You’ve been to Bangkok many times to go shopping, and you’ve always stayed in your favorite four or five star hotel. On your next jaunt, however, try out one of these new places. One of them has a shipping container for a facade, another is close by the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center (RCAC) and you can feel like a secret agent in this James Bond hotel suite.
1. Here Hostel
Nestled behind Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall, Here Hostel is a charming new spot in the Old Town. Architect Sompoom Tangchupong, the guy responsible for Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center (RCAC) next door, has retained the original wooden exterior so that the hostel blends in with its surroundings. Inside, however, is a completely different matter, with six shop-houses combined into an intriguing mixture of new and old, including playful touches like a children’s slide instead of stairs. Room rates start from THB590 per bed in the 12-bed mixed dorm up to THB1,350 for a private twin room. The front area of the hostel is currently used as a breakfast spot but will eventually be turned into a proper cafe and drinking spot. Cyclists are also welcome to pop in and use the dedicated shower room before continuing on their route.
196/3-8 Ratchadamnoen Rd. Tel. +66 (0) 86-771-6468
2. The Yard Hostel
It seems hostels are not just places for tourists to sleep anymore; they’re also hangout spots for locals. Tucked down Phahon Yothin Soi 5 in ever-happening Ari, The Yard Bangkok is a new hostel with a shipping-container façade and a large garden for day-and-night activities. Rooms include the boutique hotel-style private garden for two (B1,500/room/night), private room for four featuring two double-bunk beds (B2,500/room/night), mixed four-bed dorm (B650/ person/night) and six-girl room (THB550/person/night). The highlight for us locals is the spacious yard where you can spend the day on your laptop with a bottle of Singha (THB75). The owners say there’s also a proper coffee shop to come.
51 Phahon Yothin Soi 5. Tel. +66 (0) 89-677-4050
3. The Secret Service
Located next to Khao San Road, Secret Service is a brand new secret-agent-themed hostel with rooftop bar. The lofty design offers many quirky decor details to make your stay more interesting, like doors disguised as mirrors which guests need to push in order to access the bedrooms. The hotel provides 14 rooms, all equipped with Wi-Fi, cable television and lockers. There are three room types available: two-person (one bunk bed) for THB1,000; four person (two bunk beds) for THB2,000; and two-person (double bed) also for THB2,000. Outside guests can also enjoy Thai-fusion food at the open-air rooftop cafe, Atmosphere, where dishes include stir-fried spaghetti with dried chili and bacon (THB150), spicy chicken wings soup (THB150) and spicy raw salmon salad in wasabi sauce (THB180). Or grab a bottle of Singha at THB100.
113/1, Tanee Rd. Tel. +66 (0) 91-730-0788
4. Chao Hostel
Set between Bangkok’s Old Town and central shopping hub, this designer hostel combines raw charm with city hotel chic—edgy wooden furnishings (think classic Thai teak furniture given a sleek, geometric twist), dangling caged lights and exposed walls filled with Thai-themed mid-century modern prints. Although the hostel just occupies one floor of sister property Siam@Siam Design Hotel, it makes great use of space, packing in 26 rooms and two dorms, a 24-hour dining area stocked with free Thai snacks and coffee, and a common area dubbed “the traveler’s library,” where guests can mingle, read movies, or challenge each other to games of Jenga, Monopoly and chess. As well as single-gender dorms, the hostel also offers a few 18-24-sq-meter private rooms with double or twin beds.
8/F, Siam@Siam Design Hotel & Spa, 865 Rama 1 Rd. Tel. +66 (0) 2-217-3083
5. Playhaus Thonglor
Thonglor is a hub for the some of the city’s hottest bars and nigthclubs, and this theater-themed boutique hotel is located right in the middle of it. The fanciful rooms are modeled after four plays—Romeo & Juliet, Mary Poppins, Aladdin and Thailand’s See Pan Din—while downstairs is a popular bar styled to look like a backstage dressing room. Try the Romeo & Juliet-inspired Obstructed Love (THB240), a mix of Disaronno liqueur, Sailor Jerry rum, Malibu and pineapple juice.
205/22-23 Sukhumvit Soi 55. Tel. +66 (0) 2-712-5747-8
6. K Maison
The hidden gem is designed by Paniti Kobkulsuwan, whose previous work won Baan Lae Suan’s Ten Perfect Houses prize in 2014. The five-star look belies prices which are anything but, with nightly rates running from THB2,500 (Classic Silk) to THB7,500 (Marble Suite). That includes breakfast, which is served at the property’s Oriental Thai Cuisine restaurant. There’s also a spa by Elyrest. We love the clean, Oriental-luxe vibe, especially the Dean & Deluca-esque floor-to-ceiling white stone bathrooms and elaborate lighting. The location is a ten-minute walk from BTS Victory Monument, and eight minutes from Rajaprarop Airport Link Station.
116/17-21 Rangnam Rd., +66 (0) 2-245-1953. BTS Victory Monument.
7. Nitan Hostel
This 14-room hostel is a hidden gem amid the touristy streets of Khao San Road—tucked far enough to take you away from the daily banter, but close enough to the happening party district. Step inside and you’ll be surrounded by colonial-era charm along with trendy industrial touches, so think Sino-Portuguese mosiac tiles and classic style pillars amid bare walls and painted brick. Rates start at B450 per bed, per night, which comes with perks such as complimentary breakfast, high-speed WiFi and 24-hour security.
Room 190/9-10, Khaosarn Talad Yod, Phra Nakorn. +66 (0) 95-778-3074
