Bangkok

Bangkok has no beach, but it does have a riverside escape. On the Chao Phraya at Charoen Krung, a Bali-style pool club sets loungers and parasols around a pool on the water’s edge, with DJs, a Sunday brunch and the sun going down over the river.

For sand and sea, Hua Hin and Pattaya are a couple of hours away by road, and Phuket and Koh Samui are a short flight.