Tea, Jazz, and the River of Kings

Since 1876, when the house opened as The Oriental Hotel, the address has been 48 Oriental Avenue in Bang Rak. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok calls the Chao Phraya the River of Kings. Its anniversary pages call it Thailand’s first luxury hotel, the first on this river, the first to introduce a jazz bar, and the first hotel spa.

Hotel · Bang Rak

The Bamboo Bar

The Bamboo Bar, dated by the hotel to 1947, keeps a 1950s mood. A band with a vocalist plays Monday to Thursday from 8pm to 11:45pm, and Friday and Saturday until 12:45am. Sunday is a pianist from 9pm to 11:45pm. There are no reservations. After 7:30pm, under-20s stay only on the terrace with an adult, if space allows. From 6:30pm the ask is elegant clothes and closed shoes. Gentlemen need long trousers. Sleeveless shirts are refused all day.

The Authors’ Lounge

The Authors’ Lounge, on the ground floor of the original hotel, keeps wicker, hand-painted fabrics, and photographs of writers who have stayed since the late nineteenth century. From noon to 6pm the tray is finger sandwiches, pastries, scones, and home-made jams. The lounge stays open until 7pm, with four private rooms beside it. Children follow the same dress code.

The river wing

Jim Thompson was a joint owner from 1946 to 1967. Jeffrey Wilkes’s 2019 River Wing renovation used 189 of 294 fabrics sourced from Jim Thompson. The Verandah has a 17-metre mural by Anusak Paowpusri and Manussanun Wongrianthai, painted over four months with traditional temple techniques. Brass bells set with 2,460 Bohemian crystals hang beside the original teak ones.

Rooms, restaurants, and the hotel’s own claims

The hotel lists 331 rooms, 60 of them suites, most with floor-to-ceiling windows to the river or the skyline, and 12 restaurants and bars. It calls Anne-Sophie Pic at Le Normandie a two-Michelin-starred French dining room, The China House by Chef Fei a Chaoshan and Cantonese kitchen, and Baan Phraya its Thai room. Wellness lists 18 treatment rooms, two outdoor pools, tennis, a yoga house, a Muay Thai studio, a cold plunge, and an infrared sauna. The About page also prints Three MICHELIN Keys, No. 10 in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026, a Forbes Five-Star Award, and No. 1 on LA LISTE. Those are the hotel’s own claims, not a score from this site.

Address: 48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok 10500
Phone: +66 (0) 2 659 9000
Email: mobkk-reservations@mohg.com
Opened: 1876
Rooms: 331, including 60 suites
Authors’ Lounge: daily noon to 7pm; tea noon to 6pm
Bamboo Bar: Sunday to Thursday 5pm to 1am; Friday and Saturday 5pm to 2am; no reservations
Boat: free to ICONSIAM every 30 minutes; one-way to Sathorn Pier on request
Arrival: parking and valet on site; airport transfers can be booked, and the hotel says the ride may take up to about an hour

Getting there

View in Google Maps

The pin is the hotel on the Chao Phraya, at 48 Oriental Avenue.

Before you go

• Gentlemen need long trousers and closed shoes for tea, and in the bar after 6:30pm.
• River Wing accessible rooms include a Deluxe Premier and a Deluxe Suite with roll-in showers.
• By boat, the hotel points to the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, River City, and Chinatown.

Source: Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, the about page, the anniversary chapter, the Authors’ Lounge, and the Bamboo Bar.