Condo Rentals or AirBNB in Silom Area

[numazu]

So it's May (or almost May where I live), and I am preparing for my 3rd trip to Bangkok this year set for late June. I've always stayed at the Crowne Plaza or Holiday Inn Express Sathorn whenever I stay in the Silom/Surawong area of Bangkok, because I have free points that I can use. But I want to mix it up this trip, and decided to look for a condo rental or AirBNB rental. Some requirements:

 

1) has a gym and (maybe) a pool

2) no problem taking a different boy to the room every night or even at daytime

3) a safe - to store passport and money

 

I'm sort of doing research as well because I might have a one month stay coming up in the winter, and a condo would be a little bit more comfortable for a longer stay, because most of them have kitchens as well. I've been looking at AirBNB listings for the Silom area near BTS Sala Daeng/Chong Nonsi, and also close to Surawong Rd, and some of them are promising (some one-bedrooms for $40 - $55, which is a great deal).  Anybody have any experience and possible recommendations? 

[firecat69]

You might send a message to PaulSF on this board . He rents from Airbnb not far from Soi Twilight. I know it has a nice pool, not sure about gym.

[numazu]

Thanks firecat69! paulsf has graciously PM'ed me about his experiences. A couple of other posters have PM'ed me as well. Looks like I am going to give this a try in June . 

[orson]

Please share their recommendations as well. As i have plans but for shorter stays.

[numazu]

For sure orson. I've booked a 1 bedroom condo in Silom and looking now at my options in Pattaya near Boyztown area. I'll report on what I find and my experience when I'm done with my stay, but thanks to a few posters (you know who you are, you guys are awesome), who have given me tips through PM.

 

I do feel though like I've unlocked another BKK/Pattaya component that has previously been unexplored by me. Since I'm going to have a potentially longer stay this fall/winter I'm eager to tap into the rental condo market, though I am sure these properties are perfectly fine for shorter stays as well.

[pong]

FYI and all: there is also a dedicated gay type of AirB&B lookalike: ebab.com. Might at least have a look. I did some time ago and found it had plenty of BKK rooms, but did not check if they were also on the main site.

[Guest shamahan]

I checked out Pattaya (out of curiosity) and frankly one can get better deals on the ground without using the service. In Pattaya location is one of the most important things (because of the terrible traffic) and most of what is offered absolutely inconveniently located. The service perhaps can be useful for the first time visitor but not for people who travel often to the same location.

[firecat69]

For Pattaya

 

www.honeyscoffeehouse.com

 

Nice Studios in View Talay 6 next to Central Festival

Easy back and forth from

BT

[Guest alkoe]

on my last trip in february I stayed in City Garden Pattaya Condo - located in Pattaya Sai Song 15, about 300 m to Boyztown - so for me in walking distance ;-) -  and very nice and quiet - booked over AIRBNB - loved the pool on the 8th floor in building E - my apartment had no balcony, but 2 rooms and a big bathroom - others have balcony, and the price i payed was more than okay. Another pool is available, also a gym and sauna ( the boys enjoyed that lol ) - also a small restaurant and a laundry.

I will stay there again on my next trip ...

[Guest shamahan]

on my last trip in february I stayed in City Garden Pattaya Condo - located in Pattaya Sai Song 15, about 300 m to Boyztown - so for me in walking distance ;-) -  and very nice and quiet - booked over AIRBNB - loved the pool on the 8th floor in building E - my apartment had no balcony, but 2 rooms and a big bathroom - others have balcony, and the price i payed was more than okay. Another pool is available, also a gym and sauna ( the boys enjoyed that lol ) - also a small restaurant and a laundry.

I will stay there again on my next trip ...

Citi Garden Condo is OK location (though I would not call the walk pleasant especially during evening hours. Some people staying over there prefer motobike taxi). In Pattaya one can literally walk in  any condo and rent on the spot. The advantage is obvious:one can see all amenities and facilities before actually renting. AIRBN is a redundant structure (which add extra layer of bureaucracy and extra charges) and makes sense only for first time visitors (or perhaps during pick season, where it is advisable to rent in advance).

[firecat69]

Some truth to what you say but using Google allows you a wide range of looks for apartments with no need to use Airbnb which is pretty useless in Thailand compared to other parts of the world.

 

Last thing I want to do after 26 or more hours of travel is to be lugging my baggage around looking for a place to stay.

 

Still think for BT , View Talay 6 is hard to beat if you want something better then a hotel room. 150 meter walk to Beach Rd and 10 baht bus ride to BT. Return just a few steps to Pattaya 2 and 10 baht bus ride to 50 meters from your door.

 

Nice big pool, laundries , stores and restaurants all in the building and the biggest shopping mall with movies , restaurants etc. 3 minutes walk away. Hard to beat.

[vinapu]

Last thing I want to do after 26 or more hours of travel is to be lugging my baggage around looking for a place to stay.

 

 

Approach I'd be taking is to park myself for a night or two in some cheap hotel and then look around  for a place. Makes sense if somebody is planning longer stay but if it's week or so better to book in advance and head straight to the BT after settling in.

[Guest ronnie4you]

I have three weeks in Bangkok scheduled at the end of the year. I have previously stayed at some of the rental places like Marriott apartments and Center Point, if I recall the name correctly.

But I like fancy hotels and nowhere that I travel are they any cheaper than Bangkok. So in three weeks I may try 3 or 4 of those hotels! I should mention that I also like the buffet breakfasts. The reason for changing hotels is to get a different experience in a different location, plus I get tired of the breakfast after a few days. They are always the same everyday. The best one I patronized was at the Hilton on the river.

I know that's all kind of silly, but little things sometimes make the trip. Since it will be my final trip to Thailand, I might as well have a variety of experiences.

[Guest 2guys]

Never through of using Airbnb of similar website for my holidays in Asia, will check it out for my upcoming trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. Always use them or a gay version for trips in Europe and always been superb.

Thanks for the tip.

[Guest 2guys]

Never through of using Airbnb of similar website for my holidays in Asia, will check it out for my upcoming trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. Always use them or a gay version for trips in Europe and always been superb.

Thanks for the tip.

Typo through should be thought.

[speedoo1]

Sorry for resurrecting the old thread, but I hope for some advice from you guys on Airbnb listings in Silom/Sathon. 

 

First a bit of back-ground: I have been to BKK many times and stayed at various hotels in Sukhumvit, on Th. Wittayu and in Sathon - but never in Silom area. This time I think about renting a condo for my stay next month (10d/9nights). I know that hotels are cheap and the savings by staying in a condo is not significant, but I have decided to give it a try. I like the idea of having a 1 bdr condo and also closer to Silom soi 4 and soi 2 where I usually hang out at night. I have yet to experience any problems taking local guys to the room at hotels in BKK, but nevertheless I like the ease of taking a guy to your condo rather than passing a hotel front desk with a local guy.

 

Anyway, here is my Q: There seems to be a rather new property in Silom soi 3 with many listings on Airbnb - I will not mention any names here (not sure if appropriate or not) but any readers in here familiar with Airbnb listings in Silom soi 3 most likely will know which property/building I'm talking about. It has a great out-door swimming pool, gym and seems to be 3-5 years old, rates in region of USD 45-60/night - one of persons with some listings at this property mention that you have to pick-up the key card at the hotel next door.

 

Any experience on this property? It is mentioned in several reviews that there is a bad sewage smell at the entrance and lift area  - anyone stayed there recently to confirm this? An issue? Any issues (with security guy at lobby) taking local guys to your room ? It should be fairly easy to ask friends to come to this property and pick them up at the entrance area.

 

Anyway, in addition to asking about your experience with this particular property, the reason for my post was also hear if there are better alternatives in this area - not only Silom soi 3 but Silom and Sathon in general. I like Suan Plu very much and I see some listings which appears to be hotel rooms (e.g. at PanXXp Suites) and some expensive listings around Sathon soi 1, but I'm not going to spend well in excess of USD 100/n for a condo in Bangkok (knowing how cheap hotels rates are in general).

 

Any advice? A PM would be most welcome as well. Thanks

[paulsf]

I know the property you are talking about and I know a few other forum members have stayed there. We have all been fairly satisfied staying there. Getting the key is very easy 24 hours. If your staying for the first time she will walk you across the street and show you the unit.

Security guys are not an issue. I have brought many boys there and they barely look up. Location is great. Taxis very easy to get.

You need to use elevator key card to go up or down, so you will need to walk boy in and out.

I’ve never had a problem with smell. Pool is nice. Not much seating, never many people there. Gym is small but ok.

For me it works, I really like it. You said your looking at 10 days.

 

I’m not as familiar with Saun Plu, but have heard good things about the area.

[Guest droper22]

I am going to stay in this condominium since Aug. 15 for 3 weeks and hope to have a good time there. 

[speedoo1]

Just to follow up on my inquiry above regarding the Airbnb condos in the Klass building in Silom soi 3.

 

I had a great 8night/9day stay in a 1 bdr apartment there (late check-out was generously granted; perfect!). Although not big (32sqm) the condo served its purpose. The bedroom was quite small but the bathroom was well sized with a shower (rather than a bathtub). The bed mattress was the way I like it; not too soft. Bedlinen and towels were obviously provided (but not changed during my stay; I suppose I could have washed them in the washing machine but I was too lazy to do it). Aircondition was quiet and fully functional. Fully equipped with fridge, washing machine, microwave oven, toaster, cups, glasses, plates and kitchen utensils, etc it was very easy to stay there. Great view of the Sathon skyline from the small balcony outside the room (I was on the top floor). Very quiet at all times; I had no noise issues at all. Perfect.

 

You have to use the keycard to activate the lift so any quests will have to be picked-up at the lobby (I found the lobby area very nice with chairs, couches etc) and similarly you need to follow them to lift in order for them to take the lift to 1st floor (ground floor lobby).

 

There is a guard 24/7, however, not in lobby but at a small booth opposite the main entrance to the building. There was no issue taking guests to the room. In fact, my impression was that many of the condos are short term leased to tourists of whom many a gay travelers - I saw several couples (farang or asian tourists together with what seemed to be a local guy) entering or leaving the building. 

 

The location is great - 5 min walking from Silom soi 4, soi 2, and Sala Daeng BTS station. On weekdays there is great and small inexpensive lunch market right across the street. There is a convenience store (7/11) very close to the property.

 

Pricing was fair for short term rental (but on the high side compared to the rates for monthly rentals in the area) but considering the cheap hotel options in the area you shouldn't do a Airbnb booking to save on the accommodation costs. The excessive Airbnb booking fee is annoying and so is the inflexibility of changing or cancelling your reservation (without costs). Next time I will consider the Baan Silom soi 3 property across the street which has cheaper options and the rooms seems a bit larger; these condos seem also widely available on Airbnb.

 

Lastly, no smell issues at all when entering the building; luckily this seems to have been an issue of the past.