My wife and I are heading to Bangkok next week for the first time and I'm looking for a great place to stay. Our friends have recommended some of the larger hotels (The Davis, Shangri-La, Marriott, etc.), but they appear to be very large "Americanized" hotels. We don't want to be on the 45th floor of a giant highrise.

Can anyone recommend a great smaller hotel, or bed & breakfast, or guesthouse near the river that has more character and charm (and perhaps a more "authentic" Thai experience (but we do need A/C))?

Thanks for your help.

Jason

Hi Jason, you might want to try Old Bangkok Inn, but since you are leaving next week they might be booked full. I think its the kind of place you are looking for. Check out their website and see the pics of the rooms.

Jeffrey

I second the old bnagkok inn a delightful place

I haven't stayed at either of these but have considered them as they do look a bit different:
http://www.arunresidence.com/main.htm
http://www.bangkokboutiquehotel.com/acc.htm

and yes, you do need a/c!

ElizabethS posted on the Arun Residence. She gives lots of detail, so look for her recent posts.

You might also want to check out this list of 'boutique' hotels in Bangkok:

http://theposhguide.com/thailand/ban...que-hotels.php

I went to a private dinner at Chakrabongse Villas last week and poked around the place and thought it was very charming, on the river in a good location across from Wat Arun. Take a look at http://www.thaivillas.com/indexflash.html. They have a pool, which is sometimes unusual in a “boutique” hotel in a city. It is very small, I think there are only 3-4 apartments, so I agree that at this late date it might be hard to get it or something else. Most importantly, you are also traveling during Chinese New Year week when lots of people in Asia have all or part of the week off and will be on holiday as well.

Vis a vis the “authentic” and the “Americanized”, many of the large hotels on the river are of course NOT American. The most famous, like the Peninsula, the Shangri-La and the Oriental are owned by Asian-based companies which have been in business for decades (and in the case of the Oriental, for centuries). The owners of these companies are principally Hong Kong Chinese families. Off the river you have the Banyan Tree (Asian again) and the Four Seasons (Canadian, recently purchased by conglomerate lead by a Saudi). The service levels are of course based on those developed decades ago by Cesar Ritz, a Swiss. The employees, other than perhaps the general manager and some of the chefs (who tend to be European) are Thai. Even in the little “boutique” hotels you will find some of the American interpretations like the mini-bars, the soft lighting, the bathrobes, the hairdryers (and the air conditioning that you have requested), so I don’t really know what you mean by “authentic” . (I always find it curious that people think that having Thai chambermaid in a small hotel is somehow more authentic than having a Thai chambermaid in a large hotel...) And finally while the Sheraton on the river is a high-rise, as is the new Hilton, the Marriott on the river is only 3 stories tall. It is the locally-owned hotels on the river which are the high-rises.

A friend just booked the Arun Residence. Happy Travels!

There have also been good reports on Ibrik.