Bangkok Buzzes With Top Hotels

Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok — where Charlie Hunnam filmed much of Apple TV+’s Shantaram — feels especially buzzy of late. Earlier this year, Soho House’s first Southeast Asian outpost bowed in the pulsing Sukhumvit neighborhood, while Aman is set to open a second Thai property, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, next year in a verdant park. Says Cher and the Loneliest Elephant documentary director Jonathan Finnigan, who’s filmed in the city, “Bangkok comes alive at night under the neon and the smoke coming up from the street vendors.”

At the serene Capella Bangkok (from $650 a night), room and suite balconies offer impressive Chao Phraya River views, while the glamorous

Bar Stella hosts live music after dark. Its 6,400-squarefoot Presidential Villa (from $10,200) by the river is the ultimate in privacy with its own separate entrance. Guests can also experience Buddhist monk-led meditations and eat at Michelin-starred Côte by Mauro Colagreco.

The year-old The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon (from $367), done up in rainbow-hued Memphis Group-esque interiors, is also a hub for memorable meals at its eight restaurants, including Mexican spot Ojo, offering 360-degree city views.

The Peninsula Bangkok’s (from $450) Mei Jiang Cantonese restaurant has just reopened with a plant-based menu and Thai tea pairings.

At the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok (from $240 a night), heads of state, actors, musicians and C-suite execs have slumbered in the 3,444-squarefoot Celebrity Suite (from $2,800), which has a bath bomb menu, jacuzzi and super king bed.

With Mike White said to have chosen Thailand for season three of The White Lotus, perhaps one of these properties will be the lucky one chosen as the filming location.

Capella Bangkok’s Verandah suite includes a private plunge pool.