Capella Bangkok
There are few better places to part with your Baht than at the award-winning Capella Bangkok. With villas directly beside the Chao Phraya River, certain suites with private plunge pools and a restaurant watched over by a three-Michelin-star chef, this low-rise retreat has forever raised the bar for hotels in the Thai capital.
With just 101 keys the hotel is an intimate affair. Standard (if such a word applies here) rooms have stunning river views and spa-like bathrooms with walk-in rain showers, enormous bathtubs and ultra-fluffy bathrobes. But that’s just the beginning. Of particular note are the Verandah Rooms and Suites that open up to large balconies with private plunge pools, cosy daybeds and snug seating nooks. Then of course there are the villas – the first of their kind in Bangkok – which have their own pools and gardens set right by the water.
It’s not only the rooms that turn heads here. Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco has been lured here from France – where he took Mirazur in Nice to the title of World’s Best in 2019 – to oversee Côte, the rustic-chic restaurant at the heart of the hotel. Over by the river, Phra Nakhon serves Thai specialties on one of the loveliest tree-shaded terraces anywhere on the Chao Phraya. While artisanal pastries and colourful cocktails are on offer at Stella, a jewel of a bar with a boudoir-like décor.
Other standout features include a riverfront pool with blue-and-white parasols, a wonderful spa that draws on Thai, Indian and Chinese healing rituals, and a team of ‘Capella Culturists’ offering unrivalled insights and experiences in Bangkok, from monk-guided meditations to time with some of Thailand’s most adorable Yais (Thai grandmothers).
