Above: Verandah plunge pool, Capella Bangkok - PANORAMICSTUDIO

Contrasting Hotels in Dizzying, Dazzling Bangkok

Verandah Suite, Capella Bagkok - PanoramicStudio

In 2024, Bangkok claimed the title of most-visited city in the world, beating out Tokyo, Paris and New York. This metropolis of 11 million people is dazzling and disorienting and a mass of contradictions. Buddhist temples coexist near infamous red-light districts, the skyline mixes golden spires and soaring high-rises, gritty night markets stand beside gleaming shopping malls, and locals navigate it all by tranquil canals and traffic-clogged roads.

Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya River - Kenny Teo / Getty Images

I always relish the prospect of returning, not least for Bangkok’s sensational culinary scene and almost unparalleled urban resorts. This time, my excuse to go back was to review a new property on the river and a longtime favorite that had garnered complaints. My traveling companion and I spent a week exploring the city before decamping to the island of Koh Samui for a few days of luxurious indolence. Alas, we visited Thailand just before the new Aman hotel opened in Bangkok. It seems that I’ll have to return again soon! 

Capella Bangkok

Phra Nakhon restaurant, Capella Bangkok - Georg Roske
Verandah Suite, Capella Bangkok - PanoramicStudio
Riverfront Premier bath, Capella Bangkok
The Living Room, Capella Bangkok - PanoramicStudio
Grand stairs, Capella Bangkok - PanoramicStudio
Stella, Capella Bangkok

I generally recommend staying along the majestic Chao Phraya, Thailand’s most significant waterway and the lifeblood of its capital. The legendary 331-room Mandarin Oriental has long set the standard for luxury, while farther upriver, The Siam, a Bill Bensley-designed boutique hotel with just 38 rooms, has cultivated a devoted following as well. I love them both.

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