A concierge’s guide to Bangkok

One of the joys of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is its enviable riverside location. The Chao Phraya is still the beating heart of Bangkok and the endless parade of barges, ferries, cruise boats, cargo vessels, private launches and even fishermen’s sampans are one of the city’s great spectacles. Sometimes, on my day off, I take the Chao Phraya Express Boat upriver just to watch the unfolding panorama. Sunset is the perfect moment for a riverside drink and places opposite Wat Arun temple are the most popular vantage points. The open terrace of the Eagle Nest bar atop the Sala Arun offers postcard views, as does the Rattanakosin roof bar. But there are many little local bars and cafés on the river. One of my favourites is Samsara on the edge of Chinatown, where a Tiger beer and a selection of snacks are the perfect end to a day of exploration.

The key thing is not just knowing where to go, but when. No one wants to be swamped by crowds. Most tour groups, for instance, go to the Imperial Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, the Royal Temple, in the morning, so I tell my visitors to head there after lunch, about 14:30, when you can have the place almost to yourself. At 17:00, make your way from the palace to the Reclining Buddha, and you will find this most spectacular of Bangkok’s monuments in an atmosphere of meditative stillness. It’s all about timing.

At more than 140 years old, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is located in a historic district known as Charoenkrung – named after the first road built in Bangkok. The Old Customs House is next door while the hotel’s River Wing, which houses Authors' Suites named after writers including Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene and James Michener who stayed there – stands as the only remaining structure of the original 19th-century hotel. While the neighbourhood has long been known for antique emporiums – River City is nearby – the old riverside warehouses and shipping offices of Charoenkrung have been redeveloped with a more creative bohemian edge.

Just to the north of the hotel are a series of small fascinating streets, close to the river, where galleries and bookshops, quirky cafés and craft shops are thriving. I send guests to the Gallery Café in Soi 30, a lovely intimate place that's open for lunch and dinner. In the same street, which used to be known as Captain Bush Soi, is Warehouse 30, an exciting mixed-use development of creative spaces – studios, galleries, boutiques, shops, visual arts. It is all part of Bangkok’s riverside revival, and it is right on our doorstep.