The Best New Things to Do in Thailand, From Buzzy Bangkok Restaurants to Koh Samui Resorts

The Land of Smiles is as soon as once more beaming: Just after two years of border closures, lockdowns, and COVID flare-ups, Thailand’s federal government not too long ago declared that it will ultimately make going to (nearly) as frictionless as it was prior to the pandemic: As of Might 1, entirely vaccinated Americans are no for a longer time needed to take a look at nor quarantine on arrival, and only want an authorised Thailand Move (which calls for a COVID-19 Vaccination Certification and evidence of an coverage coverage covering at minimum $10,000) to enter the nation. 

And the good news is, the pandemic has not brought all improvement to a standstill: From a wellness retreat on an island in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River to grassroots imaginative hubs that blossomed in the far south, the past two many years have seen dozens of remarkable new initiatives pop up all close to the place. Down below, the best new accommodations, spas, restaurants, and points to do in Thailand—from Bangkok and Chiang Mai, to beach locations in the south—to bookmark for your next pay a visit to.

All listings highlighted in this tale are independently chosen by our editors. Nonetheless, when you reserve some thing by means of our retail hyperlinks, we may perhaps get paid an affiliate fee.

Bangkok

Will not make a beeline for the seashore right after touching down in Bangkok: With tourist droves even now a point of the pre-pandemic previous, there has by no means been a greater time to adhere around the funds for a number of times.

Very last years’ buzziest hotel openings were being the Capella Bangkok and 4 Seasons Bangkok, which share a marble-walled estate together the Chao Phraya River. Capella’s trump card are its riverside villas—the initially of their type in the city—that open to personal plunge swimming pools in a lounge-y backyard appropriate on the waterside. Future door, the Four Seasons’ seven bars and restaurants are value hitting up even if you happen to be not spending the night time. Highlights include the real-offer Cantonese dim sum at Yu Ting Yuan, and beverages at Argentina-impressed BKK Social Club that taste as if they’ve arrive straight out of Buenos Aires.

To shake off people pandemic-induced jitters, RAKxa offers lots of remedies. At this future-gen wellness retreat on a jungle-clad island just exterior Bangkok’s town boundaries, you can hop between cryotherapy booths, crystal therapeutic sessions, vitamin-packed IV-drips, and conventional Thai therapies (Tok Sen hammer massages, and medicinal herb-burning solutions) carried out by a health care provider whose ancestors practiced at the courtroom of King Rama II.

This June, the city’s previously star-studded lodge lineup will shimmer even brighter with the arrival of The Conventional, Bangkok Mahanakhon, which will transform the major floors of the landmark Mahanakhon tower into a boldly patterned hideaway spearheaded by Spanish artist Jamie Hayon. It comes hot on the heels of the brand’s Thailand debut 3 several hours south, where by The Conventional, Hua Hin (a Very hot Listing 2022 winner) channels Miami-meets-Hollywood vibes as a sunshine-yellow beachside retreat.

Immediately after far more place? Splurge on the 4-bedroom Siri Sala for comprehensive accessibility to a attractive riverside villa just a brief ferry-hop from the Grand Palace. Other perks incorporate a personal chef, a 65-foot saltwater pool, and a guided cruise close to the khlongs (canals) of Bangkok Noi.