Checking in: Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Few hotels can claim a guest list as storied as Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, which, for nearly 150 years, has stood sentinel on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya riverfront. Everyone from Michael Jackson to Audrey Hepburn has passed through its marble-floored lobby, while in the Neoclassical Author’s Wing – all gingerbread trims and twinkly crystal chandeliers – suites still bear the names of former residents such as Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham. Fast-forward to today, and the hotel’s star shines bright as ever. Frequent refurbishments, such as a major overhaul of the River Wing’s suites in 2019, maintain its freshness, while an ever-shuffling lineup of dining and spa experiences keep the hotel firmly tuned into Bangkok’s high-octane zeitgeist. As a recent cameo in the third season of HBO’s smash-hit series The White Lotus can attest, timeless elegance never goes out of style even in this era of glossy new hotel arrivals.

Graceful Japanese, traditional Thai, elevated European – the hotel has a table for it all. On the top floor, Le Normandie continues to set Bangkok’s benchmark for French fine dining with delicate plates such as Barbary duck in fragrant hibiscus sauce or Brittany scallop with creamy Acquerello rice. A few floors down, Kyoto-born chef Takagi Kazuo brings refined kaiseki menus to his pint-sized Kinu restaurant, while Lord Jim’s draws Bangkok’s well-heeled locals with its legendary seafood brunches. Across the river, Sala Rim Naam pairs its candlelit Thai dinners – tip-top classics such as kaeng kari nua (yellow curry with beef) and yum tua pu (spicy wing bean salad) – with Thai dance performances, after which the The Bamboo Bar, a dimly lit, jazz-infused institution, remains the city’s best spot for a rum-heavy nightcap.