First time visit hotel question

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

I am in the beginning phase of booking my first time visit to Thailand (Bangkok). I am planning on visiting mid-November of this year (2016). I will be traveling alone. I am looking for a clean, comfortable hotel as close to the gay action as possible. I have read everything here (and a few other places) about the abundance of good, cheap hotels in Bangkok. Tarntawan Place has been mentioned numerous times as one of the most convenient, but it also gets comments of being outdated. I just checked, and it looks like I could get a basic or slightly better room for about $65-75 USD per night in November. 

 

What are some other hotels that will offer the same location convenience, with possibly more current decor, at a similar or better price? Good wifi is a definite plus. I am not a hotel snob by any means, but I do require a clean place, comfortable bed, average sized room (at least), and a friendly visitor policy. English speaking staff would be a definite plus as I do not speak any Thai. 

 

Thanks in advance for any/all help.

[floridarob]

How long you going for?

 

2 places I've liked alot, are not as close as Tarntawan.... but not far from the action maybe 50 baht by taxi or Uber

 

http://serenity.co.th/

 

http://www.sanctuaryhousebkk.com/

 

these are nice places and have good prices for a month rental

[firecat69]

The thing to understand about Bangkok is that if you reserve a room for 2 people , in 99% of the cases you will have no problem with visitors.

 

That said you need to remember that by US or Brazil standard, hotels are ridiculously cheap..  One member here just recently stayed at The Courtyard for $60.  Believe me the courtyard in Bangkok is nothing like Courtyards in the USA.

 

So you may find Holiday Inns , Radissons, Park Inns etc in this price range.

 

The other thing to remember is transportation   ( taxis etc is also very cheap).  

 

 

I have a feeling you will want to travel to some of the Massage Parlors during the day . Some of the best ones such as Hero are not in the Gay GoGo Bar area. Yet that is where many very nice Hotels are at bargain basement rates.

 

Not to discourage you from Tartawan because it is certainly a good choice for a first time visitor. Always worth checking Booking.com , Agoda etc for better rates.  The reviews on Booking are the best because only checked out guests can post reviews.

 

I know way back when Tartawan did not have safes in all the rooms. Not sure now but I like having a safe especially with overnight guests although Thai boys are overwhelmingly honest .

 

We have members here that spend a few nights at 2 or 3 hotels. If you pack light that is easy to do in Bangkok.

 

I think your best bet is search on Booking etc and narrow down to 3 Hotels and then post those for comments by anyone who may have stayed there.  

 

Unlikely you will find a Hotel that a number of members have not stayed at.

 

Probably should look at Raya Surawong Hotel.  They give large advance booking discounts once you have secured your flights .  

 

Gets great  reviews . Upscale at reasonable prices and next door to the Gay Bars.  

[fedssocr]

I just spent a few nights at the Crowne Plaza Lumpini. The location is quite good for both the gay areas and public transport with the BTS and MRT just a couple of minutes' walk away so getting around town is easy. But it will cost you more than $65/night. I enjoyed it very much though.

[neddy]

Rooms at the Tarntawan Hotel do have safes.

 

The hotel has a great location for the nightlife, and friendly staff.

 

Rooms a bit worn, but absolutely fine.

[kokopelli]

Yes, Tarnatwan is just fine, can't go wrong. Across the street is Di Arni Hotel if you want to google that.

 

You want current decor but are not a hotel snob? 

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

By snob i meant that i do not require a Starwood top property or a "W" hotel. Clean, safe, comfortable, and friendly (with reliable Wifi) are my requisites.

[forky123]

Tarntawan has great location, friendly staff, comfortable rooms aand secure. On the down side it's a little dated and the wi-fi can be iffy depending on which room you are in.

[NIrishGuy]

If booking Tartawan Place ( which I to also end up going for for the reasons already listed) personally I always book a Sarong deluxe room at the least, This is for the big of extra space you get in room but also mainly for the EXTRA large bed that you can ASK FOR ! to ensure that you (both) still get a genuinely good nights sleep even when sharing with a stranger without having to lie on top of each other - except when you want to of course :-)

[MrBill]

My last stay in BKK I booked a room at the Glitz Hotel. http://glitzbangkok.com/ It was about a block or 1-1/2 blocks from Tarntawan, same side of the street. I booked through Agoda and got a cheaper rate that included breakfast. No people elevator at that time but there was a dumb waiter for luggage. I was quite happy there and no trouble with joiners. Only trouble was the name. Taxi drivers couldn't make heads or tails of Glitz. Give them "Gleece Hotew" and they knew right where it was.

[anddy]

Tarntawan rooms have been a bit dated for some time, but were always fine IMO. That they have safes in the rooms must be a recent addition, as they didn't when I last stayed there about 2-1/2 or 3 years ago. Goes to show that they are continuosly making small improvements. A few years ago they also re-did the dining are in the lobby in that they added a collapsible breakfast buffet, meaning that after the buffet is closed the buffet counter is folded away and you don't even see there could be one. Quite neat. Also a HUGE plus for me over the years has been that you can get your a-la-carte breakfast (included in the room for 2) at any time, and that means 24 hours. Great for long sleepers who miss the buffet.

 

Another plus are the really large rooms compared to room sizes at many more modern hotels.

 

Was going to mention Raya Surawong as well, as it is brand new and therefore will have a more modern look and feel. Can't comment on it, though, as I haven't stayed there. Location is the closest you can get to Soi Twilight, right next door basically.

 

As for giving directions to taxis, giving hotel names, especially of smaller ones, will always be hit-or-miss. Better to use landmarks they will know for sure, which could also be nearby well known big/older hotels. So if staying at any of the Surawong Hotels mentioned here (Tartawan, Glitz, Raya) you can tell them any of the following, for example:

 

- Patpong night market at Surawong Road

- Tawana Hotel on Surawong (very old hotel and well known among cab drivers in my experience)

- Montien Hotel on Surawon

 

From each of those drop off points it will be just a 1 minute walk to you own hotel.

[kokopelli]

Nothing wrong with a "dated decor"; think The Grand Budapest Hotel, The White House, Buckingham Palace and Elysee Palace.  

[Jasper]

Nothing wrong with a "dated decor"

Agree100%. I hate modern decor like in Le Meridian Surawong.

Perhaps a dated person like a dated decor.

[Guest whall]

Tarntawan is the best. You can't go wrong, IMHO. It's safe. Staff is super super friendly. You can have a guest over. They'll take the guests id and call you before they give it back to make sure it went OK. Fantastic! I love that place.

[Guest whall]

Plus it's very close to the gay area and all the action. They have safes in the rooms which was important to me big time.

[Guest]

If you want really close, The Rose is close to the gogo bars.    However, I last stayed there 9 years ago, so consult Trip Advisor for more recent reviews.

I now tend to stay at Baan Silom, soi 3, which takes a few minutes extra to walk to.

[kokopelli]

Forget the Rose! Small rooms, shit TV and no WiFi.

[vinapu]

Raya, 

 

around the corner from soi Twilight, new and modern , big rooms with safe and wi-fi, no problems with visitors, great breakfast.

 

Start hunting for good rates on Agoda, sometimes it can be had for as low as 50$ - this was rate one of our contributors I met in Dec  got.

 

Tarntawan is also great for reasons described above.

 

Cheaper options  are On Yim , BBB Inn and Nantra Silom but you need compromise on amentities for a price relief, all tested and visitors friendly.

[Guest]

Forget the Rose! Small rooms, shit TV and no WiFi.

 

If these factors matter to you.  To be fair, no wifi in the room is a killer -even the most basic hotels manage that at this stage in the 21st century.  I couldn't care less about a TV and compact rooms are just fine for me. 

 

Anyhow, in addition to all the fine recommendations above, there are a string of other hotels near the gay area on the usual booking sites & trip advisor.  If you prefer one of those, just e-mail the hotel to ask about their policy on you bringing guests back to your room.  Most will be OK.

[Guest whall]

WiFi is a must for me.

[vinapu]

WiFi is a must for me.

it's nice to have it but I'm not coming to Bangkok or Pattaya to check my e-mails. For those in need there's still internet cafe on Silom beside Playboy massage. 

[Guest whall]

Not check email. It's for Grindr, hornet, gay romeo, etc. Check news....stuff like that. This site also.

[Alexx]

Just a few years ago I'd have agreed regarding WiFi. Nowadays, I don't really bother anymore, I just get a SIM card with data package wherever I go. In many cases, it's not only faster but also more reliable than free WiFi offered at hotels.

[Guest abang1961]

The cheap 7 day Happy Tourist SIM is only THN 299 although the speed varies and downsize itself ..

There is a 599 version..

http://store.dtac.co.th/en/happytouristsim

[Guest]

I want hotel wifi for my tabtet and I get a SIM card for the phone, with data allowance. 

 

With True, I got a package that had a 3GB data allowance for the month.   Think that plus the SIM came to ~450, with a token call credit of 50 baht or so.