Bangkok Hotels in

British playwright Noel Coward was natty and flamboyant, a born performer. Might this be why the silken wallpaper in his sumptuous namesake suite at Bangkok's Oriental hotel features a peacock feather-like motif? Regardless of visual puns, The Oriental isn't the sort of place that needs to strut anything, having presided on the banks of the Chao Phraya River near the centre of Bangkok since 1876 and long been acclaimed one of the best hotels in the world.

The 393-room establishment is a series of evocative impressions from the moment you enter its dress-code conscious lobby: golden teak and memories of Coward, Conrad and Maugham are just the beginning. Add to this, the louvres, languid fans and wired-for-everything suites; then the palmy gardens, pools and occasional princes - plus a personal butler fro each guest. The Oriental has recently (2004) completed a US$80 million renovation; all guest rooms and suites in The River, Garden and Authors' Wing have been fully renovated. The renovation includes spacious new bathrooms in the River Wing as well as state-of-the-art, in-room entertainment systems throughout. There is high-speed broadband internet access in all accommodation.

Among my favourite moments at the Oriental are a nightcap-with-jazz in the Bamboo Bar, contemplating the Chao Phraya's restless nocturne from my balcony. In the morning you can cross the river to the Oriental Spa, there to be terminally spoiled by the most skilful of hands. The spa is a temple of teak and calm in a century-old, traditional Thai building from which the sturm und drang of Bangkok traffic noise is perfectly excluded. I'm ushered to a treatment suite where even the shower cubicle ‹ in black marble and with six spray jets ‹ seems like a water temple.

The Oriental Spa, opened in 1993, was one of Asia's first dedicated hotel spas and is the only one regularly voted "Best Spa in the World". It offers some 50 different options that range from a 30-minute Papaya Body Polish (USD 35) to a wide variety of massages and beauty treatments, including those for couples and jet-lagged travellers. The top-of-the-range programs take three days and two nights, and cost from USD 660, including accommodation.