Places to stay in BKK

[vinapu]

When I've passed Om Yim on the Skytrain, it looks as though it has a cemetery in it's back garden.

Don't Thai boys find it spooky?  Phi and all that.

judging by the number of "visitors"  answer will be 'no'

[ChristianPFC]

That's indeed a cemetery behind and next to Om Yim. Details here:

 

http://khunbaobao.blogspot.de/2011/09/memories-of-911-in-old-bangkok-cemetery.html

[Guest]

A cemetery makes a perfect neighbour for a hotel  -it's nice and quiet at the rear.

 

As for the boys, well most of them arrive when it's dark and don't look out the back of the hotel.  If they do, I suspect most are no more spooked than we would be.

[Moses]

I am just a week from BKK. Had stay in Om Yim and in Amber (Soi 16, Silom, 5-7 min walk with bag from Chong Nonsi )

 

What can I say? Om Yim's glory IMHO is in past. Pity. No more nice staff, but outdated furniture, old towels, cockroaches and ants in rooms, very slow wifi, tiny lobby.

 

Amber for the same amount of money is much more better: bright, new, modern. But most important: unbelievable good work of staff: nonstop caring about your vacation. Even when Amber isn't gay hotel, I had no any problem with. Highly recommend it as the substitution for Om Yim. 

[baobao]

I agree about ants being an unexpected and unwelcome visitors; I've had invasions happen to me two times there in Bangkok, and that was two times too many.  

 

Sathorn is nice, too, but I've come to prefer the Chong Nonsi area. As another place to consider there's the Glow Trinity, although their prices have gone up a bit since the linked review below.

 

Ants story

 

Glow story

[newalaan]

That's a potentially nice location.  What we need is someone here to try it.  As anyone done that?

 

Here is the Trip Advisor summary.   There are a few comments about the noise & note the poor score for sleep quality.

 

 

 

 

Just to update with regards to Ballys Silom (now D'Varee) I have stayed there a few times over the years. Normally 2 or 3 night stay at start of trip as it's an east taxi ride from Airport and you are right in the middle of a busy Bkk. For 2-3 night stays I'm usually not so fussy about room size etc.. but have found Ballys(D'Varee) more than ideal for a short stay right in the middle of Silom/Surawong.

 

They have 2 room sizes the larger is usually way more expensive than the standard and probably not worth the difference as I find the standard just fine for a couple nights. The fixtures and fittings are good quality and have remained in excellent condition over the years I have stayed there, with wooden floors, dark wood furniture and fittings well maintained, the bathroom is modern and well kept with a huge shower cubicle the width of the bathroom. Flat screen tv, free WiFi, tea/coffee making facilities. Not all rooms have a window to the outside, but I have stayed in one room without windows and they have a 'fake' window screen which is quite clever and the room 'appears' to have a window. The one's with windows have no view as the hotel has buildings attached/very close , and at one side is the DJ Station/JJ Park Soi 2 complex. I have had a room on this side and you can hear the DJ Station music till the early hours, for the likes of me out enjoying night-life it is not an issue, and I can sleep no matter what noise surrounds me but for very light early bed sleepers it could be an issue.  

 

As with most hotels best rates are well in advance, as I book my next flight/trip to Thailand at the end of my previous one I can always get very reasonable rates there a few weeks in advance. I find after a long trip from Europe to Thailand and a keen-ness to soak up the atmosphere close to my accommodation I do like a room on the doorstep of Silom sois 2/4 and Suriwong for fist 2-3 nights and can't really be that bothered to have hassles with taxis/walking outside Silom soi 2-6 and Suriwong/Patpong.   

 

I am booked here again at start of June so will see if room quality has been maintained.

 

 

 

What can I say? Om Yim's glory IMHO is in past. Pity. No more nice staff, but outdated furniture, old towels, cockroaches and ants in rooms, very slow wifi, tiny lobby.

 

 Yes, sad to have this confirmed. I have always stayed at different (but regular) places in the silom/suriwong area like Ballys, Baan Saladaeng, Tarntawan, Om Yim and for years Om Yim was a regular. At one time they had a huge room on the very top floor with dining table, kitchen area, microwave etc... a lovely big room which was not all that more expensive than the larger standard rooms there, and I liked the whole Om Yim ambiance as I hate the bland International Hotel Chains when in the far east. 

 

I didn't manage a stay there for over a year at one time and when I went back to the only available large standard room I just found the 'wear and tear' overly excessive in the room, even the TV connections, safe didn't work and especially the bathroom was looking very poor. I always expected that to happen there, as the brand new room fittings were never good quality, and that was the problem. Sink leaking, doors not fitting, very worn woodwork, it just looked like there had been nil room maintenance (not talking about room cleaning) over the years and instead of getting things fixed as soon as they were broken they were just being left barely usable.  

 

To be honest I don't think it would take a whole truck-load of money to tidy it up and get fixtures and fittings smartened up, re-grouting tiling in bathroom, fixing up leaking pipes, a new shower head etc..  It might make all the difference.    

[vinapu]

In the name of fairness I need to state that I stay at Om Yim over Christmas last year and did not have any problems with fixtures , ants e.t.c described above . Definitely will give them another try next time as location and value for money is great

[baobao]

In the name of fairness I need to state that I stay at Om Yim over Christmas last year and did not have any problems with fixtures , ants e.t.c described above . Definitely will give them another try next time as location and value for money is great

 

Om Yim still has some of the same staff (i.e. owner Aek) as a couple of years ago and is worth consideration. I'd stay there again.

[Guest]

I may well stay at the Om Yim again.  I've stayed there every year for the last 7 and have recommended it many times on these forums. I am now more neutral.

On my last visit, the bathroom had 4 items malfunctioning:

(i) Toilet seat not attached to pan

(ii) Flush lever pulls out of cistern

(iii) Hand sprayer valve not working, so had to be switched on and off at wall

(iv) Extractor fan not working

 

Also, the room door frame had been chiseled away to allow access to the latch.  Presumably done when someone left all the keys inside, considering it was a professional looking job.   However, that channel should be filled in to prevent other people from using a knife on the door latch.

The bed linen just gets more worn every year.

On the positives, everything else is as good as ever.  The cleanliness, the welcome, the breakfast etc.

 

Whilst there is at least a 50% chance I will stay there again on the next visit, the place no longer gets my unreserved recommendation.    It's a good budget option, where a few things might no longer work right.

 

If money is tight for them, charging an extra 20 baht per room should allow all the above items to be fixed and paid for in 1 year.

[calluna15]

Stayed at om yim 3 times during my 3 months in the

Kingdom. Yeah I sat on toilet seat that broke, saw 2

Huge cockroaches uneven wi fi etc. I can live with that.

What I really dislike is coming to check in with my

Luggage and basically being ignored. They have one

Guy waiting tables and anything else that needs to be

Done in the lobby. He is doing the work of 2 or 3 people.

 

It is for this reason I would always keep my room key

With me. Otherwise I would have to ask for it in front of

20 or so diners in the lobby. Thats if he knew where it was. Like someone else said staying there is no longer

A given.

[Guest alwaysnick]

If you're looking for a "gay" place, W Hotel and Sofitel So both in Sathorn are very gay, as in popular with gays, lots of gay guests and gay staff. 

 

My experience must be dated if folks are now able to bring guys back to a hotel with no problem. 

What year does your experience date back to? I've never seen or experienced any trouble bringing Thai boys back to my hotel. Can't imagine why they would stop you other than maybe to do a security ID check.  

[vinapu]

I may well stay at the Om Yim again.  I've stayed there every year for the last 7 and have recommended it many times on these forums. I am now more neutral.

 

 

I need to second this opinion, always had only praises for Om Yim but after last trip I spent last three night at Om Yim I'm also more neutral.

 

Restaurant expanded but no longer open at breakfast time , this is minor inconvenience since breakfast was not included anyways in the room price.

 

I had their biggest and most costly room and while generally was clean and well maintained can't say this about toilet where big plunger was prominently featured. Toilet did not flush properly  and that was reason. I don't think  plunger is the solution for more than half day but it was in constant use during my three day. Embarrassing for me and my guests. This should not be allowed in any class hotel . Two massive cockroaches which I spotted in the room weren't welcomed too. So at end of day like z909 says above, Om Yim is recommended for good value and location but with reservation. Hope they somehow get the message 

[Aikuchi]

If you're looking for a "gay" place, W Hotel and Sofitel So both in Sathorn are very gay, as in popular with gays, lots of gay guests and gay staff. 

 

Wow ... those look expensive. 

[Guest]

I've never had a problem with the check in service at the Om Yim, possibly as I prefer to just check in and get on with it.

The main issue is the things not fixed in the room & that was only on my most recent Dec 2015 visit (the previous 7 or so visits were fine, although with slight evidence of things slipping).

The 2 questions then arise:
 1 What will not work next time? No hot water?
 2 If they are losing interest to the extent where nothing is maintained, they will lose their formerly loyal customers and might eventually close.  Probably at short notice.

 

I suppose I should have asked them to fix it up, but I just don't want workmen in my room when staying there.

 

The next step might be to e-mail them and ask if they are intending to return the place to it's former standard. 

[steveboy]

Has somebody tried hotel that is with Babylon sauna?

 

In my first visit to BKK I stayed at the Tarntawan.  Nice hotel, not much different from any other hotel. During this first visit I went to Babylon sauna and a guy that I had fun with invited me to his room upstairs at the "barracks".   We didn't exit the sauna but climbed up through the spiral staircase. i liked the ambiance and the idea of being so close to the action.

 

So on my second visit I decided to be daring, and I made reservations to stay for one week at the barracks.  After a few days I liked the place so much that I extended my stay to a second week and cancelled a second reservation I had made at a regular hotel.

 

Since then, every time I visit the city, the Babylon is my home away from home. I know quite well its advantages and disadvantages, and I am a person who likes good value.  

 

Advantages:  It is a place with character and elegance, very well maintained. The rate is low, considering the extras that come with the room:  a good buffet breakfast,  free entry to the sauna with two passes per room (a pass is a nice gift to local friends from a single traveler), comfortable rooms without private bathroom but instead a large shared room in every floor with showers, sinks and toilets which reinforce the feeling of "gay community", free internet, and a well equipped gym and two decent restaurants at the sauna. 

 

Possible disadvantage:  the place is in an isolated area in a nice part of the city removed from the noise of Silom but not too far from it, and at reasonable distance from Lumpini park.  People in good health will not have problems walking to the MTR or BTS. I have walked many times to Sauna Mania without concern for the lack of public transportation after midnight. 

 

Now when I visit BKK I can settle in with my eyes closed.  Arriving during the night at Suvarnabhumi I take in the morning the airport local train, transfer to the MRT at Phetchebury and exit it at Lumpini, from where I walk to Babylon, where I have a late breakfast and later head to the sauna.  In every stay I find people that I had met in previous trips at the breakfast room, which is a good social place to exchange information with other savvy travelers.

[marcolastrauman]

Glitz Hotel Bangkok is also one of the few, affordable options for those who are travelling to Bangkok and who wants to stay a walking distance from the go go bars. I have stayed there several times without any problem. it's like next door to Tarntawan Place. No elevators though, but it's not really an issue for me. 

[abidismaili]

What about Dvaree Diva Bally, Silom, Bangkok.

Never stayed there but near Soi Twilight and looks good. Anyone experience with that? I think about trying that one next time.

[anddy]

Glitz is actually closer to Soi Twilight as it is right on Surawong. Have only been in a room at Dvaree Diva once for a brief visit, if I remember correctly I thought it was ok but not great. Guess best to check reviews and pictures on tripadvisor 

[firecat69]

http://www.booking.com/hotel/th/the-raya.en-us.html?aid=318615;label=New_English_EN_CAUS_20016037225-Ir2tDA0DK2eKLnGkbxp2FgS77555769025%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t3%3Aneg;sid=a0dc7aa3e87f783bc16c01ce996edbfb;dcid=1;checkin=2015-09-08;checkout=2015-09-11;ucfs=1;srfid=6eeb0a0a81ae913b69f3dd01b58c5eae8fd00929X1#tab-reviews

 

Not sure anyone has mentioned Raya. No personal experience but reviews (which I Trust) on Booking .com .

 

Adjacent to Soi Twilight so as good as it gets in location.  Rates tend to vary greatly according to dates so you may get lucky and get it at a fairly reasonable level of 1500 baht or less?

[vinapu]

What about Dvaree Diva Bally, Silom, Bangkok.

Never stayed there but near Soi Twilight and looks good. Anyone experience with that? I think about trying that one next time.

Did not sleep there but in May visited my friend who used that hotel.

 

Room very modern but a bit cramped and claustrophobic, no window. Location had to beat but for what he paid  / I don't remember now how much / I found Nantra Silom I was staying at the time better value for money, less luxurious but cheaper and with a window.

 

 

Not sure anyone has mentioned Raya. No personal experience but reviews (which I Trust) on Booking .com .

 

Adjacent to Soi Twilight so as good as it gets in location.  Rates tend to vary greatly according to dates so you may get lucky and get it at a fairly reasonable level of 1500 baht or less?

Very timely question, my friend mentioned above moved to Raya and I went to visit him there as well. Absolute gem, modern, new , room spacious and spotless.He even noticed his boys were duly impressed as well.

 

As you mentioned good deals can be had/ he paid less than 1500 if i recall correctly ,  but even with prices quoted it looks as it's worth a splurge.

 

No problem with visitors at both places.

 

It looks now than with Raya  we have full range hotels in the same block soi Twilight is, from basic / Take-a-Nap / to bit better  / BBB Inn / to luxurious / Raya / . There's also hostel /Thrive / and another mid-range place  / Talay suites / but I don't know how gay and visitors friendly they are.

[anddy]

 I found Nantra Silom I was staying at the time better value for money, less luxurious but cheaper and with a window.

 

 

Nantra has windowless rooms, too, was just in one a couple of weeks ago where a friend stayed. That was a "single" room (though the bed was about 140cm wide, enough for 2), so not sure if single/double determines window/no-window or simply the location within the building. In addition to the lack of a window I found the room VERY small indeed. OK for a single traveller on a budget and if you don't need space, but I prefer roomier rooms. Nicer to have guests, too ;-)

 

As for Raya, that's quite new and at night impresses with a fancy, LED-lit facade, too (not that that is a selection criterion).

[vinapu]

Nantra has windowless rooms, too, was just in one a couple of weeks ago where a friend stayed. That was a "single" room (though the bed was about 140cm wide, enough for 2), so not sure if single/double determines window/no-window or simply the location within the building.

from what i know only single rooms at Nantra are windowless. / and 2.5 times cheaper than DVaree / 

[Guest Promsak]

Am I mistaken or didn't Om Yim change hands a year or two ago and the previous owner now owns one of the smaller bars on Silom Soi 4?

[KhorTose]

Just a thought.  If you like to stay in serviced apartments, I highly recommend Centre Point Silom.  My Partner and I  have always found the rooms to spacious  and clean.  This hotel lies over a mini mall with a Robinsons, Starbucks, Tops, and about 10 different dining options.  The hotel  is steps away from BTS Saphen Taskin, and two stops away from the gay Silom scene.  I have seen people bring "guests" to their rooms, and not seen the staff question them.  The people that stay there give this place a 97% satisfaction rating on Expedia.

[firecat69]

Have stayed there and many other Centre Points in BKK.  They still offer good value if you get a discounted rate but for long term stays of 2 weeks or longer, you get much better value using VRBO or AIRBNB.  If you want daily maid service , you will have to arrange it separately but it will still probably come in much less then Centre Point.

 

But for stays shorter then a week, certainly if they are offering 50% discounts (which they are now) they offer great value.