137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok

Located in one of the many hidden and leafy side streets of the vibrant and central Sukhumvit area, 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok is a luxurious boutique hotel known for its elegant blend of colonial charm and modern amenities. The hotel features stylish and spacious suites with mesmerising views stretching all over the city. The two infinity pools cement the hotel as a must-visit location and the happy hour which includes everything from cocktails to local beer is the icing on its cake. With three different dining areas including one for an opulent breakfast (until 5 pm, daily) the hotel emphasises personalised attention and services. Following on from our review of 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai The Luxury Editor was kindly invited back to experience their luxurious Bangkok outpost.

The cavernous reception is possessed of a calming grandiosity. Deep-set comfy blue sofas stand on shiny marble tiles as the staff do the bulk of the check-in work and guests relax with a flavoursome drink. If the Jasmine tea is sublime, the massive triptych by National Artist of the year 2014, Panya Vijinthanasarn, is hypnotic. It doesn’t overpower the reception but it certainly defines it. Tribhumi represents the three worlds of karmic cycles and rebirths which form the centre of the Buddhist doctrine and is a bold and ambitious painting.

At first, it seems abstract and impenetrable but as the viewer investigates, images pop out – a Buddha, a quarter moon, some doorways, a fish, a rodent.  Its exploration is relaxing and by the time my check-in is complete, I’m almost upset to have to head to my room.  But this is no ordinary room. It’s a suite. And in fact, it’s no ordinary suite. It’s an Ayutthaya Suite. At almost 1000 sq ft, it’s also big and bold. And if it’s a little brash, it’s also slick and smart and comfy with the most slumbersome bed and the most dreamy pillows. It’s the kind of space you could play hide and seek in and get lost.

The bar room with fridge stocked to the brim and a separate cooler with red and white wine and Prosecco is the first room on the right. Opposite, a mirrored passageway leads to one of two toilets. The living room has a large TV and a Bosé sound system which works off Bluetooth for easy audio connection. One sofa sits opposite the TV whilst another curves in an alcove, around a dining table. A balcony looks over North Bangkok and is filled with chairs and a double lounger.

The living room leads into a spacious walk-in wardrobe with vanity mirror and safe and behind that is the bedroom, also with TV and Bosé Bluetooth speaker. With grey zig-zag carpet and upholstery, the suite is muted in colour but little details like burgundy cushions or a bright painting of a flower’s stamens make the whole space zing.

Next to the bedroom, a luxurious and sizeable ensuite bathroom impresses with a shower for two that you can also sit in and a freestanding, round stone bath. Next to two basins, snuck in an unassuming corner is a toiletry bag. Half canvass, half light blue check, it’s stylish, dainty and guests are encouraged to take it home.  

From 6pm to 7pm every evening, 137 Pillars offers complimentary cocktails on the 27th floor. You can enjoy them inside the Nimitr restaurant or outside on the open-air terrace. If you don’t mind the heat, the latter offers hypnotic views over the city which are especially engaging as the sun sets and the day turns to night.

Reminiscent of both Gotham City and Blade Runner, the city is static apart from red pinpricks. The lights blink and beam like cyborg rats’ eyes, a clandestine communication from one building to another. I count how many skyscrapers I can see but give up after a hundred. Occasional flashes of lightning also dramatise the view. I bring a book to read but the skyscape is too beguiling, too mesmerising not to stare back at it in complete awe. I eschew cocktails but sup on Louis Perdrier sparkling wine and nibble the moreish spicy Tom Yum popcorn, careful not to ruin my appetite for dinner. 

Nimitr offers up unashamedly proud Thai fare and a four course ‘tasting journey’ to boot. A friend joins me but we avoid the restaurant’s shiny gold lattice frames and its sparkling broach-like central lighting in favour of the terrace.

The dishes are fragrant, the flavours sublime and delicate, often sweet with a spicy aftertaste. The scallops are served on a base of black pebbles on what looks like nachos with garlic pesto but which are, actually, deep-fried Betel leaves with herbs and a sugar cane sauce.

The soft shell crispy crab looks like it could originate from Kentucky Fried Chicken but is delicious and is served with even more white crab meat in a liquid side dish for a double crab extravaganza. For the soup course, I opt for dried fish but, more curiously, crispy red ant eggs. I’ve never eaten ant eggs before and was expecting an appearance not dissimilar to caviar but the eggs are hard to notice or taste. This and the Tom Yum Goong (prawn soup) are spicy enough to make me sneeze and to make my friend wipe the sweat off his brow.

The mains cause less of a reaction but both the strong, straight flavour of the succulent pork and the crispy chicken shine through. The Sticky Mango and the Rice Charcoal Coconut pudding offer a sweet end to a delightful and flavoursome evening. 

Breakfast is served in the Baan Borneo Club room which pays tribute to the Borneo Trading Company, the former owner of the historic teakwood house at the original 137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai. Situated one floor below Nimitr on the 26th floor, the view remains captivating but points in a different direction, this time overlooking a large swathe of untamed jungle.

In the heart of so much concrete and so many tall buildings, it’s a fascinating, if surreal sight. Breakfast is served from 7 am to 5 pm and is extravagant. Oysters, caviar and then crab meat and avocado on toast, washed down with sparkling wine kick my day off with hedonistic abandon. French toast with maple syrup, pecan nuts and peanut butter kicks my day into touch. 

Should you require lunch (or a different dining space to Nimitr), the Bangkok Trading Post nestles next to reception on the ground floor. In spite of its art installation type colonial/ex-pat mahogany features which cover the ceiling and half the wall above the bar, this has a more Western vibe. Open from early morning to late at night, the menu is extensive and includes everything from Full English Breakfast to Rib Eye Steak to Waldorf Salads to Mixed Berries Granola with Yoghurt.

Over forty types of different teas and coffees are available as well as Health Shots and Mind Kombucha. I try a Creamy Avocado Bliss which adds milk, yoghurt and honey to the main ingredient and, happily, lives up to its name.

Apart from the stunning suite and the fine dining, the hotel’s other stand out offering is its two exceptional swimming pools. The larger one is situated next to Nimitr and its outdoor terrace but you wouldn’t know as a tall row of shrubbery disconnects the two, by eye if not by geography.

The infinity pool is about thirty metres in length and eight or so wide. Views are, not surprisingly, stunning and stretch over the whole of North Bangkok. The minimalism of the pool and surrounding area’s sharp edges provide it with a slickness that could sit well in a fashion shoot and it’s very easy to while away a whole day sitting on a lounger, gaping at the city below whilst taking the occasional dip. 

The rooftop pool is open to suite guests only and is a vision of high-end, high-rise, high-five, urban living. It’s the Instagram shot which is more Instagrammable than all the other hotel’s Instagrammable shots. It’s more intimate than the other pool and smaller at roughly ten metres in length.

At one end of its oblong lie four loungers in front of a clump of very tall greenery or straight trees. Two jacuzzis slouch slightly back from the pool and four more loungers slouch further behind on a small grass terrace which acts as an outdoor ante-chamber.

The pool’s remaining three edges provide the pool with its infinity status. From this height, the city view is jaw-dropping, a wondrous, entrancing sight and probably quite romantic if you’re with your partner. The pool is open 24 hours a day and later at night, its atmosphere changes to surreal and mind-blowing as a whole, crazy world unwinds below. Much like the rest of 137 Pillars, the experience makes you feel unique, special and on top of the world.

137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok is included in our guide to the best luxury hotels in Bangkok and Thailand.