For the third year in a row Bangkok, which is also known as the “city of Angels”, is at the top of international destinations in the world (the capital welcomed people in 2018), there sure must by a reason for this. From what it’s obvious it offers tourists a unique set of characteristics – it is the largest and most developed city in Thailand, however it manages to maintain its historical architecture and traditions dating back hundreds of years. For most people Bangkok is a jumping off point for Thailand holidays and is packed with everything from excitement and chaos, to freedom, beauty and adventure. Whether you are a foodie or an art lover, the Thai capital has something for everyone hidden within its sights, smells and sounds.
Bangkok is one of the best cities in the world for those who adore hotels. Moreover, you’ll find luxury hotels at half the price of New York, Tokyo or Shanghai. Stay with us to find out more about our selection of top five hotels of Thai capital.
The Siam
Rooms from £540/night
Suite from £1300/night
Four years following the opening of this hotel, it still remains Bangkok’s most accomplished urban hideaway. The Siam is truly bespoke, occupying three acres right on the riverbank in the quieter district of Dusit – an edge of the historic heart of Bangkok which offers easy access to the city’s main temples and museums. Guests can get just about anywhere in the area by getting on the hotel’s river boat.
The grounds are so spacious that the property feels like luxury home, even when it’s booked out. Besides the 23m long pool and the splendid Opium Spa, The Siam offers a list of other experiences — yoga, meditation, a well-equipped gym occasionally used by members of Thailand’s royal family, a library and movie theatre.
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Rooms from £580/night
Suite from £1400/night
Built in 1876 and remains the classiest hotel in the Thai capital – the preserve of wealthy travelers and cultural icons, is perfectly cosmopolitan while projecting traditional Thai charm. The colonial style rooms in the garden wing are the best – split level, with the bedroom on the upper floor and a lavish lounge on the lower one. They have seen it all at the Oriental, including writer Somerset Maugham stumbling in with a bout of malaria and musician Billy Idol smashing his suite.
The Peninsula Bangkok
Rooms from £300/night
Luxe from £530/night
The Peninsula is located in Thonburi, often referred to as “the Brooklyn of Bangkok.” The neighborhood, once known only to locals, has small tailor shops, warehouses, and wholesale businesses. It is a riverside hotel that offers fantastic views of Bangkok’s skyline from its 370 rooms.The pool is 60 metres long and is among the best in the city, unusual in Bangkok, and the spa is one of the most attractive and well designed in the city.
Park Hyatt Bangkok
Rooms from £300/night
Luxe from £600/night
At Park Hyatt Bangkok, the rooms and common areas were designed by the firm Yabu Pushelberg, which focused on clean and stark lines. The hotel has the feel of an art gallery, where striking design elements surprise you. The Penthouse Bar & Grill, which spans three upper floors of the building, was designed by the famous New York firm of AvroKo. The idea was to turn one seamless space into five separate venues with marble, ebony, gold accents, and British antique stylings.
Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel
The Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, which draws a fashionable crowd of international travelers, is a verdant sanctuary in the retail jungle. Much to the delight of those staying here, the property has a stronger resort-vibe than many in this area, with tropical landscaping, a central swimming pool, garden terrace rooms, and old-world Thai details. It also offers some of the only terrace rooms in town; they come with adjoining gardens where you can sit out on a private patio.
Surprisingly for years Bangkok’s luxury restaurants were dominated by French and Mediterranean cuisine and exceptional Thai gastronomy could only be found at Bangkok’s bustling food markets served at shaky plastic tables.However now, Bangkok’s fine dining scene is going through a renaissance, with more restaurants on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list than any other city.From outdoor seating areas that line the beautiful Chao Phraya River to restaurants with 360-degree panoramic views of Bangkok’s shimmering skyline, there are plenty of luxurious restaurants to choose from. Thailand finally get its own Michelin Guide. Now is a better time than ever to visit some of Bangkok’s gourmet hotspots. Have a look at what we have chosen as our favorite five most luxurious restaurants in Bangkok.
Le Normandie
Cuisine: French contemporary
This restaurant was first opened in 1958 crowning the Garden Wing, one of Thailand’s tallest buildings at the time, following the relaunch in 1969 it became the city’s first fine-dining restaurant welcoming the likes of Michelin-starred chefs Paul Bocus and Michel Roux to Thailand for the first time. French menu created by chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier and laced with ingredients from the Royal Projects farms in the north of the country. Expect classic dishes like marbled foie-gras with prune and toasted brioche; chateaubriand from Salers with truffle sauce; and parmentier of beef cheek with winter truffle.
Nahm
Cuisine: Thai
By every measure, one of the finest restaurants in town. There are playful canapés to start, followed by appetizers like the famous pigeon salad and a range of creative, spicy soups. The mains are portioned to share, and each dish has something that you’ve likely never had before; skilled servers are eager to tell you all about the wok-fried fiddlehead ferns or the preserved prawns. This restaurant is a solid pick at any time of day.
Gaggan
Cuisine: Progressive Indian
Top of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2015, Gaggan is the canvas on which Kolkata-native Gaggan Anand, who interned with Michelin-maestro Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, presents his take on modern fine dining. Anand aims to “reinvigorate” Indian cuisine by adopting contemporary techniques and a touch of molecular magic, served in imaginative and enticing ways; there’s the chicken tikka topped with an aromatic chutney foam; a chargrilled Indian cottage-cheese sandwich with chutney “bubbles”.
Bo.lan
Cuisine: Thai
Set in a beautifully renovated Thai home, has a design that flows seamlessly among three dining rooms and an outdoor area. There are glass, wood, and stone accents and dark-green walls. Bo.lan’s reputation as a fine-dining trailblazer only continues to grow. For a decade now, Duangporn Songvisava and Dylan Jones (aka “Bo” and “Lan”) have challenged diners to question their definition of Thai cuisine.
The menu focuses on the flavors of traditional, sometimes bygone, Thai dishes, and the kitchen sources organic, sustainable ingredients from local produce, meat, and seafood purveyors.
Sühring
Cuisine: German
Winning the top spot for the third consecutive year in Top Tables of Bangkok awards was German fine dining restaurant. Twin chefs Thomas and Mathias Sühring have redefined their nation’s cuisine with meticulously presented German tasting menus that are now recognized around the globe. The menu changes daily here; one day you’ll see spätzle, the next, brotzeit. The restaurant has a reputation for its wine list, which, unsurprisingly, skews German; you might find your new favorite Riesling. The service is as refined as the setting, and the crowd is dapper through and through.
Leave a Reply