The Siam

Style

Thai art deco allure

Setting

Right on the river

If Noël Coward was holidaying in Thailand, he'd book into The Siam hotel in Bangkok, a swelligant, dandy affair inspired by the jazzy art deco era. Vintage posters, gramophones and travel trunks pepper this poised pad, which boasts an unbeatable location right on the Chao Phraya River. Wow-worthy extras include the city's only pool villas, a spa, screening room, cooking school and muay Thai boxing ring.

Facilities

Rooms

38, including 28 suites.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible subject to availability. Check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Rates include breakfast in the restaurant, butler service and a speedboat shuttle between the hotel and Sathorn Central Pier (near Saphan Taksin BTS station).

Also

Get active with a bout of muay Thai boxing, then chill out in the Opium Spa by Sodashi, which combines soothing treatments with a serene relaxation space. Come evening, the screening room beckons with its retro cinema seats.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Spa, library, screening room, cooking school, gym, yoga terrace, muay Thai boxing ring, boutique, meeting room, gardens, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen IPTV, minibar, own-label toiletries. Pool Villas also star plunge pools and roof terraces.

Our Favourite Rooms

In the Main Residence, the light-drenched River View Suites offer dreamy Chao Phraya vistas and a stylish salon for lazy breakfasts. For your own plunge pool, retreat to the separate Riverside Pool Villas, which boast lush courtyard gardens and an open-air roof terrace.

Poolside

Soak up prime river views from the generous outdoor infinity pool beside the Chao Phraya. Sleekly shaped, it's lined with stylish modern loungers and flanked by the handy Bathers Bar for refreshing sips.

Packing Tips

Binoculars for scoping river boats; yoga gear for sun salutations on the terrace; a camera for snapping the exquisite antiques and art (we love the rare travel books and prints).

Also

Smoking is allowed in outdoor public areas only. A three-night minimum stay applies between 29 December and 3 January.

Children

Welcome. Two under-12s can stay in suites for free; one can stay in villas. Extra beds for over-12s can be added to certain rooms for THB5,000 each a night (breakfast included).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Book a spot by the window at intimate Chon Thai for sunset river views or bag a private dining room if you're travelling with a troupe. Foodies will love the chef's table for two at the cooking school or opt for private dining in-room or on the pier.

Dress Code

Panama hats, silk suits and Twenties-inspired dresses in keeping with the Great Gatsby vibe.

Hotel Restaurant

Individually designed dining rooms make up the Story House, the Siam's main diner, serving international inspired dishes, such as beetroot carpaccio and Andaman sea bass (alongside a well-stocked wine cellar). For local delicacies, head to riverfront Chon Thai Restaurant; if you like the authentic flavours, learn to recreate them yourself in the cooking school below.

Hotel Bar

For a side of Chao Phraya River views with your sundowner, head to one of the hotel’s two alfresco watering-holes – The Pier or Bathers Bar. For freshly brewed coffee, tea, cakes and snacks, kick back in soon-to-open Café Cha, deckside by the main entrance courtyard.

Last Orders

Dinner is served until 11pm, when the bar also calls it a night.

Room Service

Sandwiches, pasta, burgers and Thai cuisine are just some of the hunger-ousting options on the room service menu, available 24 hours a day.

Planes

Fly into Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (www.bangkokairportonline.com), 35 kilometres east of the city centre, which handles domestic and international flights. Take the Bangkok Airport Train (www.bangkokairporttrain.com) from Suvarnabhumi for fast, traffic-dodging links into town; the last stop, Phaya Thai, is the nearest to the Siam.

Trains

The nearest regular train station is Hua Lamphong (www.railway.co.th), five kilometres from the Siam, Bangkok's major train hub serving destinations including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and former royal capital Ayutthaya.

Automobiles

If you've arrived with your own wheels, there's free parking at the hotel. Taxis and tuk-tuks for local journeys are available around the clock, but beware of peak traffic times.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The Siam's intimate Opium Spa by Sodashi is a must for pleasure hounds, drawing on all-natural products inspired by the earth and sea. Choose between solo or couple's suites with steam rooms and saunas. Facials, body therapies, massage, mani/pedis and wellbeing programmes are all up for grabs. The Kids' and Teen Menu is a cute touch, and there are specific pampering perks for men.

It's not often that hotel gyms tick the good-looking box, but the Siam's is spacious and serene, overlooking a monastery, with personal trainers on tap. Unwind on the outdoor yoga terrace, with a cocktail at sunset, try t'ai chi or get fighting fit in the muay Thai ring (the spa offers a Muay Thai Recovery package if you overdo it). Training options abound for beginners or experienced boxers, and the chef can even tailor your diet to match.

For cultural highs, ogle hand-picked curios and antiques in the hotel's cabinets and inviting library (home to owner Krissada Clapp's collection of rare, first-edition hardbacks on old Siam and Asia and his mother Kamala's neolithic pottery pieces).

You're just 15 minutes from the Grand Palace, and mesmerising temples Wat Pho and Wat Arun downstream. Make the most of the Siam's free shuttle for gliding to riverside sites, or let the concierge hook you up with an in-the-know private guide. Smith also recommends checking out the floating markets and sleepy scenes on the city's smaller khlongs (canals), easily expored by longtail boat. The hotel also has a private Bangkok boat tour. Fans of muay Thai can watch the real thing at nearby Ratchadamnoen Stadium.

Further afield to the north, the Chatuchak Weekend Market is worth a visit, with hundreds of stalls toting clothing, handicrafts, homewares, food and pets (live snakes, anyone?). The shopping-averse can content themselves with Curio, the Siam's small boutique, which offers an elegant edit of accessories, from travel posters to jewellery, antiques and toiletries.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .