Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort

Bangkok is not short of noise, traffic or things demanding your attention. Set among 11 acres of landscaped grounds on the Chao Phraya, Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa gives you a place to slow the pace without leaving the city behind. The resort is arranged across three low-rise buildings, with Thai-style rooms, gardens and the river doing most of the visual work.

This is a sensible choice if you want a comfortable base for exploring Bangkok, with enough on site to keep a non-diving day from turning into a logistical exercise. You can eat by the water, take the shuttle boat into the city, book a massage or retreat to the pool. It is a resort rather than a small urban hotel, so you get space to move around and several ways to spend an evening without immediately joining the traffic outside.

Couples get a particularly practical set-up: a riverside setting, a choice of restaurants and a direct boat connection towards the BTS Skytrain and ICONSIAM. Families are covered too, with a kids' club, indoor play area, children's pool and child-friendly meals.

You are in Bangkok, Thailand, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. There is no beach-based holiday here; the water is the city's river, and the location works because it combines a quieter riverside setting with access to central Bangkok.

A restored rice barge operates as the resort's shuttle boat, running regularly between 8.00 am and 11.15 pm. The cruise to the BTS Skytrain connection and ICONSIAM takes 15 minutes, which is a rather more civilised way to start a city outing than negotiating every road junction by car. BTS-Pho Nimit is about 1 mile away, while BTS-Wongwian Yai is roughly 1.2 miles away.

Bangkok's major sights are within reach rather than next door. The Grand Palace is about 3 miles away, Museum of Siam around 3 miles, and the King Taksin the Great Monument about 1.5 miles. Suvarnabhumi Airport is about 15 miles away, and Don Mueang International Airport about 14 miles.

The rooms use Thai fabrics with modern comforts, so the style has local character without asking you to sleep on a museum exhibit. Choose a river-facing room if the view matters when you open the curtains; the Deluxe River View Room and Deluxe Riverfront Room both put the Chao Phraya into the room's daily routine. For couples, that is the obvious direction to look. For a family or a longer stay, the suites give you more room to separate sleeping, sitting and the inevitable luggage that multiplies in Thailand's heat.

The Anantara Riverfront Suite and Two-Bedroom River View Suite make the most sense when several people are travelling together. The Family Suite is the more compact family option, while the junior suites provide a step up from a standard room without going straight to the resort's largest accommodation. The room cards below give you the exact dimensions, beds and occupancy for each category; the useful distinction here is how much space you want around the beds and whether the river view is part of the plan.

Air conditioning matters in Bangkok, particularly when you return warm, damp and ready to do very little. Rooms are soundproofed and include a 40-inch flat-screen television with Chromecast, complimentary Wi-Fi, Thai fabrics, modern furnishings, spacious bathrooms, a bathtub and bathrobes. Room service is available around the clock, which is handy when your appetite arrives at an hour that bears no relation to dinner.

Breakfast is served as a buffet, with continental, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Asian and American choices. That gives you plenty of scope for a substantial start before a day in the city, rather than forcing everyone at the table into the same breakfast habit. There is also a coffee house, snack bar and bar on site for the less formal moments when you want something quickly or a drink without committing to a full meal.

Nine restaurants give the resort unusual range. The Market handles hearty buffet breakfasts, while Riverside Terrace takes the meal down to the riverfront with seafood barbecues. Manohra Dining Cruise focuses on Thai cuisine from the water, and Benihana brings Japanese teppanyaki to the choice. Bangkok is not exactly short of restaurants, but having these options within the resort means you can make the decision after showering rather than while still damp and negotiating a taxi.

The evening possibilities include riverside barbecues, sunset cocktails, Thai cultural shows and a cruise along the Chao Phraya. Twenty-four-hour room service remains available when the sensible answer is food in your room and an early night.

The large outdoor pool has spa jets and comes with sun loungers and pool towels, so it is built for the sort of afternoon where the only serious decision is whether to move from shade to sun. The landscaped gardens give you room to walk between meals, and the riverside position supplies something to watch while you do absolutely nothing. Both are useful when your legs have had enough of sightseeing.

Anantara Spa is the main reason to choose the resort for recovery rather than simply accommodation. Treatments include massage, body treatments, body scrubs, body wraps and facials, with a steam room, sauna and hot tub available among the wellness facilities. Fitness facilities include a gym, fitness classes, yoga classes and a personal trainer, should you prefer structured recovery to lying down with conviction.

For a little more movement, you have a tennis court, tennis equipment, table tennis and billiards. Cooking classes, local culture classes and live music provide alternatives for a day shared with a partner or family. Children have a kids' club, indoor play area, children's pool and a kid-friendly buffet, while babysitting and children's meals are available as additional services.

Check-in starts at 15.00 and check-out is by 12.00. You must be at least 18 to check in, and the property requires photo identification, the credit card used for the reservation and advance notice of your expected arrival time. A refundable damage deposit is taken by credit card on arrival. Children of all ages are welcome; cots and extra beds can be requested, with the arrangement depending on the room selected.

Suvarnabhumi Airport is about 15 miles away, and an airport transfer service is available to book through the hotel. The property description allows roughly 45 minutes for the drive. Free private parking is available on site, with valet parking, so arriving by car is straightforward enough by Bangkok standards. Complimentary Wi-Fi works throughout the resort.

A 24-hour front desk, concierge, tour desk, currency exchange, on-site cash machine and luggage storage cover the practical jobs. Laundry, dry cleaning, ironing and babysitting are also available. The resort's boat shuttle is the useful local connection, taking you towards the BTS Skytrain and ICONSIAM throughout the stated daytime and evening service.