Bangkok is in no shortage of well executed, characterful luxury hotels. However, while most of the best luxury hotels in Bangkok tend to lean into the lush-oasis-away-from-the-bustle-of-the-city approach, The Siam stands apart. Don’t get us wrong, it’s plenty lush—indeed, the indoor and outdoor landscaping is one of its most distinctive features—but running alongside that is an undercurrent of grit.
Being unafraid to lean into the unpretty elements is what brings The Siam to life; here, the striking monochromatic Art Deco architecture and interiors by Bill Bensley (often considered the prolific architect’s magnum opus) and abundant plant life are juxtaposed against the extensive art and antique collection of owner Krissada Sukosol Clapp, who is responsible for the interior styling of the suites and public spaces.
Take the vinyl room, for example. In any other hotel, the high-ceilinged, light-filled space would be home to a refined seating area defined by its design restraint. At The Siam, a taxidermied alligator leers from beneath a wooden grand piano, coins spilling out of its mouth and Thai paraphernalia and old newspapers surrounding it. Later, sunbathing by the pool, I spot what looks to be its younger brother resting in the grass, before jumping out of my skin when the ‘alligator’ moves towards me. It turns out to be a positively giant—but harmless—lizard, and we both go back to sunbaking.
Although The Siam is somewhat removed from the main retail outlets and tourist haunts in Bangkok, the boutique hotel has a complimentary shuttle boat service to and from Bangkok’s central Sathorn pier (with several stops along the way). The Siam bills this as a ‘shuttle boat service’, however such a descriptor conjures up images of standard commuter ferries and is something of a disservice to the beautifully appointed cruise boat on offer, with its dark wood details and curvilinear seating arrangements evocative of the golden age of travel. I stayed at The Siam with my mother and grandmother, for the final portion of our multigenerational girls’ trip, beginning and ending in Bangkok. Though our travels throughout northern Thailand had taken us through lush rice paddy fields, past elephants, and even to the meeting point of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, we all agreed that The Siam’s boat ride down the Chao Phraya River—which we had all to ourselves—was one of the highlights of our trip.
Read on for our full review of The Siam, Bangkok
The lowdown: The Siam, Bangkok
The hook; why stay at The Siam, Bangkok?
An idiosyncratic offering on the Chao Phraya River, The Siam is suffused with rock ‘n’ roll energy—in no small part thanks to its founder’s other day job as a singer and one-quarter of the Thai band Pru—that gives it a distinctly different vibe to the other luxury hotels in the city. While it’s got all the usual trappings one would expect at a hotel of this calibre and is sure to impress even the most traditional of travellers, The Siam caters to a discerning, design-oriented clientele who want to dispense with convention without forgoing comfort.
How to get there
The Siam is located in the historic Dusit district of Bangkok, close to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and the Grand Palace. It’s a 45-minute to 70-minute drive (thanks to Bangkok’s notoriously unpredictable traffic) from Suvarnabhumi Airport (31km) or a 30-minute to 50-minute drive from Don Mueang International Airport (22km).
Those already in Bangkok can also arrange to arrive via The Siam’s boat service.
Design and architecture
A masterclass in the art of concealment and revealment, the street entrance to The Siam is surprisingly unassuming and belies its three acre footprint. Guests not entering via boat are shuttled up to the hotel through an elevator in the carpark, before being led to a reception area that’s positively diminutive by traditional luxury hotel standards. That’s because check-in happens in the vast sunken atrium, where the hotel begins to unfold.
Designed by feted architect Bill Bensley through close collaboration with owner Krissada Sukosol Clapp (perhaps better known by the stage name ‘Noi’), The Siam fuses the architectural and interior design typologies of a hotel, museum, and resort. Art Deco design cues reign supreme throughout The Siam, with a black-and-white colour palette accented by abundant internal and external landscaping and smatterings of art and antiques at every turn. The boutique hotel places a large emphasis on public spaces, with almost half the footprint of the hotel dedicated to these—highlights including a vinyl room, library, and riverside seating—giving the property the feeling of being in your own private mansion (particularly during the low season).
The devil is in the details here; even the lift up to the guest suites exudes Art Deco cool, with a padded leather backing and seating area, while the generous black marble reflection pond filled with shrubs and palm trees between the entryway to the guest suites add to the hotel’s vastness and create the feeling of being in a world of one’s own.
Rooms and suites
The Siam is a suite-only affair, and, despite the hotel’s sizeable footprint on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, has just 38 suites and villas.
There are five suite categories—Siam, Garden View, Premier Garden View, River View Suite, and Premier River View Suite—and two villa categories; Courtyard Pool Villa and Riverside Pool Villa. The suites are either 80m² or 100m², with the ‘premier’ designation indicative of the larger suite size. Meanwhile, both the Courtyard Pool Villa and Riverside Pool Villa are 130m².
All suites and villas take on the same tone as the public spaces, with the black-and-white interiors punctuated with mauve sofas, violet chrysanthemums, and leafy green house plants. Like the external spaces, suites and villas are appointed with individually selected art—expect erotic charcoal drawings and suggestively posed sculptures—and antiques.
We were hosted within one of The Siam’s Garden View Suites, which has an open-plan layout and is vertically oriented to face the leafy external courtyard (with just a sliver of river on display) and laden with Art Deco details. Located on the second floor, the suite takes on a faintly masculine tone—it’s easy to imagine a retired rocker kicking back in one of the mauve armchairs, swilling whisky after a night out—with its black wooden floors and wall panels, brass pendant lights, floor-to-ceiling windows with black muntins juxtaposed against bright white walls, and an ornate wrought iron chandelier.
We’d be remiss not to mention the entryway to our Garden View Suite; bigger than that of many an inner-city studio apartment, the hallway is completely paneled with cubic mirrors framed by black muntins, giving off a trippy effect. Inside, the open-plan layout sees the bathroom—complete with a freestanding white resin soaking tub and rain shower—placed at the back of the suite, divided by way of two dark wood wardrobes flanking a heavy curtain. The vanity faces out towards the rest of the room, with a small storage space for luggage neatly tucked away on one side. Between the vanity and bed frame is a writing desk, with the king or two twin beds in the centre of the room. The bed faces a TV which serves double duty as a way to delineate sleeping and lounging areas—which can be further cordoned off with another heavyweight curtain—with the sitting area looking out upon the aforementioned floor-to-ceiling windows. A welcome touch comes in the form of a generously sized bowl of mangosteens—a positively delectable tropical fruit we likely wouldn’t have tried otherwise due to its somewhat intimidating skin—sitting atop the coffee table, which were replenished daily by housekeeping.
Tea and coffee
The Siam has in-room tea and coffee facilities in the form of a kettle and an Espressotoria coffee pod machine. Tea bags are by Ronnefeldt, with the German brand’s chamomile, English Breakfast, and Earl Grey teas on offer. Coffee pods are by Vittoria, with both caffeinated and decaffeinated options available, and there are also drip coffee bags with blends from northern Thailand.
Bathroom products
Bathroom products have been decanted into marble dispensers, so it’s not known whether these are by an established brand or custom-made for the hotel. Regardless, they’re delicately scented with lemongrass and a treat to use. Expect body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in the shower and by the bathtub, and hand wash and body lotion by the double vanity.
Comfort factor
Despite the undeniable aesthetic splendour of the Bill Bensley-designed property, The Siam’s cloud-like mattresses and plush pillows make sleeping in the luxury hotel just as good as being awake in it. While the frenetic pace of the city outside is likely a contributing factor, we found ourselves sound asleep moments after our heads hit the pillow.
Our Garden View Suite felt well-sized for three people, with ample space around the twin beds in the middle making it easy to circumnavigate, even with an additional guest bed.
The only issue we encountered was with the air conditioning. As with most luxury hotels in Bangkok (and Asia as a whole), The Siam sets its air conditioning to a positively glacial 21°C; even after increasing the temperature to 25°C (and asking the staff to assist with this), the air conditioning continued to maintain a chilly room temperature, even getting colder than the initial temperature.
Food and drink
The Siam is home to two key dining offerings. A couple of minutes walk through a leafy courtyard, past the Jim Thompson & Bensley Gallery, some black-and-white checkered paving stones reminiscent of a chess board, and a rectangular lily pond is a set of teak houses that comprise The Chon Thai restaurant. Overlooking the Chao Phraya River, The Chon Thai is open from breakfast to dinner and serves elevated Thai cuisine executed with local produce.
There’s also The Story House; located within the main building, a Bensley Design Studios-designed greenhouse flooded with natural light spans a series of rooms studded with antiques and curios styled by Krissada Sukosol Clapp, founder and creative director of The Siam. The Story House serves a luxurious afternoon tea on weekends and has a daytime à la carte menu on weekdays.
Tell us about the breakfast
Eschewing the traditional breakfast buffet, The Siam opts for an unlimited à la carte format, which is both befitting of its boutique positioning and aids in reducing food wastage. There’s an enticing selection of Asian and western options on the menu; the former are a particular standout with dishes like the Khao Mok Gai and pumpkin congee proving particular highlights. The western selection is a comprehensive affair, with the usual sweet and savoury suspects executed with a twist — there’s a cured salmon ‘croast’ which sees a croissant subbing in for toast, avocado on toast, eggs any which way you’d like, and coconut waffles, as well as the usual healthy standbys like porridge, acai bowls, seasonal fruit, and even a breakfast salad bowl. The staff were both happy and able to alter breakfast dishes to cater to various dietary requirements; we enjoyed the aforementioned Khao Mok Gai sans chicken, with most items on the Asian and western menus able to be made vegetarian.
As someone who often finds the miniature pastries at hotel buffet breakfasts somewhat underwhelming, I’m happy to report that the (full-sized!) croissants and pain au chocolats at The Siam were excellent and had just the right amount of flake factor.
Spa and facilities
The Siam is home to one of the most impressive urban hotel spas in the northern hemisphere. Tucked in the basement of the main building, the subterranean Opium Spa is an expansive hideout elegantly tucked beneath the bustle of Bangkok, boasting a hammam style relaxation area, palatial marble treatment rooms, and complimentary steam and sauna facilities. There’s an encyclopedic spa menu with everything from facials and comprehensive jet lag recovery sessions to ayurvedic treatments, and of course, traditional Thai massage.
The infinity pool overlooks the river and is complete with the riverside Bather’s Bar, which serves beverages and light refreshments.
Wellness experiences such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, and reiki are available through the Opium Spa, while the fitness centre—past a small reception room laden with vintage fight club-esque memorabilia—decked out with Life Fitness and Octane equipment and complete with a boxing ring on the ground floor also offers private Muay Thai classes.
The library within the main building also houses a screening room which is laden with Hollywood memorabilia and can be booked for events and private viewings.
In line with The Siam’s rock ‘n’ roll energy is the option to get a Sak Yan tattoo, a Thai tradition that involves tattooing magical ancient geometric and deity symbols with Buddhist prayers onto the body using a traditional khem (needle) in a stick-and-poke fashion. This takes place away from the main building within a consecrated space dedicated to the sacred tradition.
There’s also the Jim Thompson shop and Bensley Gallery; housed in the same space, the former is on the ground floor and sells sumptuous silk goods—including designs that have made an appearance on The White Lotus—while the latter is on the upper floor and displays the famous architect’s paintings. Antique lovers wishing to further indulge in retail therapy will be happy to know The Siam has an on-site store, Curio, brimming with wares that allow you to take home a piece of the boutique hotel’s idiosyncratic energy.
Service
The service at The Siam sees the singular Thai hospitality culture executed with an intimate feel. The housekeeping and turndown service was properly timed to take place when we were out of the room and was thoroughly executed.
Former general manager Nick Downing and current hotel manager Nawee Wattanasongsuit are well connected within the city, and able to secure seemingly impossible restaurant reservations and craft personalised itineraries.
Befitting of its boutique approach, each guest is assigned their own personal butler, reachable via WhatsApp. There was a blip with service on our first evening in the hotel, when we requested assistance with the air conditioning in our suite. Unfortunately, the staff member dispensed to assist with the issue was unable to make it any warmer than 21°C and somewhat hastily departed the room. While extra blankets were offered, we wanted to enjoy the suite and the lack of a solution-oriented approach left us feeling—literally and metaphorically—cold on the first night.
Fortunately, the following morning allowed us to renounce any misgivings on the service front. Hotel manager Khun Nawee apologised and took accountability for the issue the previous night (always a good thing in my book) and the service from the breakfast staff—particularly Khun Pung—was on point. Midway through breakfast, we enquired about the hotel’s complimentary boat ride service and were told that while the next one was in ten minutes, they would hold it for us—despite being right next to the pier, travelling with an 80-something makes it difficult to hustle—and several members of staff came over to assist my grandmother with getting onto the boat.
This was a common theme throughout our stay, with Khun Nawee noting that the hotel’s staff were accustomed to hosting Khun Kamala Sukosol, president of the Siam Hotels & Resorts, at The Siam, and were therefore well attuned to the needs of the elderly.
Overall, service was attentive and anticipatory without being obsequious or obtrusive, with staff striking the right balance between being observant and percipient while giving us our space.
Family affair
All of the generously sized suites and villas can comfortably accommodate up to three adults or two adults and two children, making them well suited for family or multigenerational travel. While children are welcome, The Siam definitely has more of a chic, grown-up vibe—save for the shallow paddling pool—so we’d recommend saving this boutique hotel for couples or families with teenagers.
Sustainability initiatives
The Siam has eliminated single-use plastic bottles, partnering with the global RefillNotLandfill campaign. As part of this campaign, The Siam provides all guests with complimentary refillable aluminium bottles, designed to be used in the hotel and beyond. The boutique hotel has three water stations on site, with the scanning of a QR code on the bottle allowing guests to see other refill sites around the city.
In addition to the abundant foliage in its public spaces—which provides natural cooling—The Siam has also implemented overarching ‘green’ initiatives in its daily running, with energy efficient practices and sustainable waste management systems. Bathroom products are presented in refillable marble dispensers, further reducing plastic waste.
AR Verdict
In a city with no shortage of characterful luxury hotels, its edgy attitude, visually distinct Bill Bensley architecture and landscaping, and intimate approach lend The Siam an energy more akin to a resort than a hotel. Tucked away from the more touristy parts along the river, the complimentary boat service offers a unique—and decidedly cooler—way to explore Bangkok, while ample public spaces and activities within the hotel mean there’s always somewhere new to explore when you want to take refuge from the city. While Bangkok first-timers might desire a stay closer to the city’s main attractions, The Siam is the ideal hideout for regulars in the know.
The Siam, Bangkok is open for bookings, with suites priced from around $950AUD/night.
Address: The Siam 3, 2 Khao, Vachirapayabal, Dusit District, Bangkok, Thailand
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Words by T. Angel
