You Can Now Book A Room In The White Lotus’ Sumptuous Bangkok Villa

The terrace of Siri Sala at dusk.

Napat Rungsrithananon

It was a pivotal scene in The White Lotus, Season 3: the boat snaking up a Bangkok canal to a riverfront villa, bringing the character to a long awaited confrontation with his father’s presumed killer. The villa reflects the owner’s prominence and wealth: multi-level, dramatically lit, filled with artisan details and with its own private dock. In reality, though, the Bangkok lair of the shadowy Jim Hollinger was instead Siri Sala, the distinctive three year old villa complex, and member of Small Luxury Hotels, previously available only as an exclusive buyout for guests. Starting this month, though, individuals can get the White Lotus effect: the five rooms in this intimate gem are now available for stays by the room as well as continuing, if preferred, as takeovers for exclusive use.

The villa’s living room, site of a dramatic scene in the third season of The White Lotus

Napat RungsrithananonDiscovering Elegant But Disintegrating Houses

The three buildings that house the rooms, traditional Thai stilt houses located on the Bangkok Noi canal near the Chao Phraya river, are the result of five years of hope, restoration and reconstruction. Owners Irma Go, who managed a central Bangkok Airbnb, and husband Kirati Thepsoparn had a fascination with vintage Thai houses, so when they passed by these ten years ago on a canal boat trip, they were intrigued. The structures had noble lines—beautiful roof arches, caged up window frames, lifted above the water level in an elaborate matrix of broken wooden planks that created the platforms- but were in extreme disrepair and were up for sale. Attempts to reach the owner went nowhere—the mother and son owners had decided to remove the listing. A year later, still looking for a traditional house, the duo answered an ad for a different house. As they walked closer to the canal, though, they realized that it was the same property, relisted three days before.

The Restoration

The reconstructed villa and private pier on the Bangkok Noi canal.

Napat Rungsrithananon

They wanted to simply restore it but were told by architects that it couldn’t be saved so the five years of research and reconstruction began. Parts that could be salvaged were combined with a new build in the same style; another structure, the 100 year old Heritage House, was taken apart and reassembled piece by piece. Furnishings left by the owners were occasionally repurposed and original elements of the houses used for furniture such as the floorboards transformed into a dining table. As Go explains, the history of the neighborhood and its quiet and slow moving pace, so different from the frenzy in the center of town, were a draw for them and she expects, for guests.

The Ruen Hor Suite bedroom.

Napat RungsrithananonExperiences On and Off Property

The murals in Wat Suwannaram across the canal, which inspired the background of the main titles in the last season of The White Lotus.

getty

To help them explore, they can take guests across the canal to the temple Wat Suwannaram to show the temple’s 18th century murals, (another White Lotus reference: they were used as the backdrop for the main titles), wander the backwaters in a teak canal boat or visit the city’s famous landmarks and locals’ favorite shopping areas with their selected specialist guides. On property, guests can swim in the 66 foot pool, take a Muay Thai boxing lesson or a Thai cooking class and get a massage in the spa, created from the sixth room when the property is booked individually. (Exclusive takeovers have the option of six rooms.)

Culinary offerings for dinner.

Napat RungsrithananonFamily Meals

Meals feature Thai classics along with Western choices for international guests. There are several choices of set menus: The Siri Sala Experience featuring authentic home recipes that incorporate vegetables from Siri Sala’s garden; The Bangkok Noi Experience, which highlights ingredients from the river such as prawns and fish using traditional recipes, or Thai Royal Cuisine, showcasing the highest level of Thai cooking. Whichever the choice and even if booking individually, guests will probably wind up being seated together. Go’s intention when obtaining the house was to create a communal experience, to recreate the feeling of family holidays when she was growing up. And that family feeling now extends to guests.

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