Hotels on Khao San Road
The neon lights, tattoo shops and pad thai street stalls of Bangkok’s Khao San Road draw backpackers like moths to the proverbial flame. As such, there’s no shortage of hotels along and around the Road, and this area is your best bet for budget accommodation in Bangkok. Of course, you get what you pay for: the cheapest rooms are often no bigger than a closet, don’t have windows to the outside, and share a bathroom. Still, the variety available means that you can choose your price and level of comfort.
During the high season, it pays to book ahead. We’ve been caught at midnight wandering around with a backpack plastered by sweat to our back, desperately searching for a room. And while we haven’t ended up on the street, we’ve either payed way over our budget, or ended up with a bug-infested shack of a room over a thumping bar.
The area surrounding around Khao San also has great options for budget hotels in Bangkok; the streets are a bit quieter yet you’re only a short walk from the action.
Some hotels we like:
Wild Orchid Villa
We find that having A/C and a double bed right after an international flight is a good treat, and usually rock up to the Wild Orchid for this.In between the Chao Praya river and Khao San Road (you walk through temple grounds to get to Khao San), the Wild Orchid has rooms on the higher end of budget. In some you cross your balcony to get to the bathroom, but it’s charming, in a way. It also scores points for it’s roomy restaurant and colorful tiles. You’ll pay around $20 for a double, and about $15 for a single.
Buddy Lodge Hotel
An anomaly among Khao San’s rock-bottom rooms, Buddy Lodge is a boutique hotel. Besides clean, crisp rooms that come with a mini bar and cable TV, there’s also a roof-top swimming pool, fitness room and spa. A double room in high season will run you around $70.
More information:
Cheap flights to Bangkok
Accommodation in Thailand
Accommodation in Bangkok
Day Tours of Bangkok
Shopping in Bangkok
Temples in Bangkok
[Photo credit: Allie_Caufield, Flickr]