Bangkok

Independent 79-key hotel off Sukhumvit, ideal for the city's liveliest bars and restaurants; Phrom Phong and Thong Lo nearby.

Courtyard café cocooned inside a Scandinavian/Japanese furniture showroom; a handy restorative coffee stop.

Sixth-floor Chinatown 'Thai tapas bar' from the Charmgang team; small plates honouring 1960s-70s Thai-Chinese fusion.

Bangkok institution back in the renovated Erawan mall, keeping a traditional interior and menu of Thai classics.

Central Group brand supporting Thai craft producers; T-shirts and bags alongside ceramics, coffee beans and honey.

Made-in-Thailand menswear known for well-cut shirts, signature blazers and pleated trousers; flagship in Gaysorn Tower.

Guggenheim-esque whitewashed art centre hosting the Bangkok Art Biennale; easily combined with Siam shopping.

Private gallery opened 2024 in a former Chinatown publishing house, being slowly restored while staging exhibitions.

Working press club and penthouse terrace bar open to all, with a strong programme of talks and screenings.

Thailand's first public park; Sala Bhirombhakdi hosts free outdoor concerts including the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.