Thailand’s newest hotel has railway-themed buildings and restaurants in train cars

The rooms

It’s the suites you’ll want to book. Set within a garden-fringed enclave at the back of the resort, these might just be some of the most unique accommodations in all of Thailand. Each one takes over an upcycled vintage railway carriage, which means their floor plan spans a rather awkward 2.5 by 30 metres. Still, Bensley and his team managed to turn them into comfy suites, with narrow marble-clad shower cabins, ceiling-mounted luggage racks, and futon-like beds on a slightly raised platform at the cabin’s ends. Interior-wise, they draw inspiration from different Asian railway journeys: some feature swirling wood-carved headboards from Cambodia, and others are furnished with kaleidoscopic Laotian silk weavings and ceramics. While all open to canvas-shaded patios with outdoor roll-top tubs and lounge nooks, only a handful come with a private swimming pool.

But even the standard rooms, spread over three gingerbread-trimmed buildings circling the lake, deliver the railway fantasy. Modelled after train cabins with clerestory ceilings and pleather lounge booths, they range from snug cabins with black-and-white panelling and bathrooms clad in monochrome marble to all-teak numbers with tromp de l’oeil windows looking out over hand-painted jungle scenes. Another perk: full-sized Byredo toiletries in the bathrooms that smell heavenly of lemon and marigold.

Food and drink

Days start at Somying’s Kitchen, the hotel’s canteen-inspired all-day diner furnished with Formica tabletops and pleather chairs in kitschy Tiffany blue. The breakfast menu spans from Thai congee to avocado toast, while lunch and dinner zero in on northeastern Thai specialities such as spicy papaya salad and zingy larb from stir-fried pork. Taking over a railway cart on the other side of the lake, French brasserie Poirot dishes out chi-chi dinners with morel-topped mushroom tarts, Gillardeau oysters, and boeuf bourguignon. Next door, the jazzy Papillon bar, also set in an upcycled railway cart, specialises in classic Martinis and fizzy spumante drinks.