This cinema at Central Embassy shopping mall may well be Bangkok’s most luxurious place to watch a movie.

The Central group have invested a whopping 120 million baht into the cinema making it one of the most expensive in the world. Designers certainly have gone the extra-mile on almost every aspect, making the whole cinema experience feel more like being in the business-class area of a jumbo jet. The cocooned seating booths are fully reclinable with pillows and blankets and you also get your own mini bar, a butler service call button and snacks. The seating numbers are limited too, meaning the whole cinema feels much more private and intimate compared to other nearby competition. Before and after the movie, there is also a private VIP bar for some refreshments to start or complete your evening in ultimate sophistication.  Tickets start at around 1,200 baht per person (including drinks). 

• Opening Hours: 10:00 - 24:00 (depends on show times)
• Address: 6th Floor, Central Embassy Ploenchit Road, Bangkok
• Tel: +66 (0)2 160 5999

This area's well heeled mix of post-office suits, expat executives and hi-society Thais makes for a nightlife scene that falls firmly in the up-market bracket. Think high-class restaurants and lavish wine bars, with an atmosphere that matches. Don't come here if you're after the sensory bombardment found in the city's more frenetic areas – there is no night market, few street-cart vendors and certainly no dens of sin.

The lack of a buzzing scene is made up for by the odd, tucked-away nightlife nugget. Nearby Sarasin Road has a handful of bars, among them 70's Bar and Brown Sugar, one of Bangkok's top live jazz venues. There are also some fine hotel bars and lounges. The Diplomat Bar at Conrad Bangkok Hotel offers sublime jazz in elegant surrounds (dancing also at 87Plus!), while Syn Bar at Swissotel Nai Lert Hotel serves up intoxicating retro-future stylings and cocktails.

At the northern end of Ratchadamri Road, the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel has both Bar 494 and the well-known Italian restaurant Spasso, which at night morphs into a lively live music venue popular with Bangkok's affluent post-work crowd.

Drawing a posh local crowd and catering to The Conrad's upscale guests, this is a suave spot for sipping on fine cosmopolitans poured by attentive staff while dancing the night away to polished international live bands. DJs also play quality house and commercial hip-hop. Dress code is smart casual. Between 20:00 - 22:00 everyday it's buy-one-get-one-free Happy Hour.

• Opening Hours: 21:30 - 02:00
• Location: Conrad Hotel, All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Road
• BTS: Ploenchit
• Tel: +66 (0)2 690 999

This cosy wine and champagne bar with garden ambiance is a great place to take your date. Choose from one of 30 plus wines by-the-glass or perhaps a rare whisky from the 'Whisky Priest'. Browse through Bangkok's widest selection of Cuban cigars at the Divan @494 or settle into a quiet corner for a light meal. The dress code is smart casual.

• Opening Hours: 12:00 - 00:00
• Location: Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, 494 Ratchadamri Rd, Ratchadamri

This elegant, upscale hotel bar in the heart of Bangkok's embassy district makes the perfect haunt for the passing ambassador, visiting dignitary or aspiring spy. Most evenings, however, it's a high-profile crowd comprised of wealthy businessmen, rich Thais and glitzy couples that fills its sprawling nooks and crannies. Beautifully lit, its soft silk couches, striking round bar and wood interiors make for a very classy cocktail ambiance - cool and contemporary. A jazz singer croons every night except Sundays. The cocktail and wine lists are suitably inspiring.

• Opening Hours: 10:00 - 01:00
• Location: The Conrad Hotel, 87 Wireless Road, Phatumwan
• BTS: Ploenchit
• Tel: +66 (0)2 690 9999

Want to rub should with Bangkok’s elite and maybe even the odd Thai celebrity that you’ve never heard of? Then one of your best bets in the city is the much-talked about Falabella nightclub at the exclusive Royal Bangkok Sports Club at Ratchadamri, which has a nightly mix of Thai bands and a live DJ drawing in all of Bangkok’s prettiest and wealthiest yuppies and expats.

Although located in a sports club, the multi-faceted bar, restaurant and nightclub is open to everybody, as long as you are dressed smart enough. The venue has a nice outside area for seating and some pleasant views over the surrounding golf course, whilst the inside club is cool and sophisticated, often with a hefty cover charge (500 baht) to get in. The venue doubles up as a posh Italian restaurant in the daytime and there’s also another bar (called ‘Monkey Bar’) set in a delightful 1930’s colonial house next door. 

• Opening Hours: 17:00 - 02:00
• Location: 100 Rajdamri Road, Bangkok
• Tel: +66 (0) 2 252 5131

Housed inside the lobby of Plaza Athenee Hotel on Wireless Road, Glaz Bar is where chic and contemporary take centre stage. The interiors blend deep green marble floors, blue downlights and jet-black shiny surfaces. This is where classy can also be cool. A favourite haunt among the sophisticated, Glaz Bar boasts a creative selection of cocktails, Thai-inspired Tapas and snacks, accompanied by live jazz performances by international artists every night except Sundays.

• Opening Hours: 11:00 - 02:00 (live music 09:00 - 01:00)
• Location: Plaza Athenee Hotel on Wireless Road
• MRT: Ploenchit

Love F Bar – or ‘Fashion Bar’ – is located above the more popular Mixx nightclub in the basement of the Intercontinental Hotel. Just like Mixx, this big bar welcomes mostly tourists (due to the close proximity with many central Bangkok hotels), as well as a few expats and helping of Thai girls. 

The bar is actually affiliated with ‘Fashion TV’, the popular station for never ending catwalk re-runs/last ditch option when all the other channels on your hotel TV are screaming a foreign language at you. The atmosphere inside is relatively laid back and civilised, with plenty of spacious seating options and a live DJ every night. Love F Bar, however, has always taken second stage to Mixx club down below. 

• Opening Hours: 19:00 - 02:00 (Weds-Sat only)
• Location: 973 Ploenchit Road, Bangkok
• Tel: +66 86 407 8310

The longest running hotel-disco in Bangkok continues to draw in the crowds, both during the week and on weekends. This is in large part due to the live band that is happy to serenade Spasso-goers with energetic performances of classic tunes and rock out till the early hours. There is no live music on Sunday so we advise a Saturday night to get the real ‘Spasso experience”.

• Opening Hours: Live music begins from 22:00-02:00
• Location: Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, 494 Ratchadamri Rd, Ratchadamri
• BTS: Chidlom
• Tel: +66 2 254 1234

With its retro-future feel, Syn Bar is a perfect spot for those craving impressive faux-club style and sexy dance-beats. The white lights blinking through carpets, suspended bubble pod-chairs and space-age DJ booth, all ooze hi-tech appeal. The Swedish head-bartender conjures up heady Asian-inspired cocktails like Mangosteen Martini and Wasabi Mary. DJ's play an upbeat blend of house, funky house and soul house every night from 21:00 onwards. Happy hour is between 17:00 - 21:00, Mon-Fri.

• Opening Hours: 10:00 - 01:00
• Location: Nai Lert Park Swissotel, 2 Wireless Road, Pathumwan
• BTS: Ploenchit
• Tel: +66 2 253 0123

The Speakeasy Hotel Muse takes you back to the 1920’s Prohibition era when illicit liquor was rolled in the back door by mobsters in Hench coats. Thankfully, you won’t be breaking any laws at this speakeasy, but authentic touches like a bath full of cocktails in jam jars and cool jazz playing in the background keep the vibe unique and funky. With great views over Sukhumvit and towards Sathorn, this rooftop is more unusual than most, but this isn’t just a skyline; the classic vintage cocktails are just as important as the view. Easy to find, Hotel Muse is on Langsuan, ten minutes from the BTS at Chit Lom. Read More...

• Opening Hours: 18:00 – 01:00
• BTS: Chit Lom
• Address: 55/555 Langsuan Road
• Tel: +66 (0) 2 630 4000

If you are looking for somewhere chic to have a sunset cocktail or to enjoy a rooftop dinner, then Zense rooftop is a great choice. The view is fantastic, from the horseracing track to the lines of traffic moving slowly out of town at the end of the day. But what we really love about Zense rooftop is its location. Walking through CentralWorld you’d never expect there to be such a cool and funky venue just above you. Despite the fact that it’s so easy to get to, with Chit Lom BTS only five minutes away, it doesn’t draw the same crowds as some other rooftop destinations in Bangkok. In our eyes this is only a good thing. Service is quick, the drinks are delicious and, for the moment, there are plenty of seats and beanbags to relax on. Read More...

• BTS: Chit Lom
• Address: 17/F, Zen, CentralWorld, 999/9 Ratchadamri Rd., Bangkok
• Tel: +66 (0)2 1009898

Siam and Ploenchit areas are better known for their extensive lineup of restaurants and shopping malls. Clubbing doesn't come to mind when it comes to nightlife in this part of town. But if you happened to be in the area, or would rather not wander far off from your hotel, then Siam Square is probably your best bet.

More entertainment complex than club, this stylish modern basement beneath the Novotel Siam Square Hotel pulls in an eclectic mix of tourists and girls every night of the week. The sprawling main room is focussed around a stage, with a dance-floor and many raised tables and stools fringing it.

Here the all-singing, all-dancing All Star Band plays the latest R&B, hip-hop, dance, pop and rock hits (Thursday through to Tuesday). In between their energising sets, DJ's Bom, Kriss and Ex serve up similarly commercial sounds, pumping the latest house and dance tracks while also working up a frenzy with promo competitions and crowd-rousing banter. They also fly in international DJ's for special guest appearances (check our Club Nights section for weekly events schedule).

Those preferring to bump and grind can do so in the suitably moody Boom Room. Adjoining the main room, the latest hip-hop and R&B tracks are spun here. There's also a rather sexy looking new adjoining venue Bar@Siam, offering sleek, comfy furnishings alongside sports TVs, pool tables, air hockey, international food and pinball machines. There's an extensive drinks menu offered throughout, with cocktails, wines, spirits, beers, even champagne available. Service throughout is quick and friendly with bars at each end and plenty of table waiters roaming the floor.

• Opening Hours: 21:00 - 02:00
• Location: Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square, Siam Square
• BTS: Siam
• Tel: +66 (0)2 209 8888

This well-rounded club in Siam at Siam Design Hotel has got all the elements for a blasting good time. Polished concrete floors, exposed beams and sleek, glass bar form the backdrop, while live gigs and theme nights spice up the fun. Sink into a comfortable leather sofa or a funky designer chair and lose yourself to the rhythm of chill, dance, retro, jazz, reggae, or disco, depending on the evening. The kitchen serves up finger-licking good grilled Australian lamb chops, burgers, steaks and a selection of Thai and multinational finger food. Drinks focus around but not limited to cocktails, wines and beers.

• Opening Hours: 18:00-22:00
• Location: Ground Floor, Siam at Siam Design Hotel, Rama I Road
• BTS: National Stadium
• Tel: +66 (0)2 217 3000