GARDEN ON THE SEA
With an emphasis on cultural experiences, thoughtful design and personalised service, offers an uninterrupted views of Thailand’s revered river, the Chao Phraya. Its location on Charoenkrung Road gives a fascinating glimpse of the bygone era while hosting the city’s chic cafes, bars and art galleries. A dedicated team of Capella Culturist is ready to whisk one away to explore the neighbourhood and meet its local residents.
With architecture by Andy Miller and Richard Scott Wilson of Hamiltons International and interiors by BAMO, the hotel is made of 101 guestrooms, suites and villas. Designed as a traveller’s pied à terre, the guestrooms are fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows and balcony or verandah to better enjoy the spectacle of the river. While the spacious suites are lavishly adorned with separate living rooms, sunlit bathrooms and balconies, the villa offers a luxurious river’s edge experience with a living and dining room as well private garden and jacuzzi plunge pool.
Côte by Mauro Colagreco would please the food connoisseurs with its contemporary reinterpretation of French and Italian Riviera’s culinary heritage. Alternatively, one can head to the al fresco Phra Nakhon restaurant to give time-honoured Thai recipes a try and end the evening at Stella, for bespoke patisserie and libations in an opulent Chinoserie setting.
capellahotels.com
Paying homage to the influence of Nanyang tropical style,
Andaz Xiamen is located on China’s southeast coast. Xiamen is known to be the hometown of overseas Chinese and the lush city is heavily influenced by Southeast Asian culture, giving birth to unique cultural environment known as Nanyang (‘southern seas’). This unique mixture of old meets new and east meets west inspired JID, the late Jaya Ibrahim’s design studio, to create a modern mansion which houses 304 rooms and suites. Tropical design elements such as high-ceiling, cooling walkways, speckled terrazzo, timber louvers, as well as wicker and rattan furnishing decorated the interior.
The same tactile, relaxed feel is also visible in the rooms and suites. From the rattan-backed armchairs to woven bamboo wall panelling, find small local touches such as the Chinese tea set-up as a tribute to Fujian’s reputation as the hometown of tea. Embrace the local Minnan and Chaosan cuisines at No.101 Chinese Restaurant or head to its outdoor terrace, More Than Wine, to enjoy classic Tiki cocktails. For contemporary Italian cuisine, Sugar Pavilion by the hotel’s Italian executive chef Alessandro Martinelli would make for a delightful choice.
From a 25-metre outdoor swimming pool to a dedicated yoga room, wellness also received a priority. The hotel offers indoor and outdoor social spaces as well as a 900 square metres ballroom, with nautical-style chandeliers and bougainvillea-inspired carpeting and wall-paneling.
hyatt.com