Siri Sala, a pointy-roofed villa on the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, stands out amongst the neighboring ramshackle shrines and stilt houses perched along Bangkok Noi Canal. With its 65-foot saltwater lap pool mere steps from the canals, or khlongs, and throwback jazz bar, this relaxing riverside refuge is an ideal homebase for travelers looking to dip into Bangkok's quieter waters. With its tranquil architecture and waterfront views, the property offers a window to the Thai capital’s less-touristy charms like few mainland retreats can.
The Check In
Located opposite the city’s postcard-worthy temples and palaces, the canal-side neighborhood of Bangkok Noi feels frozen in time. Take a stroll through the historic district serpentine alleys and you’re likely to encounter monks collecting morning alms and wandering chickens set to a soundtrack of temple bells and ‘ding-dings’ from pushcarts hawking khanom, a type of Thai snack made from coconut and rice flour.
It’s a bucolic part of Bangkok that has long served as a weekend escape for Siri Sala’s current owners, Kirati Thepsoparn and Irma Go. In 2016, the couple spotted a trio of century-old wooden riverside dwellings with a 'For Sale’' banner outside. The chance encounter sparked an idea to build a new type of peaceful holiday home, one missing from Bangkok’s jam-packed hospitality landscape. Over the next six years, they used salvaged materials — much of the original structures was weathered and waterlogged beyond repair — to rebuild and restore the private villa into a lavish riverfront stay.
The Look
The villa's clay-tiled gable roofs and floor plan riffing on traditional stilted dwellings are nods to classic Thai architecture. Inspired by ruen design, a style characterized by the open-air spaces between the stilts propping up the property, the two-story villa’s elegant ground floor is anchored by a central staircase leading to the four bedrooms upstairs. The courtyard is dotted with lily ponds, native tropical foliage and lotus-flower arrangements. Nearby, a communal living room is furnished with antique kitchen cabinets and chairs salvaged from the original building’s decor.
Interiors feature bright and bucolic teakwood trimmings, creamy terrazzo floors and honey-hued wooden furniture. Many of the original fixtures are repurposed, such as benches made from the villa's old wooden floorboards and the cast-iron window frame framing the small outdoor spa. (Much of the restoration was done by woodworkers from the ancient city of Ayutthaya.) A highlight is the wood-paneled Heritage Bar, which features crystal chandeliers and black-and-white photographs of Bangkok palaces hung on the walls.
The Rooms
Angle for first dibs on one of the two largest bedrooms. Breezy lounge nooks and soaking tubs in the green-tiled bathrooms means private spaces feel like tiny temples of rest and relaxation. Antique bronze gongs and multi-colored pieces of Benjarong, a traditional form of Thai porcelain, are elegant and fine enough to belong in a museum, as are painted ceilings depicting a pastoral scene of turtles and birds by the river.
Food & Drink
From an open kitchen in the shared dining room, chefs dole out dishes ranging from Western staples like bacon and pancakes for breakfast to far more inspiring home-style plates, like plump and sweet river prawns the size of a newborn's leg, fragrant Thai curries, and zingy chili relishes with steamed vegetables for dipping (a Thai-version of crudites, more or less). Poolside deliveries of coconut ice cream, watermelon and pineapple skewers, and other bar snacks happen throughout the day.
Check Out
The best way to discover the hotel’s sleepy aquatic neighborhood is by the khlongs. Drift down the network of chocolate-colored canals on a teakwood cruiser to spot packs of Malaysian monitor lizards lazing on jetties in the sun. (The water-loving reptiles that can grow over 6 feet long.) Siri Sala works with the archaeologist Rheut Nakchuen for canal tours of nearby centuries-old forts and secluded riverside temples dating back to the Ayutthaya Empire. The villa's well-connected owners are just as happy to share their rolodex of professional personal shoppers and seasoned food guides. Should you ever feel like leaving the tranquil grounds to sail off to central Bangkok, that is.
