The Standard Bangkok

The Standard’s Bangkok debut is, ironically, anything but—picture a fever dream of design where bold colors and wild patterns collide like a kaleidoscope having an identity crisis. The rooms scale from snug studios to expansive suites, some offering balconies with views that’ll remind you why you endured that 14-hour flight. Sky Beach, which proudly wears the crown of Bangkok’s highest rooftop bar, turns out to be more of a tourist mosh pit than the exclusive club you might expect—imagine Times Square, just vertical.

Housed in the architectural origami that is Mahanakhon Tower, you’re steps from the Chong Nonsi BTS station, making city exploration theoretically convenient, though the location is to prime sightseeing what instant noodles are to fine dining. The silver lining? Ojo, where inventive Mexican cuisine meets jaw-dropping views in a space that’s part restaurant, part Instagram studio. Yes, it’ll cost you the equivalent of a small car payment, and yes, half your fellow diners will be more interested in their phone’s camera than their ceviche, but the food (when you can focus on it) is genuinely worth writing home about—assuming you have any money left for a stamp.