Best Luxury Hotels in Thailand

This historic resort’s classic luxury is in keeping with its past as the summer home of the Thai royal family, and today, Thai design meets state-of-the-art facilities such as a fitness centre, spa and sporting opportunities. Swimming pools, a traditional lily pond and an ornamental lake sit amongst the tropical vegetation. A selection of dining and entertainment options round off the evening, when guests can gaze in wonder at the sunset over the soft sands of the adjoining beach, which overlooks the Gulf of Siam.

This tropical paradise nestles in eight hectares of lush grounds and lotus ponds, with a vista of the Gulf of Thailand. Cool rooms come with all modern amenities including balconies, while an upgrade adds an open-air bathroom, gulf views and daybeds, and suites contain lounges with living-room furniture. The outdoor pool, gym, spa and four tennis courts help guests to build up an appetite for one of the three restaurants and bar, and the hotel even boasts its own wine cellar. A kids’ club with adventure playground leaves parents free to practise yoga, learn Thai cooking or take an excursion.

This themed resort resembles a Thai village built around a lily-pond. Set in fourteen acres of lush grounds, Thai tradition permeates through to the 190 rooms and suites. Here, visitors will enjoy elegance and luxury with all modern amenities, including terraces or balconies. Guests can swim in a pool, walk barefoot over soft white sand, or keep fit with a game of tennis or table tennis. A spa treatment is the ideal prelude to a meal in an on-site restaurant serving international or local cuisine, or in the busy town centre, where excellent golf courses also await.

Less than half an hours’ walk from the beach, the accommodation at this IHG resort is formed of two wings: The Beach Wing and BluPort Wing. Whichever you choose you’ll have amenities like BOSE sound systems and iPod docks at your disposal, as well as soundproofed windows. Shared areas include the large outdoor pool, multiple restaurants (including Pirom Restaurant and Azure Restaurant & Bar), a newsstand, a florist, a souvenir boutique, a jacuzzi, a steam room and a fitness centre with a programme of classes.

Curved lines, stark materials, retro touches, modern art and golden sunflower yellow textiles contrast The Standard from the more traditional tourist hotels found in this area. This property is in fact, anything but standard, as indicated in its upside-down signage. It was named Best in the World on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2022 Hot List; 7th best resort in Asia (and the 35th resort in the world) at the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2022. Dine Mediterranean style at the Lido, or on the beach at Praça and grab healthy beverages at the Juice Cafe.

Stay just a few minutes’ from the Night Market and Hua Hin’s many highlights, at this Marriott Resort & Spa. It’s set within carefully manicured grounds and is built around a long winding lagoon (with bridges over), making it feel somewhat of a village. Onsite you’ll find five swimming pools and several dining options including a beachside seafood restaurant, the Greatroom and the Amber Kitchen. Double, king-size and family rooms are available, some with direct access (via sliding doors) to the pool and others with their own terraces. Quan Spa offers a range of treatments and packages.

Set among tropical gardens in the Kao Takiap area the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin is known for its royal legacy, golf courses and stunning beaches, and close to a shopping village, the hotel boasts an award-winning spa, gym, tennis court, water slide and several pools. Air-conditioned rooms and suites sport balconies, flat-screen televisions, free WiFi and iPod docks, coffee makers and mini-bars, with a business centre, laundry service and free parking also available. To complete their all-round sense of well-being, guests can choose between five restaurants and bars, including a beach location and a pool-side bar.

The hotel’s limo will transfer you from the airport to Cape Nidhra, where you can settle into your suite with its own plunge pool, extra large bed and terrace with sea views. Dine beneath a soft white teepee on the beach, or at Rocks Restaurant, which serves an all-day menu of cosmopolitan seafood dishes. The eatery is set beside the ocean-front infinity pool with overwater cabanas and padded cream loungers. And you can enjoy sunset drinks on an outside sofa at the bar. The resort also has a steam room and sauna, the Cape Spa, a reading room and a golf buggy to chauffeur guests.

Book a Junior Suite with a pool view, a Terrace Suite with a lagoon view or a one or two-bedroom Private Pool Villa with up to 200 square metres of space to yourselves. The Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa is home to one of the best seafood eateries in town; the Baan Dum Ocean Front Restaurant, which hosts live music during the weekends and holidays. Head to the Kampu Restaurant for a daily chocolate hour, or for brasserie-style food at any time of day. Cocktails are mixed in the Ocean Bar and you can order artisanal cakes for a celebration (gluten-free options are available).

This urban lifestyle resort takes its inspiration from the natural elements. 67 rooms and villas are segregated into three different areas/categories of accommodation: Beachside (La Canna and Oceanbed Villas), Sandside (Silksand Rooms) and The Oasis (Sanksy Urban and Sanksy Deluxe Rooms).  Putahracsa’s open-air restaurant serves Thai and Western cuisine and BBQ food with front-seat views of the sea. There’s also a fine boulangerie/patisserie for lunch, dinner, snack and coffee, which is set in a winter glasshouse. Other facilities include a spa, a boutique and a tuk-tuk service to nearby attractions.

This hotel’s Air Bar was featured in The New York Times bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die”. The InterContinental Koh Samui has a private beach with a pier (a magical spot for a yoga class) and six swimming pools, one with 360-degree views of the sea and surrounding coconut plantations. Its Baan Thai Spa by HARNN is designed in the style of a traditional Thai house, with five treatment rooms (each of the rituals concludes with a tea ceremony). Stay in one of the main building’s bedrooms, with 67- square metres of space, a balcony, a daybed and a dining area, or in a suite or multi-bedded villa. There’s a bi-weekly sunset dinner on the beach and a fire show, as well as numerous restaurants.

Perched beside Choeng Mon Beach, Kimpton Kitalay Samui offers refined island living. Its highlights include a palm-flanked Olympic-sized swimming pool, loaner fat-tyre bikes to explore further afield, pet amenities and the 500-square metre split-level Junio Kids Club for a programme of non-digital activities. Kimpton Kitalay has 138 rooms, suites and villas, 21 of which have private pools; five restaurants and bars; a pristine stretch of beach; and the organic Pimãanda spa, offering a 14-step sensorial ritual created especially for the resort by HARNN.