The Siam Hotel in Bangkok | An Inside Look

Thailand feels like a second home to me having travelled there 11 times for holiday, backpacking trips and even short breaks when I was working in Singapore. This is a great country which offers so much diversity for foreign tourists, culture, beaches, city life, it's all here. This month I've been thinking about where to go for New Years Eve as I'm keen to get out of London for it and Thailand was of course on that list and at the top of it! Bangkok itself is incredible and personally I could spend a lot of time here especially since researching this stunning hotel, The Siam Hotel in Bangkok. 

For most people travelling to Thailand, Bangkok is a stopover city before either heading north to the Chiang Mai district or south towards the beautiful islands but there is also so much to see in Bangkok and it has some of the countries most luxurious hotels. The Siam Hotel is located alongside the Chao Phraya River in the historical Dusit district only 30minutes from the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. If you are familiar with backpacking around Thailand you would have spent a bit of time in Bangkok and in particular the Khao San road area. The Siam Hotel is only a 5-10 minute tuk-tuk journey from the hustle of Khao San and Soi Rambuttri, so if you are in Bangkok at the beginning or end of your trip treat yourself to a bit of luxury at The Siam Hotel.

Whether you are in Bangkok for a couple of nights stopover or you love city life, you'll have something to do. Go shopping at the Siam Centre or MBK if you are after gifts or love the hustle of bargain shopping. Visit Bangkok's sacred temples, exotic local markets, fascinating monuments and buildings. But if you are after a chilled out few days and want to make the most of the hotels facilities then you'll in great hands at The Siam Hotel. You can experiecne the best of Thai spa treatments as well as a couple of quirkey unique experiecnes such as professional Thai Boxing training and sacred bamboo tattoos.

One thing that I've never done when visiting Thailand is Muay Thai Boxing and it's something that since training at KOBOX in Chelsea, London I'm extremely keen on doing. The Siam Hotel has a professionally equipped Muay Thai gym, complete with full sized ring and Pro-Thai Olympic Muay Thai trainer Kru Yim. Book yourself in to their 5 day course at the state-of-the-art workout space which takes a holistic approach to fitness, focussing on well-being and cultural immersion.

Because the courses are built around individual needs, guests can sign up for any duration, whether they have a spare afternoon and would like to learn some basic Muay Thai skills, or want to immerse themselves for a week. One-to-one coaching will teach techniques such as stepping, punching, blocking, the kicks, wrestling techniques and more. 

To accompany the programme, The Siam’s Executive Chef has devised a healthy menu to fuel the training sessions and ensure guests stay in peak condition to achieve their wellness goals. The dishes are low in fat and sugar and high in protein, and could include Norwegian Salmon with Shimeji mushroom and cauliflower purée (GF); Ginger Miso pan-seared sun fish with snow peas; Siam Chopped Salad with 18 different ingredients and truffle vinaigrette and a Jasmine scented Passion Fruit Panna Cotta.

Another one of my loves is art and in particular tattoo art and The Siam Hotel have opened a specialist Sak Yant studio headed by master tattooist Arjan Boo creating traditional sacred tattoos. A craftsman of the highest order, renowned for the quality, intricacy and beauty of his work, Arjan Boo was trained in the traditional art by an esteemed abbot at the Buddhist temple of Wat Bang Phra, the prime pilgrimage spot for those who want to have their body adorned with spiritual Sak Yant ink designs.

The 2,000 year old tradition, which is thought to have originated in ancient Cambodia, has seen it designs grown in popularity throughout South East Asia; tattoos can only be administered by specially trained practitioners. They are believed to have mystical powers, helping to protect those who bear them from evil spirits and bring good luck. At The Siam’s purpose-built Sak Yant parlour, located in the resort’s deluxe Opium Spa, every last detail has been carefully considered to ensure the traditional tattoos are executed with the utmost care given to hygiene and comfort.

Sak Yant tattoos, which are expertly engraved into the skin entirely by hand, run the gamut from ancient geometric sigils to vivid animal or magical deity figures, which have evolved into Brahmanist and Buddhist prayers. Most famous of them all, thanks in no small part to its highprofile position on Angelina Jolie’s shoulder blade, is the Hah Taew or 5 Lines Yant. This particular design goes back over 700 years to the ancient Kingdom of Lanna (now Northern Thailand) and features five meaningful lines of script, each designed to provide protection and benefits to the wearer.

After the tattoo has been applied, guests will be brought to Wat Bang Phra, a traditional temple about an hour outside of Bangkok, to have their body art blessed, before returning home with a permanent and deeply significant reminder of their time in Thailand.

Finally what about the rooms? Well The Siam Hotel offers a variety of rooms, suites, villas and cottages, each having their own unique interior design from traditional features to the best of contempary furnishings.

Find out more and book today for your next holiday abroad.