DAY 1

09:00 - Travel in Thai style from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi  International Airport in a Four Seasons Hotel limousine to the city’s foremost five-star address. The masterwork of eminent Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy, the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River lobby’s jet-black pools and percolating water features are a clue to the sprawling sanctuary’s waterside locale. The hotel hugs a 200-metre-stretch of the Chao Phraya, that’s immortalised in stylised map form in the lobby. It’s just one of many museum-style wall-to-ceiling art installations scattered throughout the property, that’s stitched together by a series of black marbled courtyards which cascade down to twin landscaped infinity pools overlooking the river.

10:30 - Banish your jet lag with a reviving ayurvedic Luk Pra Kob massage at the hotel’s low-rise, low-key luxury neighbour: Capella. The therapies at this ultra-modern property’s jasmine-scented spa are rooted in age-old Eastern and Western healing modalities. Leave time to linger in its aqua therapy lounge, before heading to the hotel’s light-flooded Phra Nakhon for a seasonally led macrobiotic lunch. Here, you can graze on guilt-free dishes like house-made tofu in tamarind sauce and wok-fried Chinese kale with ginkgo nuts. Many plates are garnished with edible flowers and hand-picked herbs from Capella’s onsite greenhouse. Hydrate with its signature rose and coconut lemonade; a tonic that’s tailor-made for this monsoon metropolis.

13:30 - To experience Bangkok from a whole new perspective, spend the afternoon threading through a network of canals on the Thonburi (west) side of Chao Phraya, that’s sometimes referred to as “The Venice of the East”. Drifting past century-old, stilted houses, village temples and sacred banyan trees on a longtail boat is the very definition of ‘slow travel,’ which bespoke tour specialists Smiling Albino have perfected. Highlights of my own private tour include Baan Bu; a 500-year-old canalside community which crafts handmade bronze bowls, and the time-warped Thai-Portuguese enclave of Kudeejeen; home to traditional family-run bakeries and a fascinating courtyard museum.

17:00 - Continue your watery explorations at Wat Arun, which rises up from Chao Phraya’s west bank and predates the founding of Bangkok. Said to emulate the rising sun, Arun is named after the Hindu God of Dawn, despite being a Buddhist temple. In reality, it’s magical anytime of the day thanks to its shimmering spires that are studded with coloured glass and broken porcelain dinnerware used as ballast on Chinese trading ships. Look out for the carved demons and monkeys as you scale the steep steps of its grand pagoda. Whilst not for the faint hearted, the climb rewards visitors with views out to Bangkok’s Grand Palace, which houses the city’s famous 15th century meditating Emerald Buddha.

19:00 - Trade your modest temple attire for a Great Gatsby look fit for the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok’s BKK Social Club. A destination unto itself, the award-winning bar brings the buzz of Buenos Aires to Bangkok. Its interior evokes the Argentine Belle Époque with rose gold columns, leather upholstered banquettes, swathes of green velvet and plants which cascade from its chandeliers. Almost every libation from the vermouth-leaning drinks list is served in bespoke glassware with artisan ice cubes. Watching them being concocted at the mirrored back brass bar by industry trailblazer Philip Bischoff adds a touch of theatre to the evening. If you indulge in just one signature cocktail, make it the rum-based Evita; a tribute to the much-loved former First Lady of Argentina. BKK Social Club also offers an elevated snack menu fusing Thai and Argentine flavours. Try the charcoal-grilled boneless chicken wings in tamarind-honey glaze and baked puff BBQ pork empanadas, served on silver platters no less.

21:30 - Retreat to your studio river-view suite, which marries soothing neutral tones with subtle Thai accents. The spa-like bathroom – screened off by sliding imitation ostrich leather wall panels – vaunts a free-standing apaiser stone tub, whilst the cosy reading nook – furnished with design and travel tomes – is perfect for watching longtail boats ply the Chao Phraya.

DAY 2

Begin your day with a breakfast fit for Thai royalty at the hotel’s river-fronting Riva del Fiume, and snag a table on its sweeping terrace. The Italian-inspired eatery is one of the hotel’s six restaurants, which include Yu Ting Yuan: the country’s first and only Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant.

09:30 - Make tracks for Thailand’s tallest skyscraper, which owes its “Tetris Building” nickname to its twisted pixelated façade. Rising 314 metres towards the clouds, the King Power Mahanakhon experience begins with a special projection elevator, which whisks you to its 74th floor indoor observatory in less than a minute. Here, you can mail a postcard from the Thai capital’s highest post box and swoon over American artist David Kracov’s Gift of Life butterfly installation. Reached via an escalator and glass lift elevator, its two-tiered 78th-floor sky deck is the place to eye landmarks like the gilded Wat Pho complex and snaking Chao Phraya. Those with a squirrel’s head for heights (and advanced booking) can step out onto its glass-floored skywalk, which cantilevers from the building at 310-metres. Akin to a giant glass tray, it reduces people and cars to ant-like proportions beneath you.

11:30 - Back at street level, enjoy a riverside afternoon shopping spree at IconSiam, dubbed “The Mother of all (Bangkok) Malls.” Inspired by Thailand’s Sabai silk dress, its 300-metre-long all-glass façade has become an iconic feature of Chao Phraya’s ever-evolving skyline since its six short years of opening. As well as being home to the country’s first Apple store and Southeast Asia’s longest fountain show, it has an onsite heritage museum and seven-floor-spanning Takashimaya department store. The mega mall’s ground floor, SookSiam, meanwhile, is a chance to experience Thailand’s famous floating food markets, indoors, sans hawking and humidity. Fashionistas should make a beeline for its chandelier-strung mezzanine floor, where Louis Vuitton, Dior, Cartier, Chanel and Hèrmes have set up stylish shop.

14:30 - IconSiam keeps excellent company with The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok nestled next door. Once a humble rest-house for seafarers journeying along the Chao Phraya, it was crowned the country’s first luxury hotel in 1876. For an afternoon tea with a vegan twist and lashings of old-world charm, reserve a table in its history-steeped Authors’ Lounge. A vision in bridal white rattan furniture and shuttered courtyard windows, it pays homage to eminent literary giants who’ve patronised the hotel over the years, including playwright Tennessee Williams and British spy novelist John le Carré. Tiered towers of vegan and gluten-free savoury treats – think tofu and black truffle sandwiches and matcha-yuzu cake – are accompanied by a choice of 20-something tea blends.

16:30 - Hop aboard the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok’s complimentary and soon-to-be-solar-powered electric boat, which shuttles guests between the property and IconSiam’s Sathorn Pier every half hour. Back in the comforts of the hotel, while away a few hours in the urban oasis’ 2,500-square-metre state-of-the-art wellness wing.

18:30 - Dress to impress for some sightseeing by starlight on the Thai capital’s very own “Orient Express of the River.” Decked out with solid teak furniture and Siamese antiques, the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort’s canopied antique barge (one of a fleet of three) now plies people rather than rice along a storied 10-mile stretch of the Chao Phraya. Guests board the Manohra Cruise at Anantara’s private pier, sailing upstream as far as Bangkok’s Rama VIII Bridge, that’s named after King Ananda who reigned from 1935 to 1946. Illuminated landmarks like the glorious Grand Palace and domed Santa Cruz Church make for a moving backdrop to a five-course royal Thai feast to remember. Fanned by a near-constant breeze, cruisers savour fresh river prawn tom kha talay soup, slow-cooked massaman Wagyu beef curry and the country’s famous mango sticky rice.

22:00 - Raise your final glass to “The Big Mango” at Mahaniyom: a Thai-owned craft cocktail bar par excellence that opened its unassuming doors in 2022. Inside, it rocks a Rococo-style interior, where mixologists turn out playful drinks that are a love letter to Thailand’s diverse palate. Each cocktail takes inspiration from a single Thai ingredient; be that squid or pomelo. Sink into an animal print sofa and satisfy your late-night snack cravings with their unusual selection of sharing plates – like fried fish sauce cured pork belly – prepared by the acclaimed 100 Mahaseth restaurant, downstairs.