Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [165]
VIP GUEST HOUSE/GOLDEN HOUSE
Map Hotel $$
0 2252 9535; www.goldenhouses.net; 1025/5-9 Th Ploenchit; r from 1650B; Chit Lom exit 3;
The 27 clean, quiet and mainly bright rooms make this a good lower midrange choice in this otherwise pricey part of town. Rooms vary so ask to see more than one.
These next three places are in a quiet soi just a few minutes’ walk west of the Siam shopping extravaganza. If you prefer spending your baht on shopping rather than sleeping, look no further.
RENO HOTEL
Map Hotel $$
0 2215 0026; www.renohotel.co.th; 40 Soi Kasem San 1, Th Phra Ram I; d 1200-1600B; klorng boat to Tha Hua Chang; National Stadium exit 3;
This Vietnam War veteran has embraced the new millennium with colour and flair, making the best of its retro features (check out the monogrammed pool) and funking up the foyer and cafe, in particular. The 70 rooms remain fairly simple, the best being those with a balcony overlooking the pool, and service can be reluctant. But for the money (price includes breakfast), the Reno is a good deal within striking distance of the shopping.
WENDY HOUSE
Map Hostel $$
0 2214 1149-50; www.wendyguesthouse.com; Soi Kasem San 1, Th Phra Ram I; s/d/tw 1000/1100/1200B; klorng boat to Tha Hua Chang; National Stadium exit 3;
Wendy is a cheery backpacker joint with small but well-scrubbed rooms and tiled bathrooms. The 38 rooms are all nonsmoking, which is refreshing in this price bracket. Desk staff are sweet and really try hard, while the well-lit lobby is the sort of place you’re likely to end up swapping stories with fellow travellers. Breakfast is included and the wi-fi is free.
A-ONE INN
Map Guesthouse $
0 2215 3029; www.aoneinn.com; 25/13-15 Soi Kasem San 1, Th Phra Ram I; d 600-700B; klorng boat to Tha Hua Chang; National Stadium exit 3;
Family-run A-One has 25 clean if small rooms (the bathrooms are minuscule) with hardwood floors. There is an old-school guesthouse vibe here, and as the cheapest place in the area it lives up to its ‘value in the heart of town’ billing. The wi-fi is charged.
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RIVERSIDE, SILOM & LUMPHINI
Bangkok’s most established and famous luxury hotels form a necklace along the banks of Mae Nam Chao Phraya as the royal river flows out of Bangkok to the south. This is romantic Bangkok, where colonial-era buildings wilt under the elements, watched over by towering hotels with priceless views. If the top end is out of reach, there are a couple of cheapies that pass the mould-free test. For more on this part of Bangkok, see Click here.
The Silom and Lumphini areas are rather different to the riverside and bring a different range of accommodation. From stylish to spinster, Silom’s hotels sit in Bangkok’s primary business district and are mainly popular with business travellers, airline staff and first-time tourists wanting to be near the neon of Patpong Market and Suan Lum Night Bazaar, while remaining within easy reach of the river and Siam shopping zone. Like the Sukhumvit area, Silom Rd and its neighbours have welcomed several new midrange hotels in recent years, keeping competition fierce and prices relatively low.
In the Lumphini area, including the east part of Th Sathon near Lumphini Park, the trendy Sukhothai and Metropolitan hotels and the spa-like Banyan Tree make a splash among the sober embassies and office buildings. Just around the corner, but galaxies apart in price and comfort, are the survivors of Bangkok’s original backpacker ghetto at Soi Ngam Duphli.
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RIVERSIDE
A combination of the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin and either a walk or ferry ride is the way to reach the riverside’s top-end