Hot spots: Shanghai Mansion, Bangkok

If you didn't know the name, you could just follow the clues: the signatures are voluptuous peonies; a cheongsam-clad lovely gazing demurely over one shoulder; interior walls glazed in spicy saffron and paprika; eclectic mid-20th-century furniture and flea market objets trouvés artfully arranged about the place; and a contemplation pool stocked with many fish spanning the ground floor courtyard (above). One of the oldest buildings in Bangkok's Chinatown, this rectangular colonnaded landmark caught the attention of Thai businesswoman Lily Undomkhunnatum, managing director of the Burasari management group, and its location was the only inspiration needed to re-fashion it into a reflection of the noble mansions of old Shanghai. An operatic makeover transformed an 80-year-old, nine-storey building into a vibrant boutique hotel.

Well, to start with, it's the "best value hotel in Asia and Australasia", according to Britain's Sunday Times. Oozing ambience, private interiors and public spaces are furnished with theatrical touches, including sumptuous velvets and glossy silks in hues that reflect the building's earlier incarnation as a Chinese opera house. Situated on Yaowaraj Road, just a few steps from bustling markets and sprawling kerbside eateries, guests can enjoy a free tuk tuk shuttle to nearby places of interest. What's more, if you're feeling lonely, staff will scoop a fish out of the pond and place it in a tank in your room, to keep you company.

Who wouldn't sleep well in suites with names such as Cherry Blossom Happiness or Plum Blossom Haven? The hotel boasts 16 suites and 60 rooms, each uniquely decorated with pieces that blend the romance of old Shanghai with modern amenities. Kitsch portraits hang on decorative wallpapers, ruby crystal chandeliers dangle above brocaded chaises longues piled high with lustrous silk cushions and traditional wooden Chinese screens divide bedroom from bathing facilities. Rooms are set off broad verandahs bedecked with floral cushion-softened cane chairs, from where, of an evening, you can look down across the water garden below, to where games of mahjong or checkers unfold under muted lamp light.