The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok

• Bangkok is a city bursting with attractions, from Buddhist temples and royal palaces to glitzy shopping malls and fancy restaurants

• Once upon a time, Bangkok was two cities - Krung Thep on one side of the Chao Phraya River and Thon Buri on the other

• Don't miss a river trip or cruising the klongs and visiting the floating markets in a long-tail boat

  
  

Read more: Our pick of the best luxury family resorts in Danang and Hoi An

Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok - enjoy infinity pools by the river at Four Seasons Bangkok

The luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River opened in 2020 to much fanfare, and with good reason. This fabulous property is located along 200m of open riverfront and just 40 minutes from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Rooms and suites balance Thai contemporary aesthetics with all mod cons and each room has floor-to-ceiling windows to soak up the gorgeous river or garden views. If you’re a larger family group, the spacious Terrace Suites come with landscaped and furnished outdoor spaces, while Riverfront Penthouses can accommodate up to nine guests. Meanwhile, the 450sqm Presidential Suite boasts two-storey windows, a living area with a bar, a kitchen, three bedrooms and an oversized terrace with plunge pool. There’s a children’s club by the pool with daily activities, a wooden playground and plenty of toys and games. Perfect if you want to head to the spa featuring a hair salon, barber shop, nail salon, fitness centre and a 30m lap pool. 

Read more: The best resorts for kids in Asia

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok - this historic hotel opened as a Mandarin property in 1963

When it comes to the best luxury family hotels in Bangkok, this storied property is at the top of the pile. The 148-year-old hotel opened on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok in 1876 as The Oriental and was Thailand’s first hotel. Fifty years ago it became, along with Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, a founding property of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The luxury, five-star Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is arguably one of the finest hotels in the world and offers a haven of calm in a city that is constantly buzzing. The hotel has recently reopened the River Wing after a massive renovation. Along with redesigned rooms, the lobby also had a facelift and the property’s two pools were relandscaped. Dining spots including Verandah, Riverside Terrace and Lord Jim’s were refreshed and Michelin-starred chef Takagi Kazuo was brought in to helm the brand new, super-exclusive Kinu by Takagi dining room. In total, there are 12 dining spaces from all-day international dishes to French, Italian, Chinese and Thai. Drop the children at the Sanook Sanook kids’ club, which opens daily for youngsters aged three to 14 years. Further family-friendly facilities include the use of cots, sterilisers and baby baths on request.

Read more: Our pick of the best hotels for families in Singapore

Shangri-La Bangkok

The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok - the Bangkok Shangri-La offers family-friendly stay packages

The majestic Shangri-La Bangkok is one of the largest properties on the Chao Phraya River. The hotel boasts two good-sized pools as well as a fitness centre with yoga and Thai boxing classes, tennis courts and a spa with saunas and steam rooms. The hotel is divided into the contemporary Thai-style Shangri-La Wing with Thai-influenced room decor and the more ornate Khrung Wing - think richly brocaded curtains and chandeliers. All rooms have river views and some come with balconies. There are six dining spaces, including an Italian restaurant, a Chinese restaurant renowned for its dim sum, Thai fine dining and the Upper Deck bar. The hotel’s buffet dinner cruise ship, Horizon, leaves the dock at 7.30pm. For children, the hotel can provide additional beds and nannies and interconnecting rooms are available. Kids activities, such as paper craft, board games and cooking, are organised but children must be accompanied by parents. Check online for family-friendly stay packages.

Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort

The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok - Anantara Riverside is the only low-rise resort hotel in Bangkok

A favourite with families, Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort is set slightly outside of the city on the Thonbori side of the Chao Phraya River. The large outdoor resort pools are at the heart of this low-rise resort hotel with balconied rooms overlooking the action. Children have their own kids’ pool and there is also a children’s club. Boats ferry guests to the nearest skytrain station and there are also shuttle boats to Icon Siam, one of Bangkok’s new, bling, mega-malls, and the Royal Palace. Both of Bangkok’s airports are around an hour's drive away. The resort’s six restaurants include a Riverside Terrace that is torch-lit from dusk and offers a cultural performance with traditional Thai puppets and a fire show as guests dine from an international barbecue buffet. There’s also an Italian restaurant with a wood-fired pizza oven, a modern-Chinese dining room with all-you-can-eat dim sum, a Japanese steak house with teppanyaki tables and a Polynesian-themed space. Three elegantly converted rice barges offer nightly dinner cruises and one sails guests to Ayutthaya, Thailand’s former capital, on an overnight trip. For families, there are interconnecting rooms and suites that come with video games. Extra beds and cots can be provided and nannies are also on-hand.

Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok

The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok - an animal-themed family room at Siam Kempinski

Another favourite hotel with families, Siam Kempinski boasts no fewer than four pools as well as a dedicated children’s pool. The property is located in the heart of downtown Bangkok and connected by footbridge to the Siam Paragon shopping mall, which itself is connected to a skytrain station. Also nearby is Siam Square with restaurants, bars and shops and the Royal Palace is a half-hour taxi ride. Both airports are around 45 minutes away. The guest rooms sport more than 4,000 pieces of original Thai artwork and the hotel also hosts regular lobby art exhibitions. Some rooms have balconies and all come with complementary minibars. Rooms in the Royal Wing have pantries and Pool Cabana suites have direct pool access. Several of the one- and two-bedroom family suites are animal-themed. The Kempinski kids’ club is one of the largest in Bangkok and is filled with games, a karaoke room and a kitchen from where fun, cooking classes are run. An activities menu runs from 9am to 6pm. The spa also runs pedicure and manicure workshops for kids. Extra beds, cots and nannies are all available.

The Peninsula Bangkok

The best luxury family hotels in Bangkok - expansive grounds and a butler service at The Peninsula Bangkok

The Peninsula Bangkok is set along the Chao Phraya River in expansive grounds and with stunning water views. A little out of town, it is but a short ferry ride from the nearest skytrain station and Bangkok’s main tourist attractions, such as the Royal Palace. The hotel runs complimentary shuttle boats to both the skytrain station and the city’s riverside shopping areas. The enormous resort pool runs down to the river over three levels and is just short of 90m in length. The Peninsula’s sumptuous breakfast buffet can be enjoyed by the river. Further dining spots include Thiptara which serves Thai dishes in wooden riverside pavilions. There’s also a Chinese restaurant and a River Bar for cocktails and other pre-dinner drinks. The Peninsula Academy offers a cultural programme for both adults and children, such as ‘junior chef’ and Thai painting workshops for children and Muay Thai boxing and Thai cuisine for adults. There are also guided tours around different parts of the city. Interconnecting rooms for families are available.