This riverfront boutique hideaway hotel, located directly across the water from Wat Ahrun, embraces a stylish, more contemporary English décor. A short walk from some of Bangkok’s most notable sites like Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, Sala Rattanakosin offers a stylish dining room and outdoor overwater dining deck with dead-on views of Wat Ahrun. Stop in for lunch while sightseeing or come for drinks to enjoy a spectacular view of the glowing temple at dusk from the scenic restaurant deck or chic open-air rooftop bar and lounge.

Overlooking the riverfront and Wat Arun, this venture by Thanaruek Laoraowirodge (of Home Khon Kaen and Tatchai Nakapan) brings the home cooking of Northern Thailand to the public. Using recipes that have been passed down generations and sourcing the best local ingredients available, Supanniga Eating Room combines a great location with delicious food. The atmosphere leans into the homey vibe (they even use traditional northern utensils) and there is a ground floor, mezzanine and outdoor deck.

A truly romantic venue at night, the Supatra is located right across from the Grand Palace on the Chao Phraya. Don’t be put off by the size of the place, a former private home: there are several cavernous dining rooms on different levels. Request a table by the window and watch the riverboats pass as you dine on Thai delicacies. Compared with other Thai restaurants in the city, the Supatra is not cheap, but the food is delicious and prepared as you request (mild or spicy). This is a good spot to try the staples: green-papaya or spicy-beef salad, green shrimp curry, tom yum goong, and mango with sticky rice for dessert. There’s a free ferry from Maharat Pier, but any riverside hotel, like the Peninsula or the Mandarin Oriental, can organize a transfer.

Occupying the 24th and 25th floors of the Hotel Muse, The Speakeasy is no ordinary bar. This two-story hideaway houses several different dining and drinking spaces, from the terrace bar to private salons to the Blind Pig, a reservation-only cigar lounge. They all deliver a sexy, clandestine vibe meant to evoke a secret Prohibition-era hot spot. Bartenders prepare classic libations with an Asian twist while the kitchen (with a menu by Michelin-star Chef Jean Baptiste) churns out an international selection of elegant tapas (like mini croque monsieur, white prawn carpaccio and potato beignets). The stylish rooftop bar is an exceptional destination for a sunset tipple.

Vertigo Grill and Moon Bar teeter on the 61^st-floor rooftop of the Banyan Tree, situated between the Sukhothai and Metropolitan hotels. The open-air restaurant and rooftop bar supplement the sweeping views from Sirocco Restaurant and Sky Bar atop the State Tower by offering a more refined, mature experience. While less of a ‘hot spot’ than a bar and restaurant at the State Tower, Vertigo Grill offers sophisticated seafood and fine quality steaks with the city’s only uninterrupted, 360 degree views over the skyline. If you don’t have the opportunity to enjoy dinner here, drinks at the rooftop Moon Bar provide a fantastic setting and a relaxed atmosphere to sip on cocktails with friends and family. Not for those who suffer from vertigo.