The Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand

Having presided on the banks of the Chao Phraya River near the centre of Bangkok since 1876 and regularly acclaimed as one of the best luxury hotels in the world, the Oriental is a series of evocative impressions from the moment guests enter its dress-code conscious lobby. Golden teak and the kind of imperial-era décor, inspiring memories of Coward, Conrad and Maugham, are just the beginning.

The facilities

Across the river from the luxury hotel, the Oriental Spa lets guests be terminally spoiled by the most skillful of hands. The spa is a temple of teak and calm in a century-old, traditional Thai building from which Bangkok traffic noise is perfectly excluded.

I'm ushered to a treatment suite where even the shower cubicle, in black marble and with six spray jets, seems like a water temple. The luxury hotel's spa was one of Asia's first dedicated hotel spas and is the only one regularly voted "Best Spa in the World." It offers some 50 different options that range from a 30-minute Papaya Body Polish to a wide variety of massages and beauty treatments, including those for couples and jet-lagged travellers.

The Oriental has palmy gardens, pools and a personal butler for each guest. Among my favourite moments at the Oriental are a nightcap-with-jazz in the Bamboo Bar, contemplating the Chao Phraya’s restless nocturne from my balcony.

The rooms

The Oriental has 393 air-conditioned rooms, all sumptuously decorated and wired-for-everything.

The luxury hotel has recently (2004) completed a lavish renovation, including spacious new bathrooms in the River Wing as well as state-of-the-art, in-room entertainment systems throughout. There is also high-speed internet access in all accommodation.