I had a decent enough place to stay when I was in Bangkok, but it wasn’t at one of the generally-accepted nicest hotels in the city. The top honor usually falls to the Peninsula, followed by the Oriental and the Metropolitan.

I went to dinner one night at Sala Rim Naan, the Thai restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. The Oriental has part of its property across the river, right next to the Peninsula, and this restaurant is part of that across-the-river outpost. You take the hotel’s boat to get there, naturally.

Here’s a view of the restaurant’s outside seating

Here a view of the Mandarin Oriental from the restaurant

My appetizer sampler

My lobster entree

The next day we had late afternoon drinks at the Peninsula.

You can either arrive at the hotel on the same side of the river as the Oriental and most hotels (the Shangri-La, etc).

The contrast between the Oriental and the Peninsula could not have been more stark. The lobby of the Oriental was busy, bustling, a veritable madhouse. It was small and anything but peaceful. The Peninsula was subdued and tranquil.

View of the Peninsula from the boat across the river

Here’s the entrance to the Peninsula

View from the Peninsula’s patio where we had drinks

The ‘front’ entrance to the Peninsula, where you would arrive if you came by car rather than taking their boat across the river.