Dining/Drinking

This Ten Six Hundred Bangkok hotel review puts the spotlight on a riverside boutique property – part of The Ascott’s Preference Hotels. It is also the debut coverage for Happy Hour Asia of a hotel belonging to this collection of discreet ‘Hotels de Charme’ properties that promise subtle inspiration and unique experiences, and therefore the curiosity level is on maximum level. And, in addition, hotels situated by Bangkok’s famous river automatically has an extra appeal, for the very fact that they are based by a waterway.

Apart from this, Chao Phraya River is also becoming the metropolitan’s hottest area for upscale hotels, with many new as well as upcoming lodging offers drawing attention. In fact, the riverbanks near Saphan Thaksin bridge and Asiatique (recognisable at a distance via its Ferris wheel – illuminated after dark) are now increasingly getting populated by luxury lodgings and heritage hotels – which also brings more attention to Bangkok’s historic parts, influenced by colonial European architecture. The Thonburi side also has its upscale shopping centre Icon Siam as a draw for dining and shopping. Then there are also other interesting design-driven boutique hotels to discover – such as the one covered here: Ten Six Hundred, part of this niche The Ascott sub brand.

’Ol’ Man River’! When visiting or living in Bangkok the river is an irresistible draw – similar to the yearning for the beach. When in a hot and humid city like this – to enjoy a bit of breeze and the calmer pace of life on the river and as an escape from the traffic jam along the road is just blissful! And often there are awesome sunsets to catch, and doing so with a cocktail in hand from a rooftop is a winner!

Locals who can do so even use the rive as a means of transportation to and from work. It is often a much faster method, with frequent river passenger boats driving upstream and downstream throughout the day, in fact far up to the end pier in neighbouring province – Nonthaburi. And along this long route there are now also many more city train routes, including subways on both sides of the legendary river. The famous landmarks are also situated there; such as Wat Arun and the Grand Palace is also situated near the river So, evidently the river is a draw for a good number of reasons.

A signature feature for most of the riverside hotels is also that they offer their own private boat shuttle transportation – usually between Saphan Thaksin bridge and particular hotel, and also to and from other riverside attractions, including those already mentioned here. The all-new Ten Six Hundred, Chao Phraya, Bangkok by Preference – named after the district’s post code – is no exception on this front, offering rides in a good-looking small yacht named ‘Esperanza’, which will at a slow pace take you places. See this as an excellent feature of this riverfront stay! There is also EV ‘Tuk Tuk’ service – the famous Thai three-wheel mode of transportation.

And Ten Six Hundred is especially a draw if you are looking for calmer surrounds – with an urban resort, rather than a city hotel, feel. This property specially forms a hidden gem when wanting escape from large crowds.

Reaching it by road, once having crossed the bridge from the city side, it is only a short 1.5-kilometre ride away and has its entrance down a narrow alley. Guest may also arrive with the Skytrain or the Sanam Chai MRT station via While the hotel is flanked by a high residential building, it does not disturb the river view at all.

Ten Six Hundred Bangkok hotel among heritage and culture

The surrounding district Khlong San – guests are informed – is known for its diverse population and offers guests the opportunity to experience local dining, shopping and entertainment options. Here, visitors can immerse yourself in the unique culture and history of Bangkok. This is very much true also about the Charoen Krung area on the opposite side, as well as of course Chinatown and Rattanakosin. There is a lot to discover here, and somewhat of a photographer’s dream! For dining and drinking there are also tons of options to keep guests busy for weeks!

Inside the lobby there are times with clear nods to history, especially reception desk made of glass with stacked logs inside! In the early days of Bangkok’s existence timber trade was big business and The East Asiatic Company (from which Asiatique draws its name) was running its teak tree concessions from its headquarters by the river and also operated direct lines from Bangkok to Europe – as well as the first foreign-owned hotel in Bangkok, mind you; The Oriental.

There is also an absolutely fascinating vintage furniture, which seems to be a wooden 1800s seafarer trunk, with rivets and in a stained dark brown colour. Most of us will never, ever have seen such a piece before!

So, as you can see, this hotel will draw you towards the historic ‘Siam’ in Bangkok, and which is for guests of Ten Six Hundred at their doorstep.

Overall, the hotel has an interior design with touches of vintage that is so popular in new hotel openings in Southeast Asia these days, and that appropriately, most evident in the various furniture and with plenty of touches reflecting the former colonial era in Southeast Asia, which also heavily influenced Thailand back then.

A welcome drink is served to arriving guests in sparkling glasses, as they are seated in sofas or armchairs by table decorated with traditional Thai decorate porcelain jars. In a corner is also a lounge, including a greyish 3-seater sofa, blonde wood TV table and also live edge work table with wooden benches.

Ten Six Hundred Bangkok hotel’s elegant interiors and vintage elements

The hotel is a surprisingly comprehensive. Comprising 31 rooms and suites, a gym, private pools and two public pools, a restaurant, library/lounge as well as a rooftop bar – is quite an accomplishment within a low-slung and quite narrow property. This small hotel even houses a conference room that can be booked for business meetings, which can be handy for business traveller seeking a stay and environs outside the traditional business districts.

Its architectural configuration is really clever. And, nearly directly facing the well-known Asiatique attraction from the opposite side of the river, this Preference property subscribes to the brand’s refined taste, exceptional designs and décor and that “provides the right canvas for a memorable stay.”

Each room is designed with elegant interiors, which gives an instant positive impression when entering the room and its elegant furniture and hues of cobalt blue, dark chocolate, brown and white. There are lots of earth tones such as cappuccino-veined tiles in shower, beige and brown walls, dark black-out curtains and a cabinet (with frosted glass doors), and faux wood blonde flooring. The washbasin corner comes with a bespoke creamy-white marble counter with brown veins and an oval sink on top. Above it, an oversized semi-circle mirror is mounted on the wall. A brown padded headboard is flanked by black textile bed lampshades. A brass floor towel stand is placed in a corner, and this room also has room enough for an upholstered corner sofa in textile brown as well as a stylish wooden armchair in brown leather upholstering. There are also thine white window curtains and even a small balcony facing lush vegetation. It’s notably stylish and lavish amenities to provide guests with a pampering experience. In the bathroom find the high-quality Thai brand Panpuri, with lemongrass and mandarin as ingredients for hair and body cleanser etc.

A complimentary mini-bar is stocked with mango and pink guava juice as well as bottled Thai craft beers! There is also Charu tea and Capristta capsule coffee machine

The five room categories are: Lamphu Superior (25 sqm), Ratree Superior Corner (32 sqm),
Tiwa Deluxe room (32 sqm), Maha Rajh Deluxe Room (42 sqm) and Klong San Duplex Pool Suite (83 sqm).

For proper sea view opt for one of those five Pool Suites. Each of these come with a rooftop terrace and infinite plunge pool (with dark blue and white tiles) overlooking the unobstructed river, and with partition walls rendering privacy from one’s neighbours. These duplex suites also come with a private patio, with a day bed – a perfect setting for book reading and relaxation. Wow; bet these will be immensely popular!

Below the suites and outside the all-day restaurant is a small white-tiled plunge/lap pool (turning from turquoise to green when illuminated at night) and a lawn between it and the river. This outdoor space comes with bar tables and stools; semi-circle fold-up cabanas; and beige day beds with parasols flanked by green hedges.

Dark Waters: rooftop bar and pool 

Meanwhile up on level four, the multi-levelled ‘Dark Waters Rooftop Bar’ is the real centre for the action and an attraction in its own right. It consists is an indoor-outdoor bar as well as a ‘sala’ bar, and another infinity plunge pool with sunbeds. Indoors, the bright bar counter is luminescent, and vintage style bar stools are designed in brass and with cappuccino-hued leather seats. Outdoors, there are tables and hand-woven armchairs upholstered in blue-grey. And on a lower roof section, with orange-brown wooden flooring, there are oval tables, brown-toned woven armchairs and sofas and with greyish upholstering.

Bangkok earns lots of praise for its abundant rooftops (many of those within high-rise hotels) but this feels like something different, exclusive and attractive on another level – with a river sunset panorama as backdrop and paired with great drinks and a superbly compiled music playlist with timeless lounge- and vocal jazz tunes at this tiki bar. There is also DJ entertainment at Dark Waters on Friday nights (opening hours: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM. and be advised to check events schedule.) It is absolutely made for memorable experiences and definitely worth travelling to also from other parts of the city!

The hotel is also drawing attention from outside visitors by offering very attractive F&B promotions, including Happy Hour of course but also, for instance, ‘Wine & Cheese’ Indulge in unlimited house red and white wine paired with a selection of fine cheeses, starting from just THB 690 to THB 1,380 during evening time!

Another such example is an ‘All You Can Eat’ offer, in a 2-hour unlimited à la carte menu with free-flow soft drinks at THB 990 for 48 items (discounted from THB 1,980) or THB 1,390 for 55 items (from THB 2,780).

Guests can also enjoy Afternoon Tea, served in Ambrosia or also on the lawn at the guests’ preferred choice of seating.

The happy hour drink menu offers ‘buy one get one’ between 05.00 pm – 07.00 pm with choices including the tiki cocktail ‘Earthquake’ as well as classic cocktails: Mojito, Daiquiri, Margarita, Old Fashioned, Gin tonic; and Tiki mocktails ‘S.O.S’ or ‘Rescue Heli.’ Or opt for choices of house wine from Chile.

There are also nice bar bites, such as deep-fried squid.

The darker it gets at twilight, the more evident it also becomes what has inspired the bar’s name. And there are in particular two ways to notice this; one being the ceiling inside the bar, where the dark mercy river water has cleverly been interpreted with a totally unique shiny ceiling surface, shaped as a wavy black surface. The second way is to sit down at tables out on, or besides, the hotel’s private pier, where one can look out over the Dark Waters…

Dine alfresco there with service from Ambrosia Restaurant, serving local and international food. Or opt for the airconditioned stylish indoor dining room, with interiors that include black-grey marble flooring, black tinted glass-and-metal dining tables, brown wood, cobalt blue velvet padded seats. Above the dinner tables hang round transparent glass globes with yellow light. The base for the restaurant bar is a patchwork of wood pieces, with a black granite bar top.

Ambrosia: restaurant with fine dining feel

Ambrosia offers a tantalising array of dishes. The dishes tested arrives with beautiful fine dining plating and are top-notch: Scallops’ truffle pasta (tossed pasta with truffle cream sauce, topped with grilled Hokkaido scallops) as main, followed by Chocolate lava cake served with coconut ice-cream as dessert choice.

Duplex Risotto with slow cooked chicken breast and parmesan cheese is another strong contender as a main course. Appetizers include: Calamari, Caesar salad, and the Thai dish Por pia tod (deep-fried glass noodles and cabbage spring rolls).

Among curries and soups, find Mushroom Soup and Tom yum goong – two soup musts on any menu here really!

Western food includes Smash! Burger, Fish and chips, Carbonara, Tagliatelle tom yum and
Tagliatelle beef ragu (the last two obviously Italian-Thai fusion food.) As additional dessert temptations find: Raspberry cheesecake, and Double chocolate brownie.

The drinks list contains handpicked wines as a selection by the glass or per bottle (from THB 1,500 per bottle). Start off the dinner with sparkling wine as aperitif; Macello Del Majino Prosecco Brut; or rosé; Tasca Regaleali, Nerello Mascalese, from Italy – perfect with cold cuts, grilled fish, mussels or risotto. The Echevarria sauvignon blanc from Chile as also suitable as aperitif, as well as pairing with shellfish, crustaceans, delicate with white fish or white meat dishes. The Echevarria cabernet sauvignon reserve from Chile pairs well with charcuterie and grilled meats and belly of pork. These are examples from the wine list. Then there are two Thai craft beers; Raven IPA, as well as Whale Pale Ale.

From the signature cocktail list these are three picks that reflect the local area and contain some local flavours: Chao Phraya Sour (as another nod to the river uses Phraya rum, citrus liquor, lime juice, syrup, red wine – Phraya is a local spirit produced in Thailand); Passion sour (Kai vodka, passion fruit juice, mango juice, lime juice, mango sticky syrup); and Phraya Punch (Kosapan rum, dark rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, syrup). There are also mocktails to choose from, and for such connoisseurs even a selection of cigars in a box.

With such high-quality dining and drinking as this, the anticipation for next morning’s breakfast is also high. And Ambrosia Restaurant in delivering a lovely breakfast, with an a-la-minute menu as well as a selection of dishes, such as oven-grilled fish, and items that are more than sufficient given the small size of the hotel.

Egg benedict (here with ham) is always nice to have and the Granola yoghurt and chia seed pudding is beautifully presented on the plate and comes with fresh fruit, berries and honey! Other dishes include: Lobster Benedict (rock lobster, yellow curry Hollandaise) and Egg Florentine (Hollandaise poached eggs) and there is also full English breakfast on the menu, as well as the equivalent expect breakfast item for locals: Boiled rice (choice of shrimp, fish, pork or chicken with wok-fried iceberg lettuce with fish sauce). A few more Thai dishes are: Khlong San noodles (with a nod to the surrounds again), and Chicken and rice (sous vide chicken breast and seasoned rice with ginger and soya sauce) – a dish not to be underestimated and also popular for lunch.

The pastries are fresh of high quality, and assorted cheese and Australian apricot jam from Beerenberg to go with the bread. It is nice also fill a plat with garden salad, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers – and dressing for those who want also that. There are also cold cuts such a cured salmon and chorizo – all in all forming a steady and healthy breakfast.

Spending 24 hours at Ten Six Hundred Chao Phraya has been enough time for Happy Hour As to conclude that this property fits well with the collection concept and forms an impressive choice for a stay, as well as dining and drinking. This destination is added to the Bangkok list of places we wish come back to for more! That riverside sunset/evening leisurely setting and some F&B to go with it – is hard to beat.