Hotel Name: Shanghai Mansion Bangkok
Address: 479-481 Yaowaraj Road, China Town, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Shanghai Mansion is a hotel I had on my list of places I wanted to stay in Bangkok. I discovered this hotel on my previous visit when I was wandering around Chinatown. Its design looked so intriguing that I made a note to stay here the next time I visited.
The hotel is a theme hotel in the style of 1930s Shanghai. In the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai became a great trading city and it was known as “the Paris of the East” (though many cities claimed that title). It was a time of jazz clubs and opium dens – a decadent city that was open to the world. That all came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese occupation and then WII.
The moment you arrive at the hotel you get the feeling that you are going to be staying in a place that is a departure from the ordinary. At the entrance, there is a little bridge crossing a pond with fish.
Walking through to the reception you are greeted with this giant portrait of a woman in traditional costume.
Inside the lobby, it is decorated with pictures of old Shanghai and furnishings that fit the era.
My room was a double with a four-poster bed. The opaque-coloured windows made for a good solution for a window with no view that faced a wall.
The lanterns and prints on the wall added to the ambience of the room.
The bathroom was decorated in the same style, with lanterns and a fake bird in a bird cage for good measure.
The sink and mirror were located in the bedroom area, next to the bathroom. I don’t know if that was a 1930s thing or if they just couldn’t find a place to stick it in the bathroom.
The hotel is filled with beautiful little details, like the wallpaper in my room. Whoever was the interior designer must have had a great time sourcing everything that went into this hotel.
I loved how the tea was presented with this tea set.
The minibar here has a limited selection of items, but everything is free so no stress about having a $10 bottle of water!
And the little bits of art aren’t confined to the room. On every floor, there are random pieces of art, such as this portrait hanging at a massage section on the floor I was on.
Going back downstairs, in the front foyer that faces the road there is a public area where you can walk in and have a drink. They have bands here and one night I saw a jazz band playing.
This open foyer is next to a bar which at night looked popular for hotel residents and the general population.
The hotel is located on Yarowat Road, which is the main road of Bangkok’s Chinatown. It is at the start of Yarowat, about 15 minutes walk from Hualamphong train station. I love wandering around Yarowat Road and the side streets that run off it. At night the road comes alive with food stalls so it was great to be able to wander out and discover places to eat.
There is free wifi throughout the property, and I didn’t have any problems connecting at any part of the hotel.
Breakfast is available for 450 THB, though being in Chinatown I knew I would be wanting to have a look around as I’ve never been in Chinatown for breakfast.
I don’t usually stay in Chinatown as it can be inconvenient to get to without a metro service. That will change soon as the blue line MRT is being extended through Chinatown. I think this area is going become popular once that opens.
Even without the train though I would still recommend staying at the Shanghai Mansion if you are looking for a memorable hotel experience in Bangkok. I paid $55 USD for a night here, which is a pretty good deal considering it’s a 4-star boutique hotel in the capital city.
Book the Shanghai Mansion Bangkok online or search for more hotels in Bangkok.
