The 101-room, nine-story hotel opened at the beginning of the pandemic. Shortly after the hotel opened, tourism to Thailand completely stopped. But by the time the borders finally reopened toward the end of 2022, I checked in and found an extraordinary hotel operating at the top of its game.
I wrote about Capella Bangkok and the hotel’s fantastic Thai chef, Kannika Jitsangworn, for the debut issue of OLTRE, the new luxury travel magazine that I’m producing for Internova Travel Group and Global Travel Collection. Specifically, I wrote about tagging along with the chef to explore some of Bangkok’s best street food, which served as inspiration for her menu at Phra Nakhon, the casual-fine-dining Thai restaurant she oversees at the hotel. Both the street food and the chef’s upscale take at Phra Nakhon exceeded all expectations.
As did the hotel itself. I stayed in a starter-level Riverfront Premier room, which although small, was incredibly nice. And I should qualify what I mean when I say the room was small. It was tiny compared with the starter-level rooms at Sindhorn Kempinski, where I had spent the previous week. But I think the bedroom might have felt small only because the bathroom was so big. Everything about this room was luxurious: the bedding, the bathtub, the vanity with a view of the river, the balcony, the impeccable closet and changing area. Seriously, there was nothing missing that I possibly could have desired.
The pool was beautiful. The spa even more so. Service throughout anticipated our every need and then some.
Capella sits in the same riverside development that includes the new Four Seasons next door, so it’s just a short stroll across the driveway and around the corner to the fabulous BKK Social Club bar, where we enjoyed drinks one night. We also enjoyed very nice cocktails at Capella’s Stella bar, but it’s certainly no BKK Social Club.
My fiancé and I came to Bangkok with one stated goal: to eat Thai food every day, from breakfast until late night. No exceptions. And we ate very, very well for the better part of two weeks. Our meals at Phra Nakhon rated among the best. Then, on the day we were checking out of Capella, I was informed that the hotel’s ultra-fine-dining restaurant, Côte by Mauro Colagreco, had a last-minute opening, and the table was ours for lunch if we wanted it. But did we really want French/Italian food? We already had a table on hold at another Thai restaurant across town. But honestly we weren’t to leave Capella, so we jumped at the chance to prolong our departure, and Côte rose to the occasion. Every bite — and each new wine paired with it — proved exquisite.
Bottom line: Bangkok is home to some of the finest hotels in the world. Capella now ranks among the city’s best.
Rates from about $600; 300/2 Charoenkrung Road, Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand; +66.2098.3888; capellahotels.com/bangkok
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