Top 10 Boutique Hotels in Bangkok

The ‘sister’ to London's coolest city hotel, this is a place where the clichéd East-meets-West approach to hotel design is executed to sublime effect. Everything from the crisply dressed staff (uniforms by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto) and the Orient-tinged interiors is achingly hip. With interiors by Singaporean designer Kathryn Kng, the 171 rooms and suites are bright and modern, infused with a cool, Zen-like calm. Dark teakwood floors and fittings, Oriental furnishings and crisp, contemporary lines define the hotel's signature 'pared down' look. Everything else matches in the hip stakes: it’s convenient location on Sathorn Road, trendy bar, spa and the out-of-this-world contemporary cuisine served up.

One of Bankok’s best-kept hotel secrets, The Eugenia is housed in a late 19th Century colonial-style house, decorated with exquisite antiques throughout. Consisting of only 12 suites, think four-poster beds, settees, dressers, desks and even light switches that are all vintage. The period decoration even extends to bathtubs that were hand-made from copper and aluminium alloy, and the hotel has a fleet of beautifully restored vintage cars used for transferring guests. Adjacent to the lobby on the ground floor is a library, lounge and café. The swimming pool is set in a rear courtyard, calling for leisurely pastimes under swaying palm trees. It’s chic, intimate and sophisticated – a romantic experience that’s recommended for couples.

One of Bangkok’s newest boutique contenders, no stone has been left unturned to provide the ultimate designer pads for travellers seeking the very best and latest in design circles. Described as a one-of-a-kind, unique conceptual hotel, it’s a very private luxury getaway that offers fabulous designer touches in each of its 41 rooms and suites like Jacuzzi baths, imported fittings and furniture, a stylish ambiance and a long list of hi-tech trimmings. The restaurant is French with cuisine from the Provence region, there’s a snazzy bar too, a business centre and gym. It’s the embodiment of the ultimate contemporary city boutique hotel, featuring all the latest hospitality trends, cleverly fused with designer touches to make it unique and special…

It was Bangkok's first official boutique hotel, and set new style parameters when it opened in 2003. Five years on, The Davis still exemplifies the very essence of what a boutique hotel is all about – a unique hospitality experience that has, well, that little something extra which only the French have a word for: "panache". It’s much bigger in terms of the number of rooms one would expect from a typical boutique hotel (237 guestrooms and ten Thai villas), but the imposing European-style curved Corner Wing is the first sign that many surprises await. You've arrived at an experience so different that you can change rooms for 60 consecutive nights without encountering the same interior twice.

One of the finest examples of contemporary Thai design. Its striking, dramatic interior design reflects an artistic creativity that brings a new dimension to stylish city living. Rooms are called ‘chambers’ (there are 203), have super-high ceilings, and are designed to “stimulate the senses”. It also features a spa, an all-day-and-night restaurant, a cigar bar, a snack bar and lounge, two sparkling pools (one for big people and one for little people), gym, Business Centre and lots of impressive hi-tech features. Under ten minutes on foot to National Stadium bou station, it’s a unique ‘Made in Thailand’ experience – everything inside out have been designed by Thai designers and manufactured locally too.

From outside, it's easy to mistake S15 Sukhumvit Hotel for an upmarket interior store. Step inside though, and you discover an intimate boutique hotel containing all things hip and cool in designer circles. Public areas and its 72 rooms alike sport chocolate and hazelnut browns against muted earth-toned granite, marble, glass, mirror and reflective metals. Natural materials like leather and a host of warm fabrics interplay with Italian light fittings. Far from being just functional square boxes, rooms come in interesting shapes and sizes (from 30 square metres to 50), and feature chic dark wood shutters and four-poster beds. Hi-tech trimmings include free Wi-Fi Internet, massive plasma TVs, DVD players and iPod docking stations.

Situated in the heart of vibrant Chinatown, this intimate boutique hotel combines the sumptuousness and romance of the Orient with modern conveniences. Each of its 55 rooms (51 Superior Rooms, 4 Junior Suites) features colourful Chinese décor, four-poster bed and antique furnishings, and comes with a concoction of accoutrements. Facilities include an authentic tea house, a Chinese-theme spa, library, Internet corner, business area and complimentary tuk-tuk service to Hualumphong train station and main shopping areas (Silom, CentralWorld, Siam Square). Best described as capturing the old-world charm of Shanghai, prepare for a colourful experience with many unique and original touches.

This new 36-room neo-colonial style boutique on Silom Road (it opened in early 2008) is housed in an amiable mock 19th Century lifestyle complex, 'Baan Silom'. And its exterior, like the buildings surrounding it, is an utterly enchanting picture of low-rise European elegance sporting white and grey shades and Italian-style arches. Inside, local design company Modiva retained the building’s architectural character, but also had fun by combining hi-tech and creative twists in the cute Victorian-inspired bedrooms. They've dipped mock period furniture in huge vats of paint. And they've created one of the coolest check-in lounges in the city…

The final contender in our top ten boutique countdown is a cheerful, bright and modern 21st Century city hotel, but by no means ordinary. It represents a fresh and modern perspective of the creativity, sensitivity and charms of Thai hospitality – in a colourful way and with every modern convenience thrown in. Apart from a desirable location just off Sukhumvit Road – surrounded by the city’s hottest nightlife spots – guests enjoy a unique sense of inner city seclusion in ultra-swish surroundings, and a level of care and attention to physical and ethereal elements that can only be found in a small boutique of this distinction.