Sleeping in Khaosan

Overview

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D&D Inn is one of the best deals in Khaosan Road and in Thailand. It is located at the very center of Khaosan and it offers comfortable rooms with everything from air-conditioner, through a swimming pool in the roof and astonishing views of the palace at night. Top Guesthouse belongs to the top end in the category of dirty cheap guesthouses. It is located in a hidden alley midway between Khaosan Road and Soi Damnoen Klang Nua and finding it is a good exercise for newcomers. Baan Sabai has a great name, it may be translated as “Pleasantville;” however, it has very little beyond that. It is located in the road surrounding the temple at the western end of Khaosan Road and offers a reasonable access t...Read More

D&D Inn is one of the best deals in Khaosan Road and in Thailand. It is located at the very center of Khaosan and it offers comfortable rooms with everything from air-conditioner, through a swimming pool in the roof and astonishing views of the palace at night. Top Guesthouse belongs to the top end in the category of dirty cheap guesthouses. It is located in a hidden alley midway between Khaosan Road and Soi Damnoen Klang Nua and finding it is a good exercise for newcomers. Baan Sabai has a great name, it may be translated as “Pleasantville;” however, it has very little beyond that. It is located in the road surrounding the temple at the western end of Khaosan Road and offers a reasonable access to the area. Merry V. completed my exploration of the cheapest guesthouses in the Khaosan Road area. The sheets were so old that they were thin due to age and use; the holes in them looked as part of their original design.

Quick Tips:

Khaosan offers literally hundreds of guesthouses and hotels; it would be impossible, even starting very early in the morning, to make a thorough survey before choosing a suitable one; the attempt itself may spoil the day. Hence, arriving with an idea of the kind of desired accommodation and a clear budget would help to shorten the process. Restricting the search into a small area may work as well. Soi Rambuttri, in its part behind the temple is less crowded and noisy than Khaosan Road itself and is a good place to start the search. Soi Damnoen Klang Nua – the small alley between Khaosan Road and the main avenue – Rajadam Noen Klang – hosts many interesting options of different classes; from dirty cheap, hole-in-the-wall places, to new guesthouses offering modern facilities. The best time for a search is around noon, since the check out time of most establishments in the area is noon. In the high season, especially around Christmas, finding a suitable place may be difficult even then. Finding cheap hot water, a private shower and toilets, a clean room, cable television, a view of the palace… may look an impossible task everywhere but in Thailand.

Best Way To Get Around:

Bangkok is a huge metropolis and covering it by foot is not easy. Foreign letters, strange sounds, and many variations of public transport do not transform the task of traveling around into an easy one. Taxis and their local mutants, the tuk-tuks, are not recommended; sometimes you will find yourself at the driver’s tailor uncle instead than at your desired destination. The great diversity in buses and the need to make a quick transaction on them without understanding the language may sound frightening, but there is no reason for that feeling. Traveling in an air-conditioned bus is more comfortable than in a taxi and both advance at the same speed. While boarding the bus, do not pay. A ticket seller will approach you during the trip, expecting to get approximately the right fare; do not attempt to pay a B7 fare with a B1000 note. Buses in Bangkok are very cheap and effective, and they will take you anywhere at anytime. At peak hours it may take hours to cross the city; planning is the answer. Read Less

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Viengtai Hotel Near Khao Sarn R

Hotel | "Viengtai Hotel"

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Viengtai was the first real hotel in the Khaosan Road area, and even today, its massive building is one of the best choices for a good sleep in this inevitable area of Bangkok. The hotel is located on Thanon Rambuttri, the northern street parallel to Khaosan and offers easy access to all the attractions without surrendering to the backpackers’ motto "cheaper is better."The huge entrance is divided into three parts; the big central lobby is surrounded by a spacious restau...Read More

Viengtai was the first real hotel in the Khaosan Road area, and even today, its massive building is one of the best choices for a good sleep in this inevitable area of Bangkok. The hotel is located on Thanon Rambuttri, the northern street parallel to Khaosan and offers easy access to all the attractions without surrendering to the backpackers’ motto "cheaper is better."

The huge entrance is divided into three parts; the big central lobby is surrounded by a spacious restaurant – named Rosirin - at its western side and a group of various shops at the other one. The restaurant is accessible only from within, while the shops’ main entrances are on the street, so that they are practically separated from the hotel.

"How many nights are you planning to stay?" asked the receptionist before she quoted a price, hinting thus at the option of getting discounts for prolonged stays. A single room for a single night was offered for 1850B (roughly fifty dollars at the time).

The price includes an attractive breakfast; two choices are offered to the guests: an American breakfast or a Thai buffet. The Thai buffet is an exceptional opportunity to try small quantities of mainstream Thai dishes, a kind of quick course for first-timers in Thailand. At lunch, a buffet combining both styles costs B240 (less than seven dollars) and is equally worthwhile; however, it is not served on Sundays. Prices at the restaurant are subject to a 10% service charge and to 7% VAT; however, considering that a generous portion of apple pie with ice-cream costs just B65 (about two dollars), the prices here are a still bargain, despite the cheaper options in the surrounding area. A set menu for lunch or dinner – Thai or Western – costs B220.

Another important feature, especially considering Bangkok’s heat and humidity, is an outdoors swimming pool that enriched my overall experience and was pleasantly empty at the time of the visit.

Following the formalities at the reception, the elevator opened into a very dark corridor that filled me with fear of the Khaosan Syndrome: rooms with no windows or windows opening to the wall of the next building, but I was proved wrong. The rooms face the street and - in any case - are above the lower buildings around the hotel.

Its interior was pleasant, despite a rather narrow – but solid – bed and a quite Spartan feeling. The television was small and placed in an inadequate place, but as compensation, the room included a small fridge, which is a kind of luxury seldom found in the Khaosan area. The air-conditioner did its job well and without complaining and the bathroom was more than adequate. Overall, the minimalist setup provided a positive experience.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 3, 2006

Viengtai Hotel Near Khao Sarn R
42 Rambuttri Road
Banglampu, Bangkok, Thailand 10200
66 2 280 5343-45

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Buddy Lodge Boutique Hotel

Hotel | "Buddy Boutique Hotel"

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When it was opened a few years ago, Buddy became the first up-market place in the entire street; placed nearby the eastern edge of Khaosan Road, it lured backpackers – the main segment of population here - not only with its inexpensive luxury, but also with the help of a small shopping center placed at its polished entrance.There, the Coffee World became the first coffee chain to set a foot in the street, McDonald opened a branch next to it and Buddy’s restaurant above them defined new food standards in the area. The day of my latest visit, a chalk drawn sign charmingly announced "Cha...Read More

When it was opened a few years ago, Buddy became the first up-market place in the entire street; placed nearby the eastern edge of Khaosan Road, it lured backpackers – the main segment of population here - not only with its inexpensive luxury, but also with the help of a small shopping center placed at its polished entrance.

There, the Coffee World became the first coffee chain to set a foot in the street, McDonald opened a branch next to it and Buddy’s restaurant above them defined new food standards in the area. The day of my latest visit, a chalk drawn sign charmingly announced "Chacoal Grill Lamb Loin Chop," for just B550 – around fifteen dollars and a fortune in local terms. Beneath the entrance, the underground floor offered clothes and silver ornaments so that the tired backpackers would be able to find all their needs in a single building; a changing display of exclusive motorcycles added a bit of glamour to the sight.

After crossing those attractions, a shiny corridor lead to the impressive reception, fit to serve a five stars hotel. The polite clerks wear traditional Thai clothes and stand below an oversized logo of the Hotel. They quoted a price and assigned the task of showing the room to a bellboy. At B2000 (around fifty-five dollars) for a single night in a single room, this is the most expensive hotel in Khaosan Road even now, when newer structures appeared nearby, and my expectations, especially after the bright welcome, were high.

The elevators and the corridors were luxurious, very clean and pleasant to the eye and the solid doors scattered at regular intervals contributed to building the feeling that this place is way above its competitors in the area.

At first sight the room fitted the projected image; two heavy beds (which were offered as a single room) occupied a rather smallish room tastefully decorated with dark browns and heavy furniture, and a solid air-conditioner promised suitable cooling to an elegant cables television set.

Two minor issues spoiled the visit. Opening the window, I found myself looking at the construction site of a new guesthouse; once finished, the window would open to a solid wall or to a window of the new hotel. This is the eternal problem in Khaosan – which in the cheapest guesthouses is solved by windowless rooms – and Buddy proved unable to set a new standard. The second problem was the bathroom, which provided all the modern commodities in a handsome design but failed in a very basic issue; the ceiling above the shower was moldy and the darkened paint was peeling off.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 3, 2006

Buddy Lodge Boutique Hotel
265 Khaosan Road
Bangkok, Thailand 10200
66 (2) 629-4477

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Siam Oriental Inn

Hotel

Quote:

The NameIn a typical Asian move, the Siam Oriental Inn owners chose a name similar to the one used by another hotel in Bangkok. The Oriental (see the entry with that name in my Extreme Hotels in Bangkok journal) is considered to be one of the best hotels in the world while the Siam Oriental Inn hopes to share some of that fame.The HotelThe Siam Oriental Inn is a landmark in the eastern side of ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 2, 2007

Siam Oriental Inn
190 Khaosan Rd.
Bangkok, Thailand 10200
+66 (2) 629-0312

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D&D

Hotel | "The D&D Inn"

Quote:

The InstitutionD&D Inn is one of the oldest and best known guesthouses in Khaosan Road. It dates back almost to the days in which the road began its transformation into the backpackers’ world capital.The LocationThe establishment enjoys a fabulous location at the very center of Khaosan Road. The last round of renovations created a direct access from the lobby to the alley separating Khaosan Road from Ratchadamri Avenue, augmenting thus its accessibility even more.The LayoutD&D was from its beginnings one of t...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 11, 2007

D&D
68-70 Khao San Rd.
Bangkok, Thailand 10200
(662) 629-0526-8

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Sleeping in Khaosan