Thailand’s best hotels: Capella Bangkok, Amanpuri and Four Seasons lead the list

Condé Nast Traveler just named its favourite hotels in Thailand, sorting the shortlist by what travellers actually want — a city splurge in Bangkok, a spa reset in Hua Hin, a family beach stay in Phuket and a boutique hideaway up north. Editor Chris Schalkx argues the country’s hotels punch well above their weight, and his top picks run from a Michelin-starred riverside newcomer to teak-and-river calm in Chiang Mai.

For pure city luxury, the magazine crowns Capella Bangkok, which opened in 2020 on a garden-clad estate along the Chao Phraya River. The low-rise hotel of blonde wood and creamy marble arrived with Bangkok firsts such as travertine hot tubs on suite balconies and villas set directly on the waterfront. Its Mediterranean-leaning restaurant Côte, led by Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, won a Michelin star within a year of opening.

The Siam, designed by hotel guru Bill Bensley, is the sentimental favourite — a “monochrome masterpiece” in the hushed Dusit district that readers keep voting onto gold lists. Down its marble-floored hallways hang vintage Pan Am posters, tattered travel trunks and chipped ceramics. Newer is Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, built on a seven-acre estate once owned by early-20th-century entrepreneur Nai Lert, with a ninth-floor infinity pool shaded by a sampong tree.

Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is not a place one loves then leaves. It stays with you.

Beach and jungle escapes

For families, the list points to Amanpuri in Phuket, the original outpost of the Aman empire, which opened in 1988 and still feels like the real deal. Four Seasons Koh Samui takes the beach crown, with 60 hillside villas and 10 private residences among coconut palms on Laem Yai Bay. Spa-goers should head to Chiva-Som International Health Resort in Hua Hin, while Chiang Mai’s Raya Heritage lands the boutique pick with teak pillars and village artisan crafts in every cream-colored suite.

Schalkx says the smaller stays win on the welcome and the food: “friendly service and traditional cooking will leave you feeling like you’ve gained a glimpse into life as a local.”