Bangkok: high-pace, high-energy, high-rise. Right? Well, mostly yes, but a charming little hotel has floated onto the scene to provide visitors with a small stretch of still waters in which to becalm themselves. Loy La Long, squatting on a bank of the city’s Chao Phraya river, is a throwback to a more peaceful time.
Both in stature and attitude, it’s an antidote to modern Bangkok’s pressure cooker atmosphere. Just two-storeys high and 30 rooms in scope, it offers a chance for guests to come back down to earth, or at least back down to ground level, where junks and ferries pass by the bedroom window rather than low-flying planes you might see from the 30th floor of other McHotels.
The décor is a sumptuous timewarp; although the teak building is only 30 years old you could add on another 100 for the feel of the fixtures and fittings, the antiquated baths and washstands, the aged wood. There are modern touches though, the lighting for example, and everything is in ship-shape condition. The whole place enjoys a relaxed, homely atmosphere, perhaps due to the upper floor being something of a loft conversion. A perfect hotel for those who want to go with the flow.