Why book?
With a handful of restaurants, a dreamy riverside pool, and a wellness hub with all the bells and whistles, Bangkok’s new Four Seasons hotel is a jet lag-busting experience for those who can’t wait for Samui or Phuket.
Set the scene
The clickety-clack of Jimmy Choos fill the cavernous marble lobby. Young moguls with slicked-back hair puff on cigars in the jewel-toned bar spilling out onto a palatial courtyard. There’s a buzz from the river, clinking glasses in the courtyard restaurants, conversation flows from the Museum of Contemporary Art–curated art gallery. Wedged between the Chao Phraya River and the Thai capital’s oldest paved road, this blocky behemoth feels both grand and intimate, and even though it’s in one of Bangkok’s oldest corners, it looks boldly into the city’s fast-paced future.
The backstory
After shutting its original downtown location in 2015, Four Seasons opened its new Bangkok outpost as part of the Chao Phraya Estate, a multi-million-dollar development on a quiet stretch of the Chao Phraya River. Spearheaded by Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy, the revival—all marble, with wall-sized Thai contemporary art—is bigger, brighter, and more on-the-ball than its predecessor, and brings a welcome bolt of creative energy to a district still dominated by aging hospitality heavyweights.
The rooms
Following the art-studded lobby and breezy courtyards, rooms feel a little more restrained, swathed in creams and grays, with brushes of faux ostrich leather, metallic silk, and those cloud-like Four Seasons beds. It’s worth noting that despite its riverside location, not every room looks out on the water (the city-facing ones are priced accordingly).
Food and drink
There’s modern Italian at Riva del Fiume, where lunches start with zingy crudi and end with sgroppinos whipped up tableside. Or tropical French at Brasserie Palmier, for seafood towers heaving with lobster, mussels, and three types of oysters, and steak that comes with frites or as a tartare. The rightful show pony here is real-deal Cantonese restaurant Yu Ting Yuan—the lobster dumplings and pepper-flecked Mayura beef stir-fries book out tables weeks in advance. And then there’s BKK Social Club, a vermouth cocktail bar, where the fact that its cacao-infused Negronis can be ordered in three-liter bottles speaks volumes.
The spa
From cellulite-lifting lipo massages to aqua-aerobics workouts in a dedicated 320-foot lap pool and seemingly every Asian massage technique and fitness method in between, the Urban Wellness Center gives many a competing hotel spa a run for its money. The focus lies on holistic healing, with mindfulness sessions and vitality pools complemented by a rotating roster of visiting master practitioners.
The neighborhood/area
This stretch of the Chao Phraya River, a few minutes downstream from the hubbub of Saphan Taksin (the river’s main transport hub and home to some of the city’s most notable hotels), still feels untainted by big-bucks tourism developments, even after Four Seasons settled down here. Its immediate neighbors are small restaurants, including some legendary tables to book, such as Guay Jub Mr Joe and Tuang Dim Sum by Chef Yip—though galleries and indie boutiques are also starting to pop up around its alleyways.
The service
The service matches the rest of the hotel: it’s slick and by the book, but there’s plenty of room for a wink and a quip.
For families
Yes, with flying colors. The Kids’ Club near the swimming pool is one of the best in town, there are mini-menus at all restaurants, and children’s beds come in the form of canvas teepees.
Accessibility
There are ramps at all restaurants and several rooms have been modified to welcome travelers with disabilities.
300/1 Charoen Krung Road, Bangkok 10120
Thailand
https://www.fourseasons.com/bangkok/
+66 02 032 0888