5 Best Hotels in Sukhumvit, Bangkok

This colonial-style boutique hotel offers small and large suites, plus a few multibedroom residences, all in a style suggesting 1920s Shanghai. The room decor includes antique desks and armchairs, claw-foot tubs, and vanity mirrors in wood frames. French doors open to balconies overlooking a tropical garden. Completing the ensemble are a rooftop pool, an Isan/Lao restaurant, and the nostalgia-inducing Joy Luck Club lounge, which resembles a Parisian saloon.

A futuristic facade of soaring glass and odd angles sets the tone at this upscale lodging located conveniently in the heart of Sukhumvit. Rooms and suites are swathed in soothing warm browns and beiges. Business travelers will appreciate the attention to their needs here, with private offices and secretarial services.

The Sheraton soars 33 floors above the noisy city streets, and the upper-floor suites get tons of natural light. Standard rooms are formulaic—don't expect any Thai-influenced accoutrements—but they're comfortable and pleasant. In the afternoon you can enjoy tea or cocktails in The Living Room, a large, open-plan lounge that hosts some of the world's top jazz musicians at night. On the third floor, the health club and the serpentine swimming pool are in a lovely garden. A covered walkway connects the hotel and the Asok Skytrain station, and the Sukhumvit subway station is next door. This is a favorite hotel for visiting international film crews and actors as well as musicians.

The Davis has a main building and another one two doors down with a separate lobby and reception area but no matter where you end up, the rooms are comfortable and classy. Decorative styles throughout represent locales from Bali to Bombay and even Florida. The property's showpiece is a pair of villas—separate houses built in traditional Thai style. These top-of-the-line accommodations have ample amenities, their own pool, and an astronomical price tag (there are big discounts for monthly stays).

Fancy with sleek surfaces and neon lighting, the Westin is very convenient to Sukhumvit shopping and nightlife—it's just out the front door. The rooms come with 37-inch LCD televisions, ergonomic chairs, and the comfortable beds the chain is known for; but the room decor overall could use a modern touch-up. Though not the urban oasis that some hotels offer, the clean and simple pool makes for a refreshing stop after a hot day.