Places To Stay
Our editors pick their favorite places to stay, from destination hotels to under-the-radar hideaways.
Courtesy Amanpuri
When it comes to the world's most luxurious places to stay, Thailand hotels punch well above their weight. In Bangkok, glossy city hotels rival those found in New York and London, and some of the country's landmark addresses are tucked away in beach towns. Chiva-Som is regularly voted as the best destination spa in the world, while Aman, Banyan Tree, and Six Senses properties are dotted throughout the best islands in Thailand. There are plenty of boutique stays and under-the-radar bolt-holes to be found too, where friendly service and traditional cooking will leave you feeling like you've gained a glimpse into life as a local. For a shortlist of our favorites, we rounded up the best hotels in Thailand below.
In this article:
Our top picks:
- For luxury: Capella Bangkok
- For spa: Chiva-Som International Health Resort, Hua Hin
- For families: Amanpuri
- For beach: Four Seasons Koh Samui
- For a boutique stay: Raya Heritage
Capella Bangkok
The Thai capital has no shortage of swanky beds to book, but it's only once in a blue moon that a hotel with such star power as the Capella Bangkok comes around. Opened in 2020 on a garden-clad estate along the Chao Phraya River, this low-rise pile of blonde wood and creamy marble entered the scene with such Bangkok firsts as travertine hot tubs on suite balconies, and villas pitched up right on the waterfront. Côte, the hotel's Mediterranean-tinged fine-dining spot by Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, earned a Michelin star within a year after opening, while those in the know flock to the boudoir-like Stella Bar after dark to sip on drinks inspired by some of Bangkok's most storied districts.
The Siam
Compared with many of its rivals, this Bangkok stalwart doesn’t have a location that’s wildly convenient: The postcard sights need a boat transfer and then a taxi ride. But for the legions of loyal fans of this monochrome masterpiece by hotel guru Bill Bensley, that’s the point. Pitched up on a lush riverside plot in the hushed Dusit district, The Siam feels like a portal to a bygone Bangkok. Even though it opened over a decade ago, it’s easy to imagine it as a plush playground for the city’s erstwhile big guns: the midcentury movers and shakers whose heirlooms—vintage Pan Am posters, tattered travel trunks, and chipped ceramics—adorn the marble-floored hallways. The Thai capital’s five-star hotel scene gets plusher every year, but this timeless beauty remains in a league of its own.
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is not a place one loves then leaves. It stays with you. For nearly a year, over and over, I’ve wished to be back in its ninth-floor infinity pool, delicate shadows from a massive sampong tree canopy dancing on the salt water as a wispy breeze fluttered in my hair. I can’t count how often I’ve begun salivating when I've thought of the sweet-and-salty moo ping pork skewers and limitless bowls of melt-in-your-mouth mango I devoured at breakfast. And I crave deeply the energy-releasing tap-tap-tap of the hand-carved teak tools used in the hotel spa’s Nud Tok Sen massage.
These are not only happy memories; they are all connected to the rich storytelling of this urban resort built amid a seven-acre bubble of lushness that was the early-20th-century teak retreat of visionary Thai entrepreneur Phraya Bhakdinorasreth, known as Nai Lert. His descendants’ hotel and private members club is intimately tethered to its place down to the littlest detail. Glamorously artful and thoughtful in both aesthetics and hospitality, the bolt-hole is perhaps Bangkok’s most personal, chockablock with intimate references in a setting best described as elysian. Being a guest here feels like being woven into the fabric of its history too. —Kathryn Romeyn
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
Gold List 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026
This riverside grande dame offers old-world, illustrious glamour and pomp without feeling too fussy. With a clientele that includes mesmerizing dignitaries, celebrities, and noted authors (not to mention everyday travelers) and benefits like exceptional service, a storied lobby, a fleet of BMW sedans, and a tropical, riverside location, it’s no wonder that the Mandarin Oriental is so renowned. Upon arrival, you’ll nearly strain your neck trying to take in all the splendor. The lobby is a palace of lattice woodwork, cascading florals, giant birdcage-style chandeliers, and printed sofas. Expect views of the city’s burbling river, best enjoyed from the emerald-green swimming pool, tiki cocktail in hand. The Mandarin is where one could broker an international deal, find a strapping future spouse, or simply shut out the rest of the world. Dress to impress and pack a designer bag (or at least an exceptional fake), because this crowd looks like it was pulled straight from the White Lotus. —Jenny Adams
Raya Heritage
Teak pillars and Lanna roof trims are the norm in Northern Thailand, but Raya Heritage in Chiang Mai city plays a different game. Designer Vichada “Dao” Sitakalin built this riverside retreat and filled it with crafts—ceramics, basketry, hand-dyed indigo textiles—sourced from village artisans and embedded in the decor of every cream-colored suite. There’s a boutique selling the same pieces, a tea lounge serving local brews, and a restaurant, Khu Khao, that draws on regional influences with dishes such as Burmese mohinga and Yunnanese rice salad. Add a riverfront pool and herb-heavy spa treatments, and you’ve got Chiang Mai’s most rooted—and gorgeous—stay.
Aleenta Retreat Chiang Mai
There's a small-town feel to this retreat, which opened in April 2023 in Chiang Mai's leafy Umong district. At its heart, four antique Thai dwellings, with their hand-carved gabled roofs and teakwood frameworks still intact, harbor the hotel's main facilities, from a four-bedroom villa with breezy balconies and a private pool to a boutique selling local crafts. Pitched between the bamboo-fringed communal pool and a stilted meditation lounge, the wellness center is a highlight, whether you opt for the week-long mindfulness retreats or a quick reflexology fix-up.
The restaurant, taking over one of the villas, is just as wellness-minded: days here start with ginger-turmeric elixirs, superfood bowls, and tofu-stuffed Thai lettuce wraps, but the rest of the menu is far from hair-shirted: options feature Northern Thai noodles and Lanna-style riffs on comfort classics—think tacos with pulled wild boar belly, and fish and chips from snakehead fish with spicy khao soi ranch dressing. With bright interiors accented with local textiles and wickerwork, the 44 rooms and duplex suites hit the sweet spot between rootsy Thai and comfortably modern.
Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
Treetop pavilions, private residences, and pool villas sit on 31 acres of manicured gardens and a rice paddy within the Mae Rim Valley. Come sundown, the rice farmers parade through the fields singing and celebrating the end of a working day. Two buffalo bathe daily in the lake, which acts as a hub for activities from sunrise yoga to pottery making, Thai boxing, tennis, and textile dyeing. For guests who prefer to spend their stay wallowing in the sunshine, there are two infinity pools that stretch out into the paddies. It's a lush and serene scene from every angle.
Private residence guests can spend the day without seeing a soul, in grand gated homes built for families who enjoy hiding away in pure luxury—private pools, a kitchen space to hire private catering, and a wraparound terrace for alfresco dining and entertaining. Eating here is a highlight, especially breakfast, which draws on color and cuisine from all walks of the world, from Chinese dumplings to English breakfast, and coffee orders taken by the friendliest of staff. —Sophie Knight
Chiva-Som Hua Hin Wellness Resort
Chiva-Som is the undisputed queen of the Thai wellness scene—when it arrived on the scene 27 years ago, spa breaks in Thailand weren't even a thing. There have been plenty of pretenders since, but none have yet managed to usurp the original, with its life-boosting combination of cutting-edge fitness (new machinery includes Iron Man–like Vision Bodysuits), medical diagnostics (blood work, gene testing), traditional Asian healing therapies, and hyper-intuitive staff. There are 16 different retreats to choose from—stress and pain management, fitness boost, immune resilience, senior health—each of are minutely personalized to meet all of your mental, physical, and emotional needs. This is the place to change the habits of a lifetime. —Adrianne Pielou
InterContinental Khao Yai Resort by IHG
Some two hours into the three-hour drive northward from Bangkok, the landscape starts changing. Concrete sprawl morphs into Khao Yai’s undulating hillscape, bedecked in thick jungles and fruit orchards, and just off the area’s main road that snakes past pastiche European-looking country clubs and patchworks of farmland, the InterContinental Khao Yai emerges from behind a hedgerow of towering trees.
Dotted around the lush estate, you’ll see railway-themed buildings and train cars—which is the exact theme Bangkok-based hotel designer Bill Bensley was going for. The lobby is built like an old-timey ticketing booth, while suites are decked with upcycled vintage railway carriages and draw inspiration from different Asian railway journeys. Also set up in railway carts are two restaurants and one bar (head to Poirot for mushroom tarts and boeuf bourguignon) and a spa specializing in Thai and aromatherapy massage. Needless to say, this imaginative stay is a hit with little ones, but even grown-ups will appreciate the whimsical respite from busy Bangkok.
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui
On the secluded northwestern tip of Koh Samui’s glassy Laem Yai Bay, Bill Bensley, architect of the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai, has scattered 60 gorgeous hillside villas and 10 private residence rentals among the coconut trees. The villas all come with expansive Gulf of Thailand views (including from the tub), as well as decks with big plunge pools, shaded daybeds, and a stocked wine fridge.
The resort has a small, effectively private strip of white-sand beach by the main infinity pool, as well as sea-facing daybeds at the laid-back beach bar, where the attentive staff whips up an array of cocktails. The adjacent dining pavilion, Pla Pla (meaning “many fish” and named for its fresh-catch menu), is a romantic dinner spot, and the restaurant KOH Thai Kitchen & Bar highlights indigenous dishes like tom kati talay, a coconut soup studded with seafood, tamarind, and kaffir lime leaves. Massages inside one of the spa’s tree house–inspired treatment rooms knead away any last trace of real-world stress. —Hannah Summers
Amanpuri
The original outpost of the globe-spanning Aman empire, this Phuket property was initially intended as a holiday home for Indonesian hotel guru Adrian Zecha. Eventually, he expanded the blueprint into a small boutique resort that opened in 1988. In the following decades, Amanpuri became a hush-hush haven for monarchs and supermodels, with yearly touch-ups and regular renovations constantly making it look brand-new. The hotel’s Thai temple–like pavilions have since been imitated by resorts all over Southeast Asia, but the ones surrounded by lush gardens and coconut palms here, accented with timeworn Buddhist antiques and fresh orchids, still feel like the real deal.
During a recent project, the pavilions’ honey-hued interiors shed their low-slung ceilings to reveal the high-pitched teak wood beams that were hidden behind, while the old bathtubs in the mirror-clad bathrooms were replaced with newer models. The Holistic Wellness Centre, which offers everything from crystal healing sessions to high-tech IV infusions and medical check-ups, is one of Thailand’s very best. Despite the worldwide acclaim, the resort remains blissfully serene even during the high season, although scoring the best canvas-covered beach cabanas can turn into a game of musical chairs. Ask one of the hosts to try to reserve your favorite one.
Trisara
Privacy is assured at this indulgent spot, which rolls down a tropical hillside onto a quiet corner of upmarket Layan Beach in the northwest of Phuket. Forty frangipani-scented acres and 6,562 feet of Andaman Sea coast are dedicated to just 39 peaked-roof villas and 30 palatial private residences—all with private pools and panoramic sea views—spaced far enough apart that guests never have to see each other. You can eat at Pru, the only restaurant in Phuket with a Michelin star and the only one in Thailand with a Michelin Green star, or join one of the buzziest Sunday Champagne brunches on the island. You'll also want to fit in a visit to the temple-like Jara spa to try some integrative Thai therapy, combining massage with wooden hammers and chisels—and perhaps a little bit of magic.
Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas
It’s only a short speedboat ride from jam-packed Phuket, but Anantara’s perch on the eastern tip of palm-tufted Koh Yao Yai island feels like a wholly different slice of southern Thailand. By the time you arrive at the resort’s jetty, which juts out from a jumble of tropical trees, any hint of Phuket’s notorious beachside bustle has long disappeared into the blue horizon. Wedged between jungle-cloaked hills and a cream-colored beach, the resort unfurls like a small town (yet gargantuan by Koh Yao Yai island standards) of multi-storied buildings with wavy façades and roofs covered in grass smooth as a golf course. European families on school break mix with Thai weekenders at the breezy restaurants and the blob-shaped pool, which curves around wooden islets dotted with sun loungers, swirling pathways, and lush patches of tropical greens. It’s a far cry from the snug, small resorts that have occupied these islands so far—but for a few days of beachy, margaritas-by-the-pool self-indulgence, this one’s hard to beat.
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas
Anantara Mai Khao Phuket is real fly-and-flop territory—touch down at the airport, and you’ll be at the gates of the hotel in just 20 minutes and sipping iced coffee by your pool shortly after that. Compared to other luxe hotels on the island—many of which can be a two-hour drive away in heavy traffic—this alone could be a reason to stay. The rooms are also huge. All 83 of the standalone structures are private villas with extensive outdoor terraces, huge pools, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Thoughtful design touches include sliding glass doors separating your living space and pool, and a huge stone outdoor bathtub (big enough for two) separated from the pool by a glass panel, allowing you to slip between hot soaks and cooling dips.
The real star of a stay here is a meal at the Tree House, a Japanese omakase built into the branches of an ancient banyan tree. You can choose to dine at a table, gazing out over the gardens, but the more exciting seat is at the counter, watching the chefs prep ingredients that have recently jetted in from Japan. There's a spa and a kids club, as well as a babysitting service if parents are in need of a night off. —H.S.
FAQ:
What are the best places to visit in Thailand?
If you want to dive into street food markets, restaurants, bars, galleries, and museums, then Bangkok is the place to be. The capital city is also a transport hub, with AirAsia operating affordable flights across Thailand—including to Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Trang, Phuket, and Krabi—and other Asian destinations. For more, see our ultimate two-week itinerary for Thailand.
When is the best time to visit Thailand?
As with many far-flung tropical destinations, the “best time to visit Thailand” is an entirely subjective question. Thailand’s islands vary in climate, and there are deals to be had at certain times of the year—even at the best hotels in Thailand—as most travelers aim to avoid the rainy season. Generally speaking, the best time to visit Thailand is from December to March—though, as with any tropical destination, a short and ridiculously torrential burst of rain is unpredictably possible, even on the sunniest of days. For more advice, see our guide to the best time to visit Thailand.
How we choose the best hotels in Thailand
Every hotel review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
More Thailand recommendations:
- The Best Hotels in Bangkok
- The Best Hotels in Phuket
- The Best Hotels in Koh Samui
- Our Readers' Favorite Resorts in Thailand
- Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Thailand
- The Cheapest, Nicest Hotels in Thailand
- The Best Airbnbs in Bangkok
- The Best Spas in Thailand
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK. It has been updated with new information since its original publish date.