The Siam is the Bangkok hotel to choose if you want the old royal side of the city, a collector's taste in design and a pool villa, all at a slower pace than downtown. It is a small, family-owned, all-suite hotel in three acres of riverside gardens in Dusit, it holds Three MICHELIN Keys, and breakfast, butler service and the hotel boat are included in every stay. The trade-off is distance: the business districts and most of the city's restaurant scene are a 30-minute boat ride or a long drive away.
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This is an editorial review based on the hotel's official pages and the MICHELIN Guide, not on a stay. Check availability on Expedia.
Location and getting around
The hotel stands on the Bangkok bank of the Chao Phraya at the foot of Krung Thon Bridge, at 3/2 Khao Road in Dusit, the district of royal palaces, ministries and museums just north of the old city. The hotel describes itself as the only luxury hotel in Dusit. Its own boat runs on a schedule down the river to Sathorn Pier at BTS Saphan Taksin, a trip of about 30 minutes with open-air and air-conditioned seats, and the nearest MRT station is Sirindhorn, across the river.
That geography shapes the stay. The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the National Museum are in the neighboring old-city district of Phra Nakhon, and river piers serve all of them, so temple days start from a quieter base than downtown hotels offer. Close to home on Samsen Road, Krua Apsorn holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for its central Thai home cooking. Evenings in Silom, Sathorn or Sukhumvit, on the other hand, need the boat plus the Skytrain, or a taxi.
Suites and pool villas
Every room is a suite or a villa. The entry suites, in Siam, Garden View and River View versions, are 80 square meters, and the Premier suites 100. The Courtyard and Riverside Pool Villas run to 130 square meters with their own pools, and the riverside villas look over the main infinity pool to the river. The villas are the categories to book if a private pool matters, since the suites rely on the shared pool by the water. Suites have Art Deco living rooms, twin sinks, a separate walk-in shower and a bathtub big enough for two.
The design is the point of the place. Creative director Krissada Sukosol Clapp, also a rock singer and actor, conceived the hotel with Bill Bensley partly as a home for his antiques, and the look draws on the Bangkok of King Rama V, with Art Deco accents in black, white, cream and grey. The land has been in the Sukosol family since 1973 and was leased to a seafood restaurant until 2005; the lead architect was Khemvadee Paopanlerd. The MICHELIN Guide gives a room count in the high thirties, which is why the hotel feels residential rather than grand.
Dining and bars
There are five places to eat and drink, most facing the river. Chon Thai Restaurant occupies three century-old teakwood houses and serves traditional home-style Thai cooking from breakfast to dinner, with a tasting menu. Deco Bar & Bistro is a 1920s-style jazz bar and contemporary bistro with a seasonal menu by Chef Blair Mathieson and Prohibition-era cocktails.
The Story House, a set of curio-filled rooms designed with Bensley Design Studios, is open through the day and serves afternoon tea created with Sarnies, and non-guests can book it, which makes it an easy way to see the hotel without staying. The Pier is a deck over the river for sunset drinks, weather permitting, and Bathers Bar serves drinks and light bites by the pool. None of the restaurants currently holds a MICHELIN star, so a big tasting-menu dinner usually means a trip downtown.
Pool, spa and training
The infinity pool sits on the riverfront lawn. Opium Spa pairs facials, massage and body treatments with steam saunas, a steam shower and a lounge called the Opium Den, and it uses Margy's Monte Carlo skincare. The gym includes a professional boxing ring used for the hotel's Muay Thai training, and guests can arrange a traditional Sak Yant tattoo.
Experiences and families
The hotel's cooking class starts with a tuk-tuk ride to a local market and has just two cooking stations, with a maximum of four guests, so it needs booking a day ahead. Other options include a sunset cruise in a boat modeled on a Thai sala, a collodion wet-plate portrait session, rides in the hotel's electric tuk-tuk and a Jim Thompson and Bensley Gallery shop at Connie's Corner.
The official pages do not describe a kids' club or children's program, so The Siam is better suited to couples and adult travelers than to families who want organized activities. Pool villas can still work for a family that wants privacy and space. The buildings are smoke-free, and smoking cannabis is not permitted anywhere on the property.
Who it suits, and the alternatives
The Siam suits couples, honeymooners, design lovers and travelers whose plans center on the Grand Palace, museums and the river rather than malls and nightlife. It is less suited to business travelers with meetings downtown, families looking for a kids' club, or anyone who wants to walk to a train.
- For villas nearer the Skytrain: Capella Bangkok on Charoen Krung has seven riverside villas with plunge pools and a boat to Sathorn Pier.
- For history with more restaurants: Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, opened in 1876, runs 12 restaurants and bars including a two-star French dining room.
- For families on the river: Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok has a daily kids' club for ages 4 to 12 and a children's pool.
Compare more options in our Bangkok hotels guide, or check availability for The Siam on Expedia.
Sources: The Siam, suites and villas, design, location, dining, spa, cooking school, MICHELIN Guide, MICHELIN Guide: Krua Apsorn. Checked September 26, 2026.
Every stay includes daily breakfast, butler service, Wi-Fi throughout the property and the shuttle boat to Sathorn Pier at BTS Saphan Taksin.
Take the hotel's complimentary shuttle boat to Sathorn Pier at BTS Saphan Taksin, about 30 minutes on a schedule; your butler books it. The nearest MRT station is Sirindhorn.
The hotel puts Suvarnabhumi Airport about 45 minutes away by limousine and arranges transfers on request through info@thesiamhotel.com.
Yes. Afternoon tea is served at The Story House from noon to 5 p.m., as a full set on weekends and à la carte on weekdays. The set costs THB 1,250 per person or THB 2,350 per couple, plus service charge and VAT.
THB 7,900 per person plus service charge and VAT. It starts at 10 a.m. with a market visit by tuk-tuk, takes a maximum of four guests and must be booked a day ahead.
Daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Book on +66 2 206 6999.
