Arun Residence

Arun Residence, Rattanakosin Island, Bangkok; 66-2-221-9158; arunresidence.com. There are five suites, ranging from $100 to $150. The Arun Suite is $150

Remarkably, this inspired vantage point wasn't always so coveted. The 80-year-old building on Rattanakosin Island that now houses your suite stood abandoned at the end of a shrine-dotted alley until 2005, when it was reinvented as a five-room inn. The island was a lot more popular back in 1782, when King Rama I decamped here to establish Siam's new capital, and even more so when construction of the temple before you commenced in 1809. The soaring central spire of Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), which tops out at 259 feet, symbolizes Mount Meru, the spiritual center of Buddhist cosmology. Its four satellite prangs pay homage to the wind god Phra Phai and are covered in seashells and porcelain from the ballast of Chinese boats. Steep, narrow steps lead pilgrims to Arun's pinnacle, or you can forgo the strenuous hike and contemplate the temple's majesty from your own palatial digs.