Bangkok's Best Boutique Hotels: Take Your Stay to the Next Level

The name of the hotel comes from the Thai calendar year when it was made (1916 on the Western calendar). The beautiful home tucked into a garden in a corner of Chinatown belonged to a well to do Muslim family, and was typical of the architecture found during the Rama VI era of the time. The home became run down through generations, and eventually was used as a warehouse by an import/export shoe business, whose owner Suksan Aueareechon decided that the old building deserved a far better fate. He embarked on an ambitious renovation project, and has turned the home into a lovely boutique stay with just four rooms. Rooms feature polished wood floors, antique furniture, and one room even retains the building's original lime-written ceiling. There's also a charming cafe called Chata hidden behind the house, where an original exposed brick wall has been surrounded by a glass house, and where baristas serve up some of Bangkok's most gourmet beans.

Just perfect for an urban romantic weekend, the Sofitel So Bangkok is an elegant urban oasis that sets out to combine every aspect of the Bangkok experience. Designed by an elite group of Thai architects and interior designers, overseen by French haute couturier mogul Christian Lacroix, the hotel features rooms and public spaces designed around the theme of five elements. The rooms feature complimentary Apple Mac Mini's, and there are a staggering range of extremely romantic fine dining and drinking options on premises, including the Park Society and Hi So bar and restaurant, which offers moonlit cabanas and a glittering city view by night over Lumpini Park. The Sofitel So is minutes from the MRT subway Lumpini Station, giving easy access to all the shopping, dining and nightlife districts of central Bangkok.

This small boutique hotel is new, unique, and novel. They don't allow any walk-ins, and the entire place is based on privacy and tailor made comfort. The front gate is locked 24 hours a day, giving the Maduzi the feel of a private home. The spacious rooms are elegant and feature spa quality bathrooms with Jacuzzis. All rooms come with 42'' cable television, music systems, and surround sound speakers, and guests can choose between Classic, Deluxe, and Suite options. The restaurant here is a French restaurant by a Japanese chef, the only of its kind in Bangkok, offering a creative cuisine with Japanese ingenuity. It's a mix of fusion and classic French with signature dishes such as duck foie gras terrine infused with port wine served with figs jam and mesclun salad. The hotel is located just down the road from the Asok Intersection, giving immediate access to both the skytrain, the metro, and to the Terminal 21 shopping mall, so it's in a prime location and great for both business travellers and tourists.

With 145 lavish suites, it is hard to go wrong at the Oriental Residence. This swank serviced residence and apartments has a great leafy location along Wireless Road, not far from the Ploenchit BTS Skytrain Station. Access to all of the city's finest dining, shopping, and all else is just steps away. Rooms here feature fully equipped kitchens, marble bathrooms, custom mattresses, and plenty of space. There is also the gourmet French restaurant Savelberg right on the premises, along with Cafe Claire, a boutique retro cafe that will keep you dining in many a day and night. The residences also feature a state of the art gym and an outdoor swimming pool.

The Hansar prides itself as an urban boutique oasis. Set right in the heart of Bangkok, just steps away from the shopping meccas of Siam Paragon and Central World, and easily accessed by the Skytrain, the hotel is awash with convenience. Chic and modern, the 94 room suites all have free-standing terrazzo bathtubs and feature vertical gardens just outside. Each suite includes a complimentary mini bar, free wifi, and huge 50 inch flat screen televisions. Even the smallest suites in Hansar are enormous, with 59 square meters of living space, and despite the middle of downtown location, the nineteen floor hotel is tucked away in peace and tranquility. This brand new hotel is yet another fine addition to the choice of upscale pampering available in Bangkok.

For the ultimate in luxury pampering, try a romantic splurge at the Siam Hotel. Paying 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. Everything here feels secluded and pampered, from the the first luxury Muay Thai gym in Bangkok to the Opium Spa with Sodashi therapies, to the gorgeous Chon Thai restaurant, which is set in old teak houses along the river. The Siam is the most expensive hotel in Bangkok, but you get what you pay for here; privacy, exclusivity and plenty of opulent charm.

If you are a fan of yesteryear, a stay at the Cabochon promises plenty of atmosphere, romance, and charm. The Cabochon is located at the end of a quiet alley off Sukhumvit Road, hidden away like a forgotten treasure. This boutique gem has only four villas and four suites, each one decked out with vintage writing desks, armchairs, and antique table lamps. Double French doors, wood framed vanity mirrors, and Belgian linens are just part of the luxury here, with the entire hotel paying homage to the Shanghai chic glory days of the 1920's. It's not only the rooms that will leave visitors impressed here. The Thai Lao Yeh Restaurant is made from 100 year old timber salvaged from Thai villages and the superlative menu items feature plenty of authentic Isaan dishes such as spicy larb meat salads or novelties like gaeng pak wan kai-mod-daeng (spicy soup with ants eggs).

Ariyasom Villa is a family run luxury boutique hotel, themed on Bangkok in the 1940's and 50's. The current owner's grandfather, Khun Phra Chareon, was an engineer who designed the National Stadium in Bangkok, along with the first runway at the international airport, and the first underwater pipe to send water from Bangkok across the Chao Phraya River. He lived in the villa during WWII, which he built himself. Today, the Ariyasom features teak wood floors, antique furniture, and silk drapes, as well as beautiful lush tropical gardens along with all the modern amenities expected at a boutique resort. Ariyasom is cozy and intimate, with 25 rooms and suites, all with LCD television, DVD player, and WiFi internet access, with easy access to the outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi. The on site Na Aroon Thai restaurant and Som Sen Spa are both known for their quality and service, and the hotel is conveniently located in the heart of central Bangkok.

When we say that this is a hotel fit for a prince, we are not bluffing, as the Chakrabongse Villas were indeed the former residence of HRH Prince Chula Chakrabongse, whose daughter has transformed her father's home into a magical boutique lodging. Comprised of just 3 marvelous elegant villas, the Chakrabongse features traditional Thai homes that were transported to this exquisite early 1900's residence that sits right on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, looking out on Wat Arun, the beautiful Temple of Dawn. A wonderfully tranquil oasis in Bangkok, but book early, as few rooms and such a wonderful ambiance mean for minimal vacancies.

This exquisitely renovated heritage hotel was originally a 1960s publishing factory that belonged to owner Panida "Oum" Tosnaitada's grandparents, and was the site of the popular Bangkok Weekly magazine, in an age prior to the internet and mobile phone. Tosnaitada has painstakingly restored the residence into a lovely city escape, mixing industrial chic with antique furniture, furnished wood floors, and a large collection of her family's tools of the trade, from typewriters to printing plates, original spools of print paper, and other relics. Lovers of the old and refined will feel right at home here, without having to be deprived of anything modern, as rooms come with fast-working WiFi, Nespresso makers, and TVs stocked with Netflix and Amazon Prime connections. There's also a lovely rooftop jacuzzi to relax in, plus a library full of games, arthouse film DVDs, and even a vintage pinball machine that is still in working order. There are only eight rooms here, and the attentive staff ensure an intimate and personalized stay, going out of their way to point out all of the nearby Old Town attractions, which range from the views atop the Golden Mount to eating Michelin-starred street food at Jay Fai. It's a unique and welcome departure from the often generic hotels that line Sukhumvit and Silom, and an ode to the rapidly disappearing Bangkok of old.