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Following a recent trip to the islands off Thailand, I had a 24-hour layover in Bangkok before embarking on the nearly 23-hour journey back to New York City. Having explored and enjoyed Bangkok several times before, and with coronavirus uncertainty in full swing, I was looking to check into a hotel at which I could relax and recharge during the short layover—and from which, if I didn’t feel like it, I wouldn’t really need to leave. Thanks to a host of top-notch on-site facilities, I found all that in spades at the Rosewood Bangkok—plus the only suites in the city with private pools, including three new ones set to open through this spring and summer.
The shape of the Rosewood Bangkok determines the unique layout of each room. Photo: Courtesy of Rosewood Bangkok
All of the downtown hotel’s extra-spacious accommodations have been envisioned by Lillian Wu Studio to feature a sophisticated, modern décor, floor-to-ceiling windows framing Sukhumvit views, and amenities like Dyson hairdryers, only-at-this-location bespoke bath products, and mini-bars with bottles of house-batch cocktails. The top-level Houses, however, have been designed as true residences, conceived to evoke the pied-a-terre of a worldly art collector, complete with a curated selection of contemporary paintings and sculptures.
The suite bedrooms are flooded with light and surrounded by views Courtesy Rosewood Bangkok
Currently open is the Nara House, where the foyer with guest bathroom leads to a living and dining area large enough to have the bar team from the excellent rooftop Lennon’s speakeasy set up a private cocktail bar for you and your guests. Past that is the star attraction: a furnished terrace with your very own marble-lined plunge pool from which to soak up both the sun and the panoramic views. All the House pools are filled with saltwater—another unique touch in the world of hotel plunge pools—and are drained when the Houses aren’t occupied, for both sustainability and hygienic reasons.
The main pool at the Rosewood Bangkok—if you feel like leaving your House suite Photo: Courtesy of Rosewood Bangkok
Joining the existing House this spring is Thara House, which has a similar layout to Nara, and Bannakarn House, which will occupy the entire 29th floor of the hotel. In a departure from the look of the other Houses, this 3,130-square-foot top option takes its cues from modern-day Mad Men, with an alabaster cocktail bar and a grand show kitchen; the pool here will be the highest of them all. Also new this year is the two-bedroom Sky Pool Suite, a 26th-floor haven with one King and one Twin bedroom, along with all the other suite amenities, like butler service and super-sized mini-bar items (many of which are complimentary.) For your cooling-off needs, there’s also a sleek, 66-foot main hotel pool and whirlpool on the 9th floor, buttressed between the fitness center and an organic café—if guests of these top suites ever feel like venturing down. Nara House rates start at $4,000; Thara House at $5,000, and Bannakarn House at $8,000.
