Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok

The Shangri-La Hotel sits on Wat Suan Phlu Alley, positioned along the riverbank in Bang Rak. It is a fifteen-minute drive from the retail density of Siam Paragon and offers a quiet alternative to the city's more frenetic shopping hubs.

While most river-facing properties in Bangkok focus entirely on the spectacle of the water, this hotel manages the scale of a resort without losing a sense of privacy. It is a sharper choice than its neighbours for those who want to visit the Temple of Dawn but prefer a sanctuary after the ferry ride back. The sprawl here actually works in your favour; you trade the immediate crush of Iconsiam for sprawling grounds that feel detached from the traffic humming just a few blocks away.