I usually stay at the fabulous Sukhothai Hotel when I visit Bangkok, but this time I wanted to check out the trendy, new Hotel Metropolitan. Its opening, in late 2003, generated a flurry of gushing press coverage and it is reputed to be chic and utterly cosmopolitan. I was not disappointed - it was all of these things and more. As soon as I walked into the sleek, contemporary lobby and was greeted by one of the attractive staff attired in gear designed by Yohji Yamamoto, I knew that I was in the right place. However, the most important reason that I wanted to stay at the Metropolitan was to get into the ultra hot, Met Bar - an upscale, casual restaurant by day that morphs into a fashionable members-only bar and lounge at night. As a hotel guest I would be guaranteed entrance. As I planned our evening, I decided to save Met Bar for my last stop before bed.

My girlfriend suggested that we begin by meeting at Face bar for a cocktail, before dinner. Face actually has 4 different faces: two restaurants, Lanna Thai serving Thai cuisine, and Hazara, serving Indian cuisine, Visage Pastry Shop and Café, and Face Bar. Once I walked up to the complex of old style wooden Thai houses interspersed with pools and gardens, I knew that we would be staying for dinner.

Face Bar was gorgeous, with ambient lighting and music, and predominantly Chinese artefacts decorating the room. Instead of bellying up to the bar, we stretched out on one of the raised Chinese beds surrounded by sultry hanging silks while we sipped our designer cocktails. Now this was a true Sex and the City moment. While looking around at the sophisticated 30 somethings that filled the bar, I realized that we had better to speak to one of the model/hostesses about a table for dinner.

We were able to secure a table for two in the Indian restaurant, Hazara, named for a region in Afghanistan. As we began to peruse the menu we saw at once that this was no typical curry-only menu. The selection of Northern and Southern Indian offerings takes you on an exotic journey of the subcontinent. We ordered a bit of everything and it was all fresh and delicious with the spices playing an Indian symphony inside our mouths. We could have sat here forever, but a glance at my watch told me that the rest of the night's amusements beckoned.

At this point it was after 11 o clock, so the hotspot Bed, at Sukhumvit Soi 11, was just getting started. From the outside, it looks like some futuristic spaceship has landed in the middle of a busy Bangkok street, but on the inside, it is absolutely of this world. With an all white décor reminiscent of Barbarella, a mostly Thai crowd of the loveliest young sophisticates the city has to offer, and a pumpin' sound system shouting the current house and hip hop faves, this was definitely the place to be.

After visiting so many new places in Bangkok, I was curious to see if one of the old favourites was still popular with the upscale expat and Thai crowds. We walked 100 meters down the street to Q Bar only to see a long queue waiting to get in. Obviously, Q Bar is still on the short list of the hottest nightspots.

I checked to see if I still had juice enough to jump the line-I did, we sauntered right past the line of designer label-wearing supplicants hoping to gain entrance. I headed straight for the bar that features 50 different vodkas displayed in a freezer that keeps them at a chilly 19 degrees. This and an extensive bible-like menu indicated that Q Bar is serious about cocktails. The joint was jumpin', but I was determined to make it to our last stop, Met Bar, before the witching hour of 2am when the bars close.

We were a little unsteady on our stilettos as we slinked in to Met Bar. I displayed my hotel room key and we were swept right in. The night was in full swing and all the tables were filled with Sin City's beautiful people, so we elbowed some space for ourselves at the bar. Taking in the wine-coloured walls and soft, flattering lighting I felt like I had landed in a moody, Asian-flavoured film noir-except that the mood music was an eclectic play list, heavy on lounge tunes.

After perusing the martini list that the hotel's literature describes as ‘bespoke', I decided on the aptly named ‘Tom Yumtini' and leaned languidly against the bar to enjoy the tableau before me. This was certainly as fashionable as any bar and lounge in any of the world's major cities, but it was clear that this had a distinctly Asian elegance. I reflected on the difference between a night out in Bangkok then and now. As I looked around at the diverse crowd, it was clear why change is good.