Boutique hotels in Thailand

Thailand has some of the most varied boutique hotels in Asia. Old teak houses and royal residences in Bangkok, Lanna-style courtyards in Chiang Mai and barefoot island hideaways on the Andaman Sea are all part of the picture, and Thai hospitality makes even modest places feel generous.

Bangkok and the north

Bangkok's best small hotels sit along the Chao Phraya River, close to the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, or in leafy lanes off Sukhumvit. In the north, Chiang Mai's walled old city is full of temples and courtyard hotels, while Chiang Rai, Pai and the Golden Triangle offer mountains, tea hills and the Mekong.

The islands

The Andaman coast – Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga Bay, Koh Yao Noi, Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe – has limestone cliffs rising from the sea and the best weather from November to April. On the Gulf side, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are at their best from January to August, with Koh Chang and Koh Kood closer to Bangkok in the east.

History and nature

The ruined capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai tell the story of old Siam, Kanchanaburi has the River Kwai and its war history, and Khao Yai is a national park of forests, waterfalls and wild elephants within easy reach of Bangkok.

When to go

November to February is cool and dry in most of the country. March to May is very hot, and the monsoon brings rain from roughly June to October, though the Gulf islands follow a different pattern.