The old saw that the little touches make or break a hotel has been refined into an art by the Peninsula team. Other hotels can also claim grand lobbies, smiling staff or a breath-taking view of the Chao Phraya river; the Peninsula simply goes one better.

The journey starts with the limo service from the airport, where the chauffeur offers you a bottle of mineral water (The Lonely Planet guide to Thailand, by the way, warns readers not to accept food or drink from strangers ... (more)