Need to know
Rooms
Six suites spread across three ruen (traditional Thai houses set around courtyards), sleeping up to 12. Ruen Bangkok Noi and Ruen Hor both have one bedroom, while Ruen Siri has four.
Check–Out
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability (no charge until 3pm, a half-day charge applies from 3pm till 10pm). Check-in is 3pm, but there’s no charge if you want to check in from noon and the room is available.
More details
Rates include a cooked-to-order breakfast (with Thai and Western favourites, seasonal fruit juices and local coffee); lunch; pre-dinner drinks; dinner; one free cultural activity a day; and one, hour-long Thai massage a stay each.
Also
With most bedrooms set on the second floor, with stair access only, the hotel isn’t best suited to guests with mobility issues. However, the spa room on the ground floor can be set up as a bedroom, on request, and staff can set up ramps for easier access to communal areas.
At the hotel
1,600 square metres of land, including several gardens, terraces and courtyards and a restored heritage house (now the bar); library with books, board games and a TV; open-plan living and dining space; games room; full kitchen; charged laundry service; communal coffee machine and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: tea-making kit, air-conditioning, minibar, bathrobes, slippers and Pañpuri bath products. Siri Kasem is the only room with a TV.
Our favourite rooms
You came for the old-school romance, so fully embrace it — and each other — in the room dubbed ‘the wedding suite’ because it was given to the original owner on her wedding day and filled with things she loved, such as accents of turquoise. The only bedroom in the Ruen Hor residence, it’s elegantly wood-panelled with a river view, retains some of the original furnishings and, on the ceiling, there are hand-painted allegorical murals for you and your love to look up at.
Poolside
You wouldn’t expect so much room for swimming in the city, but there’s plenty of leeway for laps in the 20-metre-long, saltwater pool, whose tiles echo the river’s emerald hue. Buffered by gardens and a leafy deck for lounging on, it feels like it’s been lifted from Thailand’s beachier climes.
Spa
Spoiling quite literally comes in various configurations here — depending on how many people are staying, some rooms can be converted into spa suites. But there's no need to cull the guest list — Thai, aromatherapy and foot massages can also be taken in the gardens or courtyard, or your room. Shadier spots are ideal for morning yoga sessions, too. There’s a salon on-call, plus a selection of mats, jump ropes, light weights and resistance bands for impromptu workouts.
Packing tips
Leave that copy of The Beach behind and line up Another Bangkok: Reflections on the City by Alex Kerr for a longtime resident’s perspective on the capital; or historical novel Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj, which charts a family through the time of the Chakri dynasty.
Also
Make a memento as you go with a professional photographer to document your stay. It wouldn’t be the first time the villa’s been captured on film — it made a cameo in The White Lotus season three, too.
Pet‐friendly
Pets can only stay when the villa is booked for exclusive use (beds, bowls and treats will be provided). See more pet-friendly hotels in Bangkok.
Children
Welcome; kids under six are charged as children as long as they don’t reauire an extra bed, otherwise charges apply (THB8,500 a night). Facilities and activities can be geared towards little ones.
Best for
The villa is suited to all ages; however, you’ll have to watch very little ones around the pool and on the stairs. Please note, children aged six and over will be charged the adult rate.
Recommended rooms
Most beds can be twinned on request. Older kids might prefer Garden View Suite, Ruen Siri Kasem, which can double up as a games room, so has the only in-room TV. Baby cots are available on request.
Activities
The hotel’s cultural and crafting activities, cookery classes and guided tours can all be tailored to suit younger guests. Gentle pastimes (board games, cards, dominoes mahjong) can be found in the library.
Swimming pool
There are floaties for the pool. Water babies will need adult supervision, as there’s no fencing or cover.
Meals
Dining is wholly customisable here thanks to the resident chef, so whether your child has an adventurous palate or simply wants a burger and chips, there’ll be no fussing over food. Highchairs are available on request and there’s tot-sized cutlery, too.
No need to pack
There are car seats to borrow and board games in the library.
Also
Little ones get a welcome gift on arrival, tailored to their age; this might be a colouring book, building kit or wooden toy.
Sustainability efforts
Siri Sala was originally a rescue mission of a traditional stilted river house, and much of it was conserved, so you’ll see original features and furnishings throughout. But newer additions include water- and energy-saving measures, some solar panels and more recyclable amenities. The owners have also taken the local Buddhist wisdom to heart, and the team’s neighbourhood trash clean-ups, visits to the local temple to give alms and the chance for guests to release non-invasive fish, turtles and eels into the river keep all involved on a good karmic path.
