BANGKOK
BANGKOKSLEEPINGBANGKOKSLEEPINGaiW; river ferry Tha Ratchawong) Easily the
most consciously stylish place to stay in Chi-
natown, if not in all of Bangkok. This award-
winning boutique hotel screams Shanghai
circa 1935 with stained glass, an abundance
of lamps, bold colours and tongue-in-cheek
Chinatown kitsch. If you’re willing to
splurge, ask for one of the bigger streetside
rooms with tall windows that allow more
natural light.
Baan Hualampong GUEST HOUSE $
(Map p 76 ; %0 2639 8054; http://www.baanhualampong.
com; 336/20-21 Trok Chalong Krung; dm 250B, r
290-800B; aiW; MRT Hua Lamphong) Repeat
visitors rave about the homey setting and
warm, personal service at this guest house.
Located a short walk from Hua Lamphong
train station, it has kitchen and laundry fa-
cilities, and there are lots of chill-out areas
and computers. Prices include breakfast.
China Town Hotel HOTEL $$
(Map p 76 ; %0 2225 0204; http://www.chinatownhotel.
co.th; 526 Th Yaowarat; r 880-2500B; aiW; MRT
Hua Lamphong, river ferry Tha Ratchawong) Popu-
lar with Chinese tourists, the lobby here
plays on the theme suggested by the hotel’s
name, but the rooms are largely devoid of
any design concept. Nonetheless, they’ve
recently been remodelled and off er decent
value.
RIVERSIDE
Accommodation on either side of the Mae
Nam Chao Phraya tends to diverge between
upscale and hostel, with little in between.Oriental Hotel LUXURY HOTEL $$$
(Map p 80 ; %0 2659 9000; http://www.mandarinorien
tal.com; 48 Soi 40/Oriental, Th Charoen Krung;
r 12,799-14,799B, ste 23,999-140,999B; aiWs;
hotel shuttle boat from Tha Sathon/Central Pier)
For the true Bangkok experience, a stay at
this grand old riverside hotel is a must. The
majority of rooms are located in the modern
and recently refurbished New Wing, but we
prefer the old-world ambience of the Gar-
den and Authors’ Wings. The hotel is also
home to the city’s most longstanding fi ne
dining restaurant, Le Normandie (p 121 ),
and across the river in Thonburi one of the
region’s most acclaimed spas (p 94 ) and a
cooking school. Breakfast is included. For
background on the hotel’s history, see the
boxed text, above.Shangri-La Hotel LUXURY HOTEL $$$
(Map p 80 ; %0 2236 7777; http://www.shangri-la.com; 89
Soi 42/1/Wat Suan Phlu, Th Charoen Krung; r 6800-
7700B, ste 8500-15,600B; aiWs; BTS Saphan
Taksin) A recent facelift has the longstanding
Shangri-La looking better than ever. Gener-
ous rates, breakfast included, a resort-like
atmopshere and ample activities and ameni-
ties make this a good choice for families.BANGKOK’S GRANDE DAMEThe Oriental Hotel started out as a roughshod boarding house for European seafarers
in the late 19th century, but was transformed into an aristocratic magnet by Hans Niels
Anderson, the founder of the formidable East Asiatic Company (which operated between
Bangkok and Copenhagen). He hired an Italian designer to build what is now known as
the Authors’ Wing, which was the city’s most elaborate secular building; all other grand
architecture at the time was commissioned by the king.
With a dramatic setting beside Mae Nam Chao Phraya, the hotel has gained its repu-
tation from its famous guests. A Polish-born sailor named Joseph Conrad stayed here
inbetween nautical jobs in 1888. W Somerset Maugham stumbled into the hotel with
an advanced case of malaria contracted during his overland journey from Burma. In his
feverish state, he heard the German manager arguing with the doctor about how a death
in the hotel would hurt business. Maugham’s recovery and completion of Gentleman in
the Parlour: A Record of a Journey from Rangoon to Haiphong contributed to the long-
lasting literary appeal of the hotel. Other notable guests have included Noël Coward,
Graham Greene, John le Carré, James Michener, Gore Vidal and Barbara Cartland. Some
modern-day writers even claim that a stay in the Oriental will overcome writer’s block.
To soak up the ambience of old seafaring Bangkok, stop by for a cocktail at the Bam-
boo Bar or toast the ‘swift river’ as Noël Coward did from the riverside terrace. For teeto-
tallers, an afternoon brew is served in a frilly Victorian lounge fi lled with black-and-white
photographs of Rama V. To ensure its aristocratic leanings in a less formal age, the hotel
enforces a dress code (no shorts, sleeveless shirts or sandals allowed).