Lebua at State Tower

Most of Bangkok’s hotels are unashamedly big deals — whether they’re high-rise towers or sprawling compounds, they tend toward the decadent and ostentatious, with miles of silk draperies and fawning service straight out of the colonial era. Refreshing, then, to find a place a little less conspicuous, a little more restrained and contemporary — a place like lebua at State Tower.

At 357 rooms, it’s not small, but nor is it record-shatteringly large; and while it’s luxurious, to be sure (it’s an all-suite hotel), the lebua is quite a bit less flamboyant than some of its competition. The look is clean and modern, with hardwood floors and black lacquered furniture, the views out over Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river are extraordinary, and what luxuries there are are as useful as they are indulgent: flat-screen televisions, Eames office chairs, and luxe bath products.

In-room work desks, a business center and extensive meeting facilities mean business travelers are in good hands. However, it’s the leisure traveler who is perhaps better positioned to make the most of the lebua; there’s a fairly substantial gym (with a spa soon to be added), an open-air swimming pool, and a handful of bars and restaurants, including, most dramatically, the rooftop Sirocco restaurant — atop the 63rd floor, this is the world’s highest al fresco restaurant, and a backdrop that would frankly be wasted on something as prosaic as a business lunch. Between the live jazz, the outstanding fare, and the dizzying city views, it’s a pan-sensual feast.