Old Town / Rattanakosin (Tha Tien)

Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok

★★★★★

Sala Rattanakosin is the hotel to choose if you want to wake up looking at Wat Arun. It sits on Maharat Road on Rattanakosin Island, the historic heart of the city, in a converted riverside building on the bank of the Chao Phraya, almost directly opposite the Temple of Dawn. The location is the best in the old town for sightseeing: Wat Pho is a short walk away, the Grand Palace a little further, and Tha Tien pier, for the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun and the river boats, is around the corner. It is a small boutique hotel, which makes it intimate and personal, and the design is cool and contemporary, with polished concrete, black-and-white tones and big windows that frame the river and the temple. The signature rooms are the Wat Arun River View Deluxe and Wat Arun River View Suite, whose floor-to-ceiling glass looks straight across the water at the floodlit spire; the hotel also has a Wat Pho Deluxe room type that faces the temple behind. The real magic is in the evenings. The hotel's rooftop bar is one of the most popular spots in the old town for watching the sun set behind Wat Arun and seeing the temple light up, and the ground-floor Eatery and Bar serves Thai and international dishes on the riverside. The surrounding neighbourhood of old shophouses, the dried fish market and the lanes around Tha Tien are fascinating to explore, and the area becomes quiet after the day-trippers leave, giving you the old town almost to yourself in the early morning.

Why stay here rather than in a bigger hotel? Because it changes how you see the old town. Staying on Rattanakosin Island means you can be at the Grand Palace gate at opening without a long journey through the traffic, retreat to your room in the heat of the day, and visit Wat Pho in the late afternoon when it is calm. In the evening, you watch the sunset from the rooftop or your own window. Few experiences in Bangkok match waking up to the river traffic passing in front of Wat Arun.

Choosing a room: book a Wat Arun River View room or suite, as they are the reason to stay; other room types are comfortable but miss the view. Rooms are compact and minimalist rather than lavish, and some are close to the public bar areas, so light sleepers should ask for a quiet room. The rooftop bar is open to the public and very popular at sunset, so it can be busy; guests may find it easier to enjoy earlier in the afternoon or later in the evening. The hotel has no pool, so on the hottest days you will want an air-conditioned rest in the middle of the day.

Who it suits: couples, photographers and first-timers who want to focus on the temples and the river. The trade-offs are the lack of a pool and gym, the compact rooms, and the distance from the Skytrain; Sanam Chai MRT station is the nearest rail link, and the river boats connect to the BTS at Saphan Taksin. For nightlife and shopping, you will be taking taxis or boats, but for atmosphere and views, this is one of the most special places to stay in the city. Watch for the hotel's own security alert: verify any suspicious emails or card requests directly with the hotel.