Suave and contemporary, the Akyra's large rooms are a place of calm in the busy city. Crisp white cotton sheets glow alluringly amid soothing colors and local details. On the walls hang moody black and white art prints.

There’s plenty going beyond your room, too. Som Tam & Chardonnay is Chef Sitti Suteerasan’s restaurant where a som tam salad with crispy octopus pairs perfectly with a glass of good white. 008 is the cocktail spot with serious cred, sweet views, and chic vibes hidden on the hotel's 11th floor. Also on the 11th is the rooftop pool, a tranquil oasis bordered by sweet-smelling frangipani trees and a city sprawled below you. Dumpling lovers must not pass up the Din Tai Fung outlet in the basement.

Thonglor is the best of Bangkok—it’s friendly, dynamic, chic and boutique, and it pops with dining options: We're talking scrummy street food stalls, Instagram-ready eateries, and award-winning restos putting a Thai twist on all manner of global cuisines. This is also the neighborhood to see and be seen in. Bangkok’s jet setters come here to sip and chat and dance at one of several nightspots (Akyra’s 008 bar among them). For a more chilled vibe check out The Commons, a trendy lifestyle mall where you might easily imagine yourself in a fashionable corner of New York or London.