Your essential guide to Bangkok

In keeping with the traditional feel of Bangkok’s first luxury hotel that opened more than 145 years ago, the area around what was once known as ‘New Road’ is one of the most fascinating and diverse in Bangkok. A short walk away from the venerable façade of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is the Buddhist temple of Wat Suan Phlu, as well as the city’s burgeoning Creative District, where you’ll find the Haroon Mosque and the Assumption Cathedral (which is around 200 years old). Also here is Bang Rak quarter, at once the heartland of modern Bangkok and a kaleidoscopic pageant of street life in this most hospitable of Asian capitals.

More than any hotel in the Thai capital, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok exudes an old-world charm that makes you feel as if you’re walking arm-in-arm with former Bangkok residents, Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad. A major refurbishment in 2019 has brought new life to the hotel’s quarters, adding spacious suites and refreshed River Wing rooms by designer Jeffrey Wilkes, as well as updated restaurants and swimming pools. The crumbling brickwork of the Old Customs House graces the riverfront like a backdrop to The Jungle Book. Just a few metres away you’ll find the charmingly restored neoclassical heritage shopping arcades of O.P. Place Shopping Centre and O.P. Garden with their collections of antique shops, galleries, designer stores and fine tailors. Serindia Gallery in O.P. Garden has monthly exhibitions from Thai and international artists.

For venerable Thai craftsmanship, Cotton House in O.P. Place can work its tailoring magic on silk shirts, suits and dresses in just a couple of days. Guests can also take a short boat ride from the hotel to chic riverside ICONSIAM, a sprawling complex of boutiques championing Thai designers, as well as major international brand outlets. The hotel’s private boats are a scenic and convenient way to access the BTS Skytrain for other shopping districts, too.

Just 20 minutes away by tuk-tuk or taxi you will find the world-famous sights around The Grand Palace. The palace itself and Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) are best visited shortly after opening time at 8.30am to avoid the crowds. Just around the corner at Wat Pho, however, you can enjoy a more peaceful sense of the spiritualism that is a central tenet of Thai Buddhism. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok offers complimentary boat shuttles that connect guests with commuter boats at Sathorn Pier (a major transport hub). From here you can explore sights of the Chao Phraya River – the lifeblood of the city.

Sample the magic of some of Bangkok’s most talented mixologists at The Bamboo Bar. Opened in 1953, it has become a beloved city institution for its tipples and live jazz, making its way on to Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2019 as Thailand’s highest ever entry. Stylish, tri-level speakeasy Rabbit Hole is also nearby in the Thonglor area, offering classic cocktails behind an unsuspecting wooden door.

With sweeping river views and delectable, contemporary French fare, it’s hard not to get swept up in the charm of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Normandie by Alain Roux. A short taxi ride away, Chef ‘Ton’ of New York’s Eleven Madison Park fame reinterprets local plates using the finest seasonal ingredients at Le Du.