The Siam, Bangkok – an urban sanctuary with soul

Dear The Siam Bangkok,

This letter is to ask politely if I can move in and stay forever. I recently made myself at home in your hotel for a long weekend getaway and quite frankly, I have no idea why I ever checked out. I am contemplating not ever telling a soul about you because I just want you all to myself (selfish, I know).

The moment I stepped into your reception area and was greeted by the happy faces and warm smiles of your staff, I was hooked.  Your super high ceilings instantly made me feel free and just standing in the open space meant that the stresses of life in the 852 quickly melted away.

You see, The Siam is not just any normal high-end hotel – you are the definition of an urban sanctuary with a heavy dose of soul. Located on the Chao Praya river, you’re in striking distance to the hustle and bustle of downtown Bangkok (the ferry boat to Sathorn pier gets a thumbs up from me but I wish it ran later than 6pm), but are still far enough away to feel detached from it all. I almost forgot that I was in a big city which I loved, yet the feeling of my whole experience was uber sophisticated, intimate and high class but with a lovely laidback vibe.

Your rooms are divine. I love everything about them (I may copy them for my own house if you say no to me moving in)! The black and white art deco décor is so chic and the antiques collected by your owner are delightful personal touches.

If you do say yes to my request to move in, I can be flexible and rotate to a different suite each night if needed – it works for me since each of your 28 suites has a different theme so it will be part of the fun! My husband has put in an extra special request to live in the Miss Thailand suite (hmm, I wonder why?!).

If I’m honest though, I would be perfectly happy living my whole existence in one of your ten stunning private pool villas. This is no lie, I have always wanted to have a spiral staircase in my house (like the one that leads up to the villa roof deck) so let’s consider this a done deal, okay?!

I’m definitely not a cook, so I’m thanking my lucky stars that your restaurants serve food just the way I like it – delicious, fresh and simple. I may even strike up the courage to take a few lessons at your cooking school if I get bored of lazing around the pool, but mainly I think I will be a regular visitor to Chon, your delish Thai restaurant housed in a teak house.

I love that you do things in a way that sets you apart from other luxury hotels, like your fully equipped Muay Thai boxing ring in the fitness centre. My husband was dying to jump into the ring (he bragged to all of his friends about it leading up to our holiday!) and he visited everyday to punch, kick and spar with your highly qualified trainers. I thought that was simply fab, as it got him out of my hair so I could read my book or do some exercising on my own before we regrouped for a yummy breakfast to start our day together.

No stay at your hotel is complete without a trip to The Opium Spa. Even though we were specifically told by the most adorable front desk clerk that there was “No opium in the spa!” we let that slide as we knew there were better things waiting for us that would get us feeling high and relaxed! We enjoyed the private steam room and a massage that was so blissful I’m forgetting all its finer details right now… but I am not letting that worry me too much as I am sure I will be there often once I move in.  Are you able to do a regular appointment for me every day at 3pm?

I hope you enjoyed having me as a guest as much as I enjoyed staying with you and please don’t hesitate to call and tell me what day I can move in. In return, I promise to stop being selfish and tell everyone about you, as you really are a gem that should not be kept a secret for much longer!

Room rates start at THB16,300 per night

The Siam, 3/2 Thanon Khao, Vachirapayabal, Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand, +66 (0) 2206 6999

http://www.thesiamhotel.com