A chill-out zone rather than a rumpus room, Aqua is a courtyard venue where koi-filled ponds and tropical foliage create a vibe quite distinct from your average hotel bar.

An art gallery and performance space as well as a bar, this converted three-storey shophouse has quickly become a hang-out of choice for Bangkok’s aspiring bohemians, who come for the quirky vibe and beautiful people, then stay for competitively priced tapas and punchy, original cocktails such as the Orchard, with gin, lychee, lemongrass and lime.

Thailand’s oldest hotel has welcomed the wealthy and famous for decades, and its Bamboo Bar offers the same old-fashioned, sophisticated luxury that permeates the whole place.

Recently refurbished and expanded, this ground floor bar is a popular stop-off for city professionals who want somewhere agreeable to wait while the rush hour eases off.

With the concept “eat play dance”, BarSu aims for a 30-something crowd who will enjoy the retro dance rhythms (70s and 80s hits; no hip-hop or techno), highconcept bar food (imaginative sushi, yakitori, tapas, etc) and the cocktail innovations of mixologist Filippo Baldan.