9.2
Thailand · €€€
The Siam
A private Art Deco house on the Chao Phraya where Bangkok goes quiet
Small and personalDesign hotelsOwn transferPrivate poolSpa and wellnessVery quiet
Thailand · 2 hotels
Thailand
Two coasts, two seasons, and a knack for quiet service
Best months
SeasonDry and pleasant from November to February, hot from March to May, with monsoon rain from June to October that mostly arrives in short afternoon bursts.
AirportsBangkok Suvarnabhumi is the main gateway, with Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai served by frequent domestic and some direct regional flights.
Thailand's hotel landscape runs from the pool villa estates of Phuket and Koh Samui to the garden houses of Chiang Mai and the tower hotels along Bangkok's river. Few countries offer such range at every level. The strongest suit is service: Thai houses train staff to anticipate rather than react, and the better ones pair that with a spa culture that takes treatments seriously. Families find kids' clubs that run all day, couples find adults only resorts on Phang Nga Bay, and travellers with dogs find a small but growing set of villas that admit them.
The two coasts follow different calendars. The Andaman side, with Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak, is at its best from November to March; the Gulf, with Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, holds its dry weather into August. Regulars skip the marquee beaches, book the monsoon shoulder for empty pools, and use the river ferries rather than taxis in Bangkok.
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