Warm hospitality: Phranakorn-Nornlen
Vintage charm and a sense of family set apart this child-friendly guesthouse in Bangkok’s old quarters. You can attend one of its community classes — soap-making, sewing or cookery — free, receive a meal coupon for the organic café, pick up homemade toiletries and other products. The TV-free shabby-chic rooms are a balm to the senses. There’s a home farm on the roof and an organic dairy. Tariff THB 1,800–3,600 (for four!) Contact +66-26288188; phranakorn-nornlen.com
Spirited space: Seven
Each of a week’s worth of chambers has a patron god or goddess who, per Thai culture, has a day and a colour dedicated to him/her. For instance, the Purple Room is dedicated to Phra Sao, the planet Saturn. The modern murals in Seven’s six bedrooms and the mobile phone preloaded with recommended eateries and entertainment venues should shoot you straight to 7th Heaven (that’s the bar, by the way). Tariff THB 2,990–7,062 Contact 26623344; sleepatseven.com
Old-fashioned values: The Asadang
Within a short walk of the historic attractions of the older part of Bangkok, this renovated shophouse is a charming place to lay your head. The owners of this nine-room B&B are architects, and their traditional tastes make for a rich vernacular ambience to match the original wooden floors and stucco-frosted façade. Batiks and block-prints dress the four-posters, while claw-footed tubs recall a bygone gentility. Tariff THB 2,700–7,500 Contact 851807100; theasadang.com
Little China: Shanghai Mansion
This Chinatown landmark in Bangkok is sure to satisfy your yearning for make-believe. The nine-storey, 1892 building is done up to resemble the 1930s home of a rich Chinese merchant — red-silk loungers, lacquered-wood lattices, bird-cage lanterns, a working gramophone, a game of Chinese chequers in the library, lilting guzheng performances.Hotel California has nothing on this lotus-eaters’ honeymoon paradise. Tariff THB 2,500–3,100 Contact 22212121; shanghaimansion.com
Action station: Rikka Inn
The sleek décor of Rikka Inn is a relief as you step in from the hectic atmosphere of Bangkok’s Khaosan Road, where backpacker dives thrive. That puts everything exciting, from delicious food to cheap shopping and nightlife on your doorstep, while the free wi-fi access throughout the hotel, the rooftop pool and the retro images of Bangkok plastering the walls afford a soothing sanctuary. Tariff THB 750–1,850 Contact 22827511; rikkainn.com
Epic extras: Tenface
It’s a tale as old as time — the legendary inspiration of the Ramayana (Ramakien to the Siamese). It takes a brave Indian tourist to seek out this Ravana’s lair — hence Tenface, aka Tosakan the ten-headed. Your journey is rewarded with the Heart Box — inside is a Skytrain card, a SIM card for local calls and herbal toiletries. The contemporary décor, innovative F&B and generous service of Tenface slay any reservations. Tariff THB 2,700–21,000 Contact 26954242; tenfacebangkok.com