Review: The Siam

Why book The Siam, Bangkok?

Away from Bangkok’s buzz, The Siam delivers a textbook example of top-notch Thai hospitality.

Set the scene

You know you’re in for something special before reaching the lobby. During the 30-minute boat transfer from Bangkok’s main pier on the Chao Phraya River, The Siam’s teakwood-trimmed barge glides past a highlight reel of the city’s riverside temples and palaces. Upon approach, you’ll find your butler—wearing a dressy black sarong and sharp waistcoat—waving you welcome on the hotel jetty, after which check-ins follow smoothly as silk. While The Siam has an undeniably urban setting (surrounding high-rises are creeping closer to its perimeter every year), the vibe is more resort than hotel: you’ll find staycationing expatriates lounging poolside under zebra-striped umbrellas and more than a few out-of-towners forgoing their sightseeing plans to do the same.

The backstory

Personas in the hotel’s backstory include a Thai rockstar-slash-antiques collector, a devout Buddhist business tycoon, and a superstar designer. The Bangkok-based Sukosol family has owned the hotel’s riverside plot since the late 1970s. When it became vacant several decades later, the youngest scion, actor-musician Krissada Sukosol Clapp, teamed up with hotel designer Bill Bensley for this Art Deco-inspired gem that was far ahead of its time when it welcomed its first guests in 2012. The building was designed to double as a gallery for Clapp’s collection of antiques and vintage knick-knacks (from Rama V-era military uniforms to vintage cameras and Ming Dynasty blue-and-whites), which you’ll now find lining the hallways, lounges, and suites.

The rooms

The Siam is all-suite territory, and even the standard ones, spread out on either side of a plant-filled, glass-ceilinged atrium, are larger than the suites at many a Bangkok hotel. They’re arguably more stylish, too—with black-and-white bases from marble and lacquered wood, accented with timeworn Buddhist art and sepia-toned maps on the walls. They’re bathed in natural light and come with spa-like bathrooms. The real stunners, though, are the villas on the riverfront. With arched entryways, black-tiled swimming pools, and rooftop sundecks reached via swirling wrought-iron stairs, their private courtyards feel resort-like in the best possible way, while their marble-tiled bathrooms look as if they’re lifted straight out of an Ottoman bathhouse.

Food and drink

There are two restaurants serving just the kind of dishes you want to find on a lazy Thai holiday. Chon, taking over a century-old teakwood house near the river, specializes in all things Thai: grilled gai yang chicken, zingy tom yum soups and a rainbow of curries with crab, stewed beef, or spicy duck (opt for the Chef’s Tasting Menu for a taste of everything). The a-la-carte breakfast is served here, too, with a Thai-Continental menu ranging from guay teow noodle soups to truffle-flecked cheese toasties and healthy salad bowls. In an antiques-studded greenhouse flanking the lobby is the recently refreshed Story House restaurant, where chef Blair Mathieson dishes out global comfort classics such as whole baked brie, sesame-crusted tuna, and a fabulous roast cauliflower with sumac and dill yoghurt.

The spa

Spread around the basement of the main building, the Opium Spa is a wellness Valhalla of babbling fountains, herbal tea and five marble-clad treatment rooms. The tome-thick spa menu includes everything from age-defying facials to jet lag fix-ups, though you can’t go wrong with a classic Thai massage to knead, stretch, and pull stiff shoulders and sore limbs back into shape. After a bit more action? There’s a real-deal Muay Thai boxing ring for sparring sessions with a seasoned professional.

The neighborhood/area

Home to Italo-Thai government offices and royal palaces, the wide-laned Dusit district feels miles away from the frenetic buzz of downtown. In sightseeing terms, there isn’t much to do (apart from, perhaps, the marble-clad Wat Benchamabophit temple), but it’s a lovely place for a stroll to experience Bangkok in the slow lane. The city’s postcard sights and destination-worthy dining spots require at least a 20-minute taxi drive or a hop on The Siam’s boat, which can drop you off at most piers along the river.

The service

From the lilting sawatdeekas to the wai greetings at every turn—the service here is textbook Thai. A small army of butlers is at the ready to craft itineraries packed with insider intel or pull strings to score notoriously difficult restaurant reservations.

For families

While the vibe is much more honeymoon-y and grown-up than many of Bangkok’s other stays in the same price range, families are still very welcome. The pool has shallow areas for little ones to play in, and the Opium Spa offers treatments tailored to kids and teens. Another perk they’ll love: movies with popcorn in the Screening Room, a snug private cinema studded with Hollywood memorabilia.

Eco effort

Every guest will find a refillable water bottle in their room (theirs to take home), which can be refilled from water dispensers around the hotel. Single-use plastics are banned, and waste is sorted for recycling. Bill Bensley’s gallery, on the second floor of a stilted wooden house, has a rotating collection of Bensley’s paintings and prints for sale—with proceeds going to his do-good preservation projects around Asia.

Accessibility

There are ramps leading up to the lobby and most communal areas, while an elevator makes every level accessible without the need for stairs. All suites on the second floor come without steps and barriers (and spacious bathrooms but not specifically adapted with accessibility features). The tiered floor plans inside the third-floor suites and villas make those rooms less accessible.

Anything left to mention?

A visit to The Siam’s private Sak Yant (sacred Thai tattoo) studio has become a rite of passage in Bangkok’s hospitality circles. It is just one of the meticulously curated experiences it offers to guests. This year, they’ve added another one for a unique keepsake: a private portrait session with a century-old daguerreotype (silver plate) camera, either in the hotel or in the young photographers’ studio nearby.