Wednesday deals: Bangkok
Three good spots to rest your head in Bangkok
Hi all,
You know when you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before and you open the interwebs search for “hotels in …” and you get eleventy billion results? No? Please tell me your secrets!
With this in mind, I’ve started a new edition of the Travelfish newsletter which will be sent every Wednesday. In it, I’ll select three places, across a range of budgets, to stay in a destination somewhere in Southeast Asia. They’ll either be places I know to be great, or that look like they should be.
For each, I’ll look up some prices on our partner Agoda, list them along with—as always—the direct contact details for each place. That way you can compare and figure out what works for you. Just a disclaimer here, Agoda is a Travelfish partner, so if you book a room through them a commission may be payable to us.
Ok, so where better to start than the Thai capital of Bangkok? I’ve got a cool little Thai-Chinese shopfront place in Chinatown, a long-running hostel with some solid sustainability credentials, and, at the fancier end of the stick, a comfy establishment over in Bangkok’s expat quarter, Sukhumvit.
Lastly, if this sort of email is not your thing, please note, you can unsubscribe from this without unsubscribing from the main Travelfish newsletter. They are separate newsletters under the same umbrella, so it isn’t an either/or affair. You can manage what you receive from me here.
As always, suggestions are both welcome and appreciated.
Cheers
Stuart
Three cool spots to stay in Bangkok this November
A great find in Chinatown: Live Local Yaowarat
This one was a new find for me—I was actually searching for one of my Chinatown favourites when Agoda popped this one in up top, and I though “ohhh now that looks like a bit of ok”. So, here I am sticking it in up top—yes, untested, but I’m in Bangkok in December and I think I might just give it a try.
They say Chinatown in the write-up, but it’s a wee bit north, in a very local area, but only a five minute walk to Yaowarat and all Bangkok’s Chinatown has to offer. So what made it jump out? The pics obviously! It is Thai Chinese shopfront style, small and cute, with that half-accidentally half-deliberately almost Grandma-stylish look to it. There’s a small range of differing rooms on offer, and there’s a loft set-up in the family room, which appeals to me and Sam with the kids in tow—though perhaps less to them. More so, when I opened Google Maps to see exactly where it is, I cross-referenced it to my Chinatown eat list, and, well, that sealed the deal.
On Agoda there’s what they says is a family room on 16-17 November 2023 for 1,649 baht all in, which again, sounds like excellent value. Want to compare these to their direct rates? You can Live Local Yaowarat via the details below.
Live Local Yaowarat: 5 Thanon Santiphap, Pom Prap, Chinatown. T: (095) 961 7869. https://www.facebook.com/livelocal.yaowarat
Solo backpackers: The Yard Hostel
Writes David Luekens on our Travelfish review of The Yard Hostel:
“The Yard Hostel does indeed boast a spacious tree-lined lawn with places to chill, but the Thai word yard translates to relatives. This double meaning captures the essence of the place: a green mindset and actual green spaces overseen by staffers who treat guests like their long-lost cousins.
A one-of-a-kind setup starts with a little burger joint up by the road and then leads to an open-air bar where locals mingle with travellers after dark. Off to the side stands a two-storey concrete building with a few private rooms. Behind that is a string of converted shipping containers housing the dorms along with a couple more privates and a TV room with a sofa. Maps and a bunch of info on Bangkok cover one wall, with a floor-to-ceiling window along the other.”
If The Yard sounds like your sort of place—and it’s located up near Bangkok’s Victory Monument in the district of Ari, so it is more of a local scene—on Agoda then they have double rooms on 16-17 November 2023 from 1,225 baht all in, and dorm beds from 459 baht, or contact them direct via their details below.
The Yard Hostel: 51 Phahonyothin Soi 5 (also off Ari Soi 1), Bangkok. T: (089) 677 4050; (065) 328 5999 https://www.theyardbangkok.com/
Something more fancy-pants: Ariyasomvilla Hotel
Again over to David on this one, from his review on Travelfish of Ariyasomvilla Hotel
“Heritage architecture and an exquisite design combine with strong facilities and thoughtful service to make AriyasomVilla stand out in Bangkok’s upscale accommodation scene. With an intimate feel that’s similar to smaller bed and breakfasts, the hotel has enough space and extras to be called a small resort. Those who can afford to stay here will be soothed, pampered and intrigued.
The gorgeous three-storey mansion was built in 1942 by an English-Thai engineer who served as dean of engineering at Thailand’s most prestigious university while also designing the National Stadium and parts of Don Mueang Airport. In 2008, his granddaughter joined her English husband to convert the well-preserved building into the one-of-a-kind hotel that you see today.
Set alongside the San Saeb Canal at the far end of a fairly quiet side street, Ariyasom’s extensive tropical garden is most welcome after passing through concrete-covered lower Sukhumvit. With high gabled roofs, tall swing-open windows and subtly elegant trim, the building hints at what life would have been like for Thai aristocrats in the mid 20th century.”
AriyasomVilla must be doing something right, as I had to search around quite a bit to find some mid-November availability, but for November 14-15 Agoda had a studio room with breakfast going for 5,051 baht all in, which struck me as solid value. You can also contact them direct via the details below.
AriyasomVilla: 65 Sukhumvit Soi 1, Bangkok. T: (02) 254 8880, (02) 253 8800; https://www.ariyasom.com/
So, that’s the wrap this week. I hope you found the above of interest, and if you did, please feel free to send it to whoever you’d like.
One request, if you’ve a favourite hotel somewhere in Southeast Asia, please feel free to send it to me, and I may well include it in a future edition.
Until next Wednesday then.
Safe and fun travels
Stuart
Thanks, glad to hear you liked the suggestions. Yeah Talat Noi is a great district, quite old school and loaded with nooks, alleys, and food! Chinatown as a whole has really developed over the last 20 years, as with the entire city, but in a much more positive and interesting way. Love wandering around there.
These places look fabulous, Stuart - especially the first one. And the second one. There's a place called The Yard in KL - sort of the same idea, though the BKK one looks a lot leafier. I wonder if they have the same owner.
The last we stayed in BKK, it was at The Quarter Hualamphong, three-minute walking distance to the train station. I loved the location and the amenities - close enough to Chinatown to walk there and have fantastic food! It's also an easy walking distance to Talat Noi, one of the very oldest neighborhoods in BKK. Ha ha, we discovered it accidently. I love it when that happens.