The World’s 50 Best organization recently expanded its repertoire from bars to beds with its 50 Best Hotel awards.
I check in to the one that got first place: the Capella Bangkok.
As with most luxury hotels, an army of staff awaits arriving guests and quickly ushers me through the massive lobby to the living room. In this library-like space, a staple of Capella hotels, check-in begins with a welcome drink (I opt for a Coca-Cola, although options include sparkling wine and guava juice).
The 101 rooms, suites and villas face the river. My riverfront room is 61 square meters (656 square feet) and feels huge, despite being the smallest accommodation category.
The clever placement of a recessed balcony area, separated from the bedroom by glass walls, is why I initially think I’ve chosen a corner suite.
Large expanses of glass mean an abundance of natural light, and only later do I realize that behind the bathroom mirrors there is nothing but an internal wall of glass between me and the bedroom, with its floor-to-ceiling windows.
For a nanosecond I panic because the red lights atop distant skyscrapers are office workers’ phones laughing at Capella’s unconscious, half-naked guest (me).
The Capella Bangkok Tops World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024 List: Tamara Hinson Checks In
Capella Bangkok has 101 rooms, suites and villas facing the Chao Phraya River.
“As with most luxury hotels, an army of employees waits for arriving guests,” says Tamara. Shown above is one of the hotel’s luxury bathrooms.
Additional extras abound (including plugs and USB ports, thank goodness) – the non-alcoholic drinks from the minibar are free and the highlight of my bathroom is the set of toiletries in boxes that snap together to reveal a riverside scene .
Beyond my room, I’m reminded of a James Bond villain’s lair, in a good way.
Despite being close to the center of Bangkok, there is a huge sense of space and I often feel like I am the only guest as I pass through ceiling-high doors that open silently to reveal cathedral-like public spaces with fantastic river views.
The other side of the Chao Phraya River, with its tangle of cranes, is nothing to write home about: it is the river itself that creates the view.
During the day it is a hive of activity, a constant flow of fishing boats and river taxis traveling through what is known as the soul of Bangkok.
Later, they are replaced by party boats loaded with tourists that deploy retina-searing spotlights from the dance floors on the upper deck. That’s why it pays to choose your seat carefully at the riverside hotel’s Phra Nakhon restaurant, where iPad menus keep minimalism.
I enjoy dining outdoors and watching the party boats flow, even if my grapefruit salad comes with a Shakira soundtrack. Somewhat calmer is Michelin-starred Cote by Mauro Colagreco for dishes inspired by the Italian and French Riviera.
Tamara comments that “despite being close to the center of Bangkok, there is a huge feeling of space”
“I often feel like I’m the only guest as I pass through ceiling-high doors that quietly open to reveal cathedral-like public spaces with fantastic riverside views,” writes Tamara. Upstairs is the tea room.
“I suspect few guests stray from the property, preferring to lounge by the pool or in the spa (upstairs),” says Tamara.
“Despite free river transportation,” Tamara writes, “there are endless reasons to stay here.”
Tamara writes: ‘I’m not sure how the hotel feels about its award (the best in the world). Maybe it’s a blessing and a curse. When a hotel is named the best in the world, my radar goes up a level’
My fellow guests include a cheeky Brazilian guest shouting business offers into his phone at dinner, and at breakfast, six Americans talking about their love of Fiji.
When I’m not lounging in my room showing off office workers, my favorite spot is Stella, the Art Deco cocktail bar and, when I visit, the scene of the hotel’s nightly Cin Cin hour, when guests enjoy drinks of courtesy.
I suspect few guests stray from the property, preferring to lounge by the pool or in the spa. When I ask a concierge how to get to the Siam SkyTrain station, he assumes I mean Icon Siam, the nearby luxury shopping center, and seems baffled. I would like to venture further afield.
It’s true that despite the free river transportation service, there are endless reasons to stay, from family-friendly activities like painting workshops to Muay Thai master classes.
Tamara explains that the hotel offers activities including painting workshops and Muay Thai master classes. Upstairs there is a panoramic studio.
Tamara says it is the river “that creates the view”, adding: “During the day it is a hive of activity, a constant flow of fishing boats and river taxis chugging along what is known as the soul of Bangkok “.
LEFT: Tamara’s elegant bathroom. She says of her room: “It looks huge, despite it being the smallest accommodation category.” RIGHT: One of Tamara’s dinners at Capella: shrimp and mushroom soup.
I’m not sure how the hotel feels about your praise. Maybe it’s a blessing and a curse. When a hotel is named the best in the world, my radar goes up a notch.
Maybe it’s my Britishness, but the night before I had stayed in a hotel in Singapore where the minibar refrigerator contains a small jug of milk. Luckily, I bring my own tea bags to Capella because my tea-related supplies amount to a trio of tea bags (of which only one is English breakfast) and there’s no milk.
I also find it a little frustrating that the TV hangs a little crooked from the wall. Minor complaints, but perhaps those that should not exist in the best hotel in the world.
That’s how it is? I have stayed in many and I would say no, but at the end of the day there are many hotels.
I can think of several that would occupy higher positions in my top 50. These include the Shangri-La the Shard in London, with its beautifully furnished rooms, Hoshinoya Tokyo, an incredibly luxurious ryokan, and the Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore, where the attention of The employees always leave me speechless.
Best in the world? Maybe not. The 10 best? Definitely.