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Hotel Review: The Sukhothai Bangkok
- Faye Bradley
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
BANGKOK
Bangkok is a city of extremes — frenetic, dazzling, often overwhelming — where skyscrapers cast shadows over gilded temples and street food stalls compete with Michelin stars. To find serenity in the middle of it all feels almost impossible. And yet, tucked discreetly along Sathorn Road, there is a place that has been offering exactly that for more than three decades: The Sukhothai Bangkok, a proud member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Since opening in 1991, The Sukhothai has cultivated a reputation not through brash reinvention but through quiet constancy. Spread across six acres of landscaped gardens, lotus ponds, and tranquil courtyards, it feels more like a private resort than a city hotel. Step through its gates and the cacophony of Bangkok seems to dissolve; in its place comes a hush, broken only by the echo of temple bells and the gentle splash of koi beneath floating lotus petals.
The hotel’s design is both statement and sanctuary. Conceived by Kerry Hill Architects with interiors by Ed Tuttle, the property pays homage to the golden Sukhothai Kingdom of the 13th and 14th centuries, when Thai art, language, and architecture flourished. Low-slung pavilions are arranged around courtyards and reflecting pools, echoing the symmetry of ancient palaces. Rich teakwood, polished marble, and lustrous silks create interiors that feel both timeless and tactile. The effect is not ostentation but calm, a kind of cultivated stillness that invites you to linger.
Accommodation is divided between the original Main Wing and the newer Club Wing, launched in 2018 as part of a careful restoration. The Main Wing remains true to its heritage, with rooms and suites dressed in Thai silks and hand-carved furnishings that speak to the hotel’s legacy. The Club Wing, by contrast, feels like a modern reinterpretation of Ed Tuttle’s vision: expansive rooms with silk-panelled walls, teak flooring, and marble bathrooms, but with the comforts of contemporary luxury — from Harman Kardon sound systems to Japanese high-tech toilets. Guests in this wing enjoy in-room check-in and access to a private lounge serving breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails. It is, in many ways, a hotel within a hotel, tailored to those who want exclusivity without losing connection to the wider property.
What makes The Sukhothai endure, however, is not just its architecture but its rhythm of living. Meals here are an event, not because of ceremony but because of quality. Our first evening began at Celadon, the hotel’s award-winning Thai restaurant set in a pavilion surrounded by lotus ponds. To dine there is to understand Thai cuisine as both heritage and art: fragrant curries layered with spice, delicate salads that balance heat with citrus, and desserts that feel like edible jewels. The setting, with candlelight flickering against water, lends an almost cinematic quality to the experience.
The following night took us to La Scala, one of Bangkok’s most revered Italian dining rooms. A contemporary yet classic space, it delivers a kind of culinary theatre where seasonal tasting menus are executed with precision and flair. Each dish felt like a bridge between Italy and Bangkok, sophisticated but never pretentious. Between those two poles — Thai refinement at Celadon and Italian elegance at La Scala — The Sukhothai’s culinary compass revealed its full breadth. Even casual lunches, like the one we enjoyed at the Pool Terrace Café & Bar, became memorable: a light breeze drifting across the water, plates of fresh salads and tropical fruits, the pace of the city replaced by the slow rhythm of a poolside afternoon. Our Executive Club Lounge Suite included access to the sleek Club Lounge, where we enjoyed breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails.
Wellness, too, is deeply woven into the fabric of the hotel. The Sukhothai Spa, set within a lovingly restored Thai heritage house, is a destination in its own right. Teakwood verandas, a shaded courtyard, and softly lit interiors create a sense of reverence, as though one is entering a temple of calm. The facilities are as impressive as they are thoughtful: seven private treatment rooms, an authentic marble Hammam, and even a dedicated Bastien Gonzalez Studio for the kind of mani-pedis that verge on cult status. Our 90-minute signature treatment was a masterclass in intuitive touch — the kind of massage that dissolves tension not just in muscles but in the mind. To recline afterwards in the relaxation room, gazing onto a private garden, was to forget entirely that one was in Bangkok at all.
In the ever-changing landscape of Bangkok hospitality, where new openings compete for attention with ever taller, ever shinier designs, The Sukhothai remains steadfast. It is not simply a hotel but an institution, one that has perfected the art of being a true oasis in the city. For business travellers, it offers tranquillity without sacrificing connectivity. For leisure guests, it offers the comfort of a resort without the need to leave Bangkok. And for those who value heritage as much as modern luxury, it offers both, seamlessly entwined.
Bangkok may be relentless, exhilarating, and at times overwhelming, but within the walls of The Sukhothai, it is possible to discover another side of the capital: graceful, serene, unhurried. That, in the end, is the rarest luxury of all.
Location: 13/3 S Sathon Rd, Khwaeng Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand | Phone: +66 2 344 8888 | Email: reservations@sukhothai.com | Instagram: @thesukhothaibangkok | Facebook: facebook.com/thesukhothaibangkok
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