Where to stay in Thailand: the best destinations and hotels

Bangkok is a glorious assault on the senses. Tuk-tuks weave through the traffic, saffron-robed monks file past glass shopping malls, and street vendors fire up their woks on every corner. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho stand near the Chao Phraya River, and the Skytrain whisks you above the chaos to the malls of Siam and the bars of Sukhumvit.

Where you stay shapes the trip. Riverside hotels, such as The Peninsula, come with boat shuttles and views of the temples; Siam puts you on top of the shopping, with the Siam Kempinski connected straight to Siam Paragon; and Sukhumvit is the place for nightlife, restaurants and easy Skytrain connections.

Phuket is Thailand's largest island and its busiest beach destination, and its west coast is a string of sandy bays facing the Andaman Sea. Each has its own personality. Patong is loud, brash and home to the neon of Bangla Road; Kata and Karon are friendlier for families; Kamala and Bang Tao are calmer and more upmarket.

The range of hotels is vast, from good-value family resorts to cliff-top pool villas. Amari Phuket sits on a quiet headland at the end of Patong Beach, the Pullman Karon has five pools and a kids' slide, The Naka hangs its pool villas over Kamala Bay, and Twinpalms Tented Camp does luxury under canvas on Bang Tao Beach. Boats leave for the Phi Phi islands and Phang Nga Bay.

Krabi is Thailand at its most cinematic. Sheer limestone karsts rise from the sea and the jungle, longtail boats putter between islands, and climbers dangle from cliffs above white-sand beaches. Railay, reachable only by boat, is its most famous corner; the Phi Phi islands are a day trip away.

Most people base themselves in or near Ao Nang, the main resort town, where Hotel Adam has private pools in every room and BlueSotel looks out at the karsts from its infinity pools. For more space and seclusion, the Sofitel has a vast lagoon pool and a kids' club, and Banyan Tree Krabi sits on its own beach backed by jungle-green mountains.

Koh Samui, in the Gulf of Thailand, is softer and more intimate than Phuket. Coconut palms cover the island, the main road loops all the way round, and you're never far from a beach. Chaweng is the liveliest stretch; Bophut has the boutique charm of the Fisherman's Village; and the south and west coasts are quietest of all.

Samui does luxury particularly well, with private pool villas tucked into cliffs and coves. The InterContinental overlooks the islands of Ang Thong Marine Park, Centara Reserve sits on Chaweng's finest sand, and Anantara is a stroll from Bophut's restaurants. The island's own airport, about an hour's flight from Bangkok, makes it an easy add-on.

Chiang Mai is the north's cultural capital and Bangkok's calmer, cooler cousin. The old city sits inside a square moat and crumbling walls, packed with hundreds of temples, from the ruined great chedi of Wat Chedi Luang to tiny neighbourhood shrines. Cookery schools, massage courses and weekend walking-street markets fill the days; the mountains of Doi Suthep rise just outside town.

Stay in the old city for temples on your doorstep, near the Night Bazaar for shopping and easy dining (the Marriott is a minute's walk away), or in trendy Nimmanhaemin, where the Art Mai Gallery hotel shows off local artists. Buri Sriping is a riverside retreat on the Ping River, and Chala Number 6 is a boutique option in the heart of things.

Chiang Rai, three hours or so beyond Chiang Mai, is smaller and sleepier, and best known for its extraordinary modern temples: the dazzling White Temple and the sapphire-blue Wat Rong Suea Ten. In town, Le Méridien and Kahavadi are calm riverside resorts.

Further north is the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the Mekong. Here you'll find two of the country's most unusual luxury stays: Anantara Golden Triangle, set in jungle overlooking the hills of all three countries, and Four Seasons Tented Camp, with tents among thick stands of bamboo.

Hua Hin has been the Thai royal family's seaside retreat for a century, and it still has a refined, unhurried air. It sits about three hours' drive south of Bangkok on the Gulf, with long sandy beaches, a lively night market, golf courses and seafood restaurants on stilts over the water.

Its most famous hotel is the Centara Grand, which opened in the 1920s as the Railway Hotel and still has topiary gardens and colonial verandas. Chiva-Som is one of Asia's best-known health resorts, the InterContinental is sleek and modern, and the Marriott, with five pools and a waterslide, is a good bet for families.

Pattaya is the nearest beach resort to Bangkok, a couple of hours down the expressway, and it doesn't do understatement. Walking Street is famous for its nightlife, the beachfront is lined with towers, and the city never really sleeps.

There is another Pattaya, though. Royal Cliff is a resort complex on a gated private estate overlooking the Gulf, about ten minutes from the bustle; the InterContinental has a private beach and three pools; and the Renaissance, down near Jomtien, is a quieter family choice. The Zign, on North Pattaya Bay, has a big design-led resort with villas.