SO/ Bangkok

Some hotels announce themselves quietly; SO/ Bangkok is not one of them. This is a design hotel in the fullest sense, a playful, high-glamour tower that rises straight up out of the city’s most coveted patch of green and looks down over Lumpini Park. I arrived late one afternoon, and by the time I had checked in and freshened up it was very nearly dinner, so I did the only sensible thing and went straight to the rooftop. What follows is my first-hand SO/ Bangkok review — the sundowners high above the park, the Club Signature lounge, a proper breakfast and that much-photographed infinity pool — grounded entirely in what I ate, drank and swam in during my stay.

Sundowners at the Hi-So Rooftop Bar

The Hi-So rooftop bar sits on the 29th floor, and it makes the most of its height. It looks straight out over Lumpini Park and the skyline beyond, and it became my first stop of the evening the moment I had unpacked. My advice, if you can manage it, is to arrive before sunset on a clear day — the view over Bangkok is genuinely spectacular in the golden light, and then simply dazzling once the city switches on for the night.

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The cocktail list is long and made for a night out, and I happily worked my way into it as the light faded.

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Dinner up here was just as good as the setting — moreish pork ribs and a generous board of cold cuts, exactly the kind of easy, unfussy eating you want on a first night.

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The Club Signature Lounge

My stay came with access to Club Signature, SO/ Bangkok’s executive lounge, and it is a lovely space to have as your base — all dark, glamorous interiors and a calm remove from the buzz downstairs. Beyond the comfortable seating, the real draw is what the lounge lays on through the day: light bites, refreshments and an evening spread that meant I never felt any urgency to head out for a drink.

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The evening canapés and small plates were the highlight for me — beautifully turned out, and enough to graze over rather than rush.

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Breakfast

Morning is when SO/ Bangkok’s flair for a spread really shows. Breakfast was a happy, unhurried affair, with a proper range to choose from — fresh fruit and pastries, cooked dishes made to order, and plenty of colour on the plate. I lingered longer than I meant to.

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The Infinity Pool

And then there is the pool — the image that first drew me to SO/ Bangkok. It is an infinity pool with the city rising up around it, the sort of place you plan an afternoon around rather than simply pass through. After a morning out in the heat, an hour here, half in the water and half watching Bangkok go about its day, was exactly what I wanted.

The Verdict

SO/ Bangkok delivers exactly what a design hotel above Lumpini Park should: a sense of theatre, a knockout pool, sundowners on the 29th floor and food that keeps pace with the views. It is unabashedly stylish and made for the city — a place to be seen as much as to sleep — and the Club Signature lounge quietly makes a very good stay a rather effortless one. If you want somewhere with a bit of drama for a Bangkok break, this review comes with an easy recommendation, and I would happily go back for another evening at Hi-So and a slow morning by the pool.

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