printing press and other cleverly curated knick-knacks. An old Otis elevator with a scissor gate trundles up to eight guest rooms — all with antique wooden floors, Venetian mirrors, delightful artworks, mod-cons and subway-tiled bathrooms. There’s no pool but there is a great little rooftop with a hot tub for a sunset plunge.
bpresidence.com
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