Bangkok's hippest soi offers different lifestyle choices to one and all

Three decades ago, it was a high-end residential area with spacious villas hidden behind walls. Today, Soi Thonglor is one of the trendiest areas in downtown Bangkok, offering a choice of luxurious, bohemian and niche lifestyles around the clock. Folk may head elsewhere to shop and eat, but they always check Thonglor  out for the chic.

Sleepless Thonglor doesn't have the largest shopping mall. Instead it has the hip J Avenue, a stylist boutique complex   popular with those who like to be seen.

But the 'hood isn't just about fun. Many people have adopted Thonglor as a second office, making full use of the countless Internet cafes to work online and giving up their cramped  offices out in the 'burbs.

Along the two-kilometre strip, you can de-stress in one of a dozen spas, including the luxurious Sareerarom Spa or the comfy Leyana Spa before buying hot togs from chic boutique Moroc. The street   also offers the latest fashions for those planning to wed, and design shops like minimalist Minotti and modern vintage Geo feature sexy accessories for your home.

You can sate your appetite around the clock in one of the restaurants that have made their home on Thonglor. The Nihonmura complex on sub-

soi 13 is home to several great Japanese eateries, while Boon Tong Kiat on the main drag has been serving yummy Singaporean chicken rice for years. Or savour K-snacks to the tune of K-pop at the Korean-influenced After Tea before heading to one of the trendy clubs for some music and dancing. Once you emerge, you can revive your flagging energy or tuck into a breakfast at one of the street's 24-hour restaurants.

One square metre of Thonglor real estate might not be most the expensive in Bangkok. But when a plot is turned into a condo project, prices soar. Surprisingly, it doesn't scare people off. The many condos springing up on the corners are sold out within days of the first offering.

Chic, after all, has no price.