Guest blogger John Borthwick goes in search of nostalgia and explores historic hotels in Bangkok.

1. Shanghai Mansion Hotel

The Shanghai Mansion has a long lead in the realm of "Sino-nostalgia." Built in 1892, this 76-room hotel on Yaowarat Road in the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown has served as a Chinese opera house, stock exchange, and textile trading house, and has been a boutique hotel since 2006.

The public areas feature red sofas, lanterns, decorative screens, and memorabilia reminiscent of decadent 1930s Shanghai. The themed suites are furnished with more chinoiserie, including antique platform beds. In contrast to this oriental flair, the hotel's Cotton jazz bar offers a welcome respite in a Western style.

2. Siam

Siam is Shanghai retro with a prime view of the Chao Phraya River. The tireless Bill Bensley designed this elegant 39-suite retreat, whose name is pronounced "Siam," not "Sigh-am." Its eclectic Thai-Chinese decor, featuring numerous black-and-white tiles and countless oriental curiosities, is both retro and contemporary. The resort's understated Siamese glamour continues in several renovated, centuries-old teakwood houses from Ayutthaya, originally designed by Jim Thomson, which house the exquisite Chon ("Spoon") restaurant. The aptly named Opium Spa completes the experience with an almost spiritual one.

3. Cabochon Hotel

An homage to the wild Shanghai of the interwar period can be found at the tranquil Cabochon Hotel, tucked away on Soi 45 Sukhumvit. It features just four suites and four studios. Numerous historical details, sure to delight China enthusiasts, can be found in the wicker furniture, teak floors, light switches, and beds. Free Wi-Fi, cable TV, and VoIP phones are also available. Relax in the Joy Luck Club's library-lounge bar, then stroll over to the Thai Lao Yeh restaurant, whose philosophy is "authentically local," reflected in its decor featuring bread boxes, abacuses, and marble tables.

4. Chakrabongse Villas

This small Thai-Italian style palace, built in 1908 by Prince Chakrabongse on the riverbank, is steeped in family legends of romance and secret marriages. The owner, Narisa, the prince's granddaughter, has transformed her estate, with its tropical gardens and teak pavilions, into a tranquil oasis far removed from the tourist bustle of Maharat Road. There are six suites, ranging from a tiny 12 square meters to a spacious 155 square meter suite. Narisa's refined Thai taste is reflected in the themed decor of each room. Enjoy a glass of wine while gazing across the river to Wat Arun temple and let yourself be captivated by the aristocratic atmosphere.

5. Mandarin Oriental

This legendary, majestic riverside building is simply "The Oriental" to generations who have stayed there—or not—since its opening in 1876. At its heart lies the venerable Writers' Wing, where the spirits of past literary guests such as Maugham, Coward, Conrad, Greene, and Jung Chang linger in sumptuous suites named after them. Too authentic to rely on artificial Orientalism, the 393-room Mandarin Oriental instead offers its own unique traditions of finesse—from the lobby with its strict dress code to the palm-fringed gardens and riverside restaurants. Afternoon tea in the lounge, cocktails and jazz in the Bamboo Bar, and your butler attending to every detail—all contribute to making you feel like you're stepping into a piece of history.

6. The Atlanta Hotel

Its glory days may be over, but anyone wanting to experience history should stay at the Atlanta Hotel. This eccentric hotel sits at the end of Soi 2 Sukhumvit and boasts a magnificent Bauhaus-style lobby and a restaurant that has remained unchanged since the 1950s, when this was Bangkok's hottest spot.

A 1962 photograph shows the young King of Thailand playing saxophone here with Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. The rooms are a bit worn now, but the garden pool (the first hotel pool in Bangkok) and public areas are fine. The impeccable LA-style diner still offers Vietnam War-era specialties like Steak Diane and Filet Mignon on a Fawlty-style menu that proclaims, "Typically, the Atlanta doesn't move with the times."