Why Stay?

In a city renowned for some of the world’s best hotels, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok may be its most luxurious yet. It’s the brand’s long-awaited second property in Thailand, opening 37 years after Amanpuri in Phuket, attracting a clique of well-heeled “Amanjunkies” ever since. Expect minimalist design, whisper-quiet luxury, 50 shades of brown and the largest, most expensive lead-in rooms in central Bangkok, all in a new 36-story tower within the historic Nai Lert Park.

The Neighborhood

Nai Lert Park is seven acres of beautifully manicured and shaded greenery close to Bangkok’s embassy district and major shopping malls as well as the Phloen Chit and Chit Lom skytrain stations. Within the park are cafes, restaurants and a 110-year-old heritage house that was once home to three generations of the influential Nai Lert family, who are partners in the hotel development.

Aman Nai Lert Bangkok - Hotel Reception Area

The Feel

Leave the noise and gridlock of this Asian megalopolis behind and enter a temple of tranquility designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, a go-to architect for Aman. The hush descends and Zen calm reigns when guests pull up at the entrance lobby, with its row of trees and wave-like bronze roof canopy. The bronze and stone reception desk on the ninth floor is backdropped by an installation of 3,000 ceramic spinning tops, which leads to a triple-height atrium where a 12-meter-tall tree sculpture adorned with 6,000 gold leaves is surrounded by a mirrored black pond lit by floating lanterns. Other striking artwork and objects are found throughout the hotel, which showcases Thai craftsmanship with tributes to the Nai Lert legacy channeled through a Japanese aesthetic.

Guest Quarters

Aman Nai Lert Bangkok has 52 open-plan suites located between floors 11 and 18, wrapped around three double-height atriums with reflective pools. The smallest suites clock in at a considerable 92sqm and have plenty of wardrobe and luggage space, folding screens that open to the bathroom, which contains a spacious shower, toilet with solid wooden doors, and round bathtub big enough for three. A combined living, dining and bedroom features generous daybeds, a proper work desk, recessed smart TV, two-tone wall panels behind the bed, another wall coated with clay-like plaster and resin that nod to riverbanks, and floor to ceiling windows that look out to the park and cityscape. Bonus points for the plentiful international power points and USB A and C charging points. This is one property where lower floors may offer nicer views of Nai Lert park’s treetops, while higher floors overlook more of a vacant block.

Food and Drink

Two of the hotel’s seven food and beverage outlets are open to both hotel guests and the public, both on the ninth floor. In the morning, Arva serves an extensive range of delicious breakfast items made to order, from fluffy Thai crab omelets to comforting moo palo pork belly stew, and choco banana bowls and creamy scrambled eggs with gruyere and truffle to flaky roti with condensed milk. Classic Italian is the go-to at lunch and dinner, including vitello tonnato, fragrant saffron risotto accompanied by charred bone marrow, and crispy mixed fried seafood. Named in honor of the year the Nai Lert patriarch was born, 1872 is open all day for Thai and international fare, afternoon tea and cocktails.

Occupying the 19th floor is the exclusive Aman Club, with two Japanese restaurants, jazz lounge and cigar bar, open only to paying members, hotel guests and residence owners. Sesui is an eight-seat omakase experience involving a parade of premium sushi, while Hiori is a teppanyaki counter where top-grade vegetables, seafood and wagyu beef are cooked on hotplates in front of diners.

Aman Nai Lert Bangkok - 1872 Bar and Spa House

Wellness Factor

Wellness is big at the Aman Spa and Wellness center — 1,500 square meters big — and spread over three floors. The main spa area includes a private Spa House with its own steam room, jacuzzi, lounge and sauna where traditional Russian banya heat treatments are administered. These involve being brushed and lightly beaten by oak or birch leaves, bathed in a Vichy shower, and immersed in an ice bath, a more relaxing experience than it sounds. A separate medical wellness clinic offers IV drips, cryotherapy, botox, hair transplants and more, along with non-invasive anti-ageing treatments. Fitness comes in the form of a fully equipped gym and 25 meter swimming pool built around a century-old rain tree, and guests can also avail themselves of hydrotherapy facilities.

Family Matters

The hotel may feel like an adult’s retreat, but children are most welcome. Cribs, highchairs, bath toys, baby toiletries and baby utensils are available, and the kitchen can whip up a variety of foods for infants and children to order. Kid’s bathrobes, slippers, and plenty of toys are on hand to keep young ones entertained.

Sustainability Cred

Aman practices sustainability based on consideration of four pillars: local heritage, local culture, environmental protection and social responsibility. Local artists and artisans were employed to create most of the hotel’s signature pieces and design details, which reference Thai motifs and culture. Single-use plastics have been banished, energy efficient lighting and cooling installed, and instead of cutting down a century-old tree to make way for the swimming pool, the structure was built around it.

What Else?

Bangkok is the main gateway for most international travelers to Thailand and Indochina. Guests can now have a seamless experience traveling between Amans in the region including the magnificent Amanpuri, an hour’s flight away and considered by many hotel designers to have set the benchmark for today’s ultra-luxe resorts (and continues to do so). Amantaka in Laos, Amansara in Cambodia, and Amanoi in Vietnam are also easily reachable from Bangkok.

Reviewed by Kee Foong

aman.com
+66 2 035 1111
1 Soi Somkid, Lumpini, Pathumvan, Bangkok

Aman Nai Lert Bangkok: Bespoke Luxury

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