With just 30 suites built around a residence that was once the home of Louis Leonowens, 137 Pillars House is a lesson in boutique hotels…a place where the lobby is a floating pavilion, framed photographs follow the story of the homestead built in the 19th century and the grounds include a three-story vine wall by a 25-metre lap pool. The atmosphere feels recreated from the colonial era when foreigners in the teak trade lived on this side of the river…hushed, elegant and outfitted in dark teak. This is especially obvious at the hotel’s two restaurants based in the original homestead. The Dining Room offers both an al fresco and restaurant setting to enjoy its traditional Thai and Asian cuisine. Palette is more intimate and gourmet while the hotel’s bar named after a Scot and former resident has the typical decor and whisky-forward menu of a British gentlemen’s club. Elsewhere, the hotel is also home to a spa with rituals centered around mind, body and emotion and achieving the “Seven Pillars of Wellness”.