With its June debut, The Siam (3/2 Thanon Khao; 66-2/206-6999; thesiamhotel.com; doubles from US$522) brings an unstinting mix of age-old Siamese glamour and refined Thai luxury to a riverside estate in Bangkok’s Dusit district. Set on the banks of the Chao Phraya, the hotel is owned by a Thai-American family who are well recognized as art collectors, philanthropists, and hoteliers, pursuits that lend the property an air of generosity and good taste throughout. Accommodation consists of 28 Bill Bensley– designed suites, 10 pool villas—a first for Bangkok—and a century-old teakwood house once owned by socialite Connie Mangskau, who hosted the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy and Roger Moore. Chon, an antiques-filled Thai restaurant, occupies another such house, alongside unexpected features like a muay thai boxing ring and a Turkish bathhouse. –Tom O’Brien
Originally appeared in the June/July 2012 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Siam Ease”)
