Aurum The River Place

You couldn't ask for a better base for the Old Town. Aurum sits down a quiet lane in Tha Tien, one of Bangkok's oldest trading districts. Wat Pho and its famous massage school are a few minutes' walk away, the Grand Palace is just beyond, and Sanam Chai MRT is around the corner. Step out for street food, cafés and riverside restaurants, or stroll to Tha Maharaj for dinner by the water. Ferries and long-tail boats pass all day out front, with Wat Arun on the far bank.

The owners grew up in this Thai-Chinese neighbourhood and turned a 50-year-old riverside warehouse into a small, European-style hotel. The name Aurum is Latin for gold, and the gold-leaf logo nods to the Thai custom of pressing gold leaf onto Buddha images.

Rooms come with city views, partial river views, or full river views, and each features high-quality bedding and linens. Breakfast is included in the rate.

Start the day like the locals do, with coffee by the river. The hotel's coffee house faces Wat Arun, the perfect spot to watch ferries and long-tail boats go by before a day at the temples.