The Siam Hotel — Photo courtesy of Siam HotelPaying homage to the post-colonial early 1900's era of King Rama V, this ultra-luxurious boutique hotel is a design-lover's dream, and Bangkok's newest spot to lodge in sheer elegance. Vintage clocks, steamer trunks and straw fedoras are just some of the quirky antiques that grace the private villas that come with plunge pools and rooftop terraces. There's even a completely restored century-old teak pagoda-topped cottage that is the star piece of the resort.

The Siam is owned by the Sukosol-Clapp family, famed celebrity musician-actors, and the resort is more like their private palace now being shared with strangers. Set in historical Dusit on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, the Siam is in the most interesting part of town and yet far from the rest of the glut hotel scene that crowds the river further downstream.

The Siam Hotel — Photo courtesy of Siam Hotel

Everything here feels secluded and pampered, from the the first professionally-equipped, luxury Muay Thai gym in Bangkok to the Opium Spa with Sodashi therapies, to the gorgeous Chon Thai restaurant and cooking school, which is set in old teak houses along the river and serves up exquisitely prepared Thai and international fare.

The Siam is the most expensive hotel in the city, but you get what you pay for here; privacy, exclusivity and plenty of opulent charm.