3 Best Hotels in Thonburi, Bangkok

The rooms at the Peninsula boast plenty of high-tech gadgets, among them bathrooms with hands-free phones and mist-free TV screens, and bedside controls that dim the lights and close the curtains. Because the hotel is on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, its spacious rooms have impressive Bangkok skyline views. A free shuttle boat takes you across the river to the nearest BTS station. Four restaurants serve Chinese, Thai, and international cuisine. There's a long swimming pool with private gazebos.

Getting to Anantara is a pleasant adventure in itself—free boats shuttle guests down the Chao Phraya from Saphan Taksin Pier—and once there, the large pool and garden area on the riverside make you feel a long way from downtown's bustle. All rooms are spacious and well furnished, but remember to ask for a river view. The only downside to the hotel is its distance from attractions.

Lording over the Chao Phraya, this flagship Hilton designed with modernist flair competes successfully with Bangkok's other hotel giants but often offers lower rates. The infinity pool hangs like a waterfall off a cleverly fashioned deck, with an urban beach overlooking the city skyline. The rooms are on the small side, but river and city views from every room compensate. The hotel is reached via a free hotel boat shuttle from a pier near BTS Saphan Taksin.