I checked out of Aman Nai Lert Bangkok convinced I’d left nothing behind. I hadn’t.
As I was sent on my way, I was presented with a wooden box and invited to draw a fortune. A member of staff explained it was a traditional ritual to bless the next leg of my journey. My wishes would come true, the message promised. Folding the piece of paper, I tucked it into my pocket.
Just before my 24-inch suitcase, otherwise known as Metallica, disappeared into the boot of the BMW i7, I noticed an olive-green leather luggage tag dangling from its handle. I lifted the flap: “Khun Mary Lim”. The Thai honorific roughly translates to “Ms”. Only later did I understand this was how Aman says goodbye—departure is given as much attention as arrival.
Opened in April 2025, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is the brand’s third urban property after Tokyo and New York. It sits on the 2.8-ha Nai Lert estate within the city’s Lumpini neighbourhood, overlooking a rare green oasis in the city centre.
The estate is privately owned by the family of Nai Lert, or Phraya Bhakdinorasreth, one of Thailand’s most successful entrepreneurs in the early 20th century. He built his fortune by introducing the country’s first ice factory and a public bus and water taxi network, and developing real estate, among other businesses. Aman Group Chairman and CEO Vlad Doronin has credited Nai Lert Group CEO Naphaporn “Lek” Bodiratnangkura with ensuring the hotel remains true to the estate’s legacy.
Long-time Aman collaborator Jean-Michel Gathy, the renowned architect and interior designer behind properties in New York, Beijing, and Venice, took this legacy as his starting point. Drawing on the century-old Nai Lert Park Heritage Home—once a family residence built with surplus timber from ocean liners—he wove in motifs such as a porte-cochere, triple-layered ceilings, narrow-planked patterns, and teak detailing throughout the hotel.
By the time I was shown into my 94-sqm Premier Suite, Metallica was already waiting in the dressing room. Configured like a studio apartment, the open-plan space was anchored
by a king-sized bed, a deep soaking tub behind a pivoting panel, and a generous sofa. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Nai Lert Park, where people strolled.
My Aman concierge handed me an iPad by the bed, showing me how I could book activities, reserve a table, and “message us for any requests.” I could get used to this.
He then walked me through the next three days. Like an eager pupil, I sat at the study desk, jotting notes on the programme sheets with my suite’s olive-green pencil. By the end of it, I knew which restaurant was on which floor. Beaming like a proud teacher, he left me to settle in.
Experiences: F&B & Cultural Workshops
After lunch, I returned to the room and stretched out on the daybed with my book. Which I barely read, before leaving for my guided tour of the Nai Lert Park Heritage Home.
The house felt less like a museum than a home whose owners had simply stepped out. Antique furniture filled every room while family photographs and paintings covered the walls. Glass cabinets brimmed with jewellery, porcelain, homeware, and Nai Lert’s walking sticks. Some had hidden compartments for his medicines and personal belongings. Old water canisters, once used to dispense drinking water, remained stationed along the corridors.
Outside was a Fiat 508 Balilla. Nai Lert was said to have driven it around town with his pet leopard, Tam, perched beside him. Across the canal stood a century-old Chamchuri tree. Its likeness is mirrored on the hotel’s ninth-floor reception lobby as a 12-m raintree sculpture rising from a black reflection pool. By day, its 6,000 gold leaves danced with light. By night, lanterns on the water flickered gently.
I returned to my room, and found my toiletries neatly arranged on a small white towel on the dual vanity. Then came dinner. When I next entered my room, there was a traditional Thai shadow puppet on my bed. Of course, I had to see how it worked. I tried to shift the arm and jaw into various positions, wondering how to turn it into an IG Reel. I briefly considered texting the concierge for help.
Only the next morning did I realise I had never actually seen housekeeping. They seemed to know when I was out, slipping into my room and leaving it as good as new. I pressed Sai, the regional marketing communications manager, for the secret. She chuckled.
So began my game of Spot The Difference with housekeeping. One afternoon, I deliberately left everything exactly where it was before heading out for a property tour. Surely, there was nothing to tidy up. But when I returned, a tiny triangle had been folded into the edge of the toilet paper. Checkmate.
Aman Suite
After that, I stopped trying to outsmart them. I ended up at the Aman Spa for my Rice Compress Oil Massage. As the therapist pressed warm rice compresses on my back and shoulders, working away the tension with long, firm strokes, I sighed. It was a relief to simply be.
My next stop was the Aman Suite. On the 18th floor, I was ushered into this residence-style accommodation. Besides three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, there was a bar, formal lounge, 12-seat dining area, study, entertainment room, and spa with two treatment beds, hot and cold tubs, a steam room, and a sauna. At 713sqm, it is Aman Nai Lert Bangkok’s most impressive room. Yet I was starting to miss mine.
Aman Residences, Singapore
After breakfast the next morning, I made my way to Thai calligraphy class. The other participants were a Korean family with two young children. As my instructor
demonstrated how to grind the ink and use the brush, I replicated the steps.
Once I had worked through the basics, she encouraged me to write “Mary” in Thai. The four characters looked unexpectedly familiar, resembling a lowercase “b”, “g”, and “d” with delicate accents. She looked at my script, assured me it was correct, before adding, “You have beautiful handwriting.” I haven’t sought a second opinion since returning home.
I visited Aman Singapore Gallery weeks later. Turning a corner, I saw my sofa from Aman Nai Lert Bangkok. Walking over, I said “Hello”. I still haven’t finished my book.
Guests of Aman Nai Lert Bangkok Signature Suites enjoy fast-track airport arrival, private limousine transfers, flexible check-in, daily breakfast and a personal host. Check availability here.
