There's a huge range of accommodation in Bangkok, and fortunately there's never
any real problem getting a room at any time of year, whatever your budget. By
international standards, room rates are generally very good value - ranging
from the 50B (a little over 1US$) guesthouse dorm bed right up to The Oriental
hotel, consistently voted as one of the best in the world. This is in part due
to devaluation of the Baht in 1997 and it's continued weakness since, from which
prices have never really recovered to their level beforehand.
For the majority of visitors to Bangkok, your budget will probably dictate
the area where you stay. Banglamphu (Khao San Road) has many cheap rooms in
the 100-300B range. For this you will generally get a basic small room with
a fan with a shared bathroom. This is a very popular backpackers area, and
the abundance of competition keeps prices fairly low. A slight step up for
budget accommodation can be found in the Siam Square area. Sukhumvit road
is another of Bangkok's big tourist districts, and has a very large range
of hotels with rooms generally ranging from 700B up to about 2000B. Top end
hotels are found all over the city, the very best (Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-La,
Royal Orchid Sheraton) tend to be located by the river, and around the Siam
Square area.
Other than price, it's important to consider what you want to do while in
Bangkok when chosing a location for a hotel. Bangkok's international reputation
for pollution and congestion is not undeserved, and it's worth staying in
the area where you want to spend most tim, as getting from one side of the
city to the other can, to say the least, be a bit of a challenge. The relatively
new skytrain connects the Silom, Siam Square and
Sukhumvit road areas, and makes getting around here fairly painless - these
are all good areas for shopping and nightlife, but with limited sightseeing
opportunities. Many of the main tourist attractions (Grand
Palace, Wat Pho, Wat
Arun) aren't on the skytrain line but in the Ko
Rattanakosin district - depending on the traffic, it can take over a hour
to reach here from Sukhumvit or Silom.
In Thai hotel terminology, a single room is one with one double bed, a double
room has two. Therefore, it's perfectly normal for a couple to check into
a single room. Prices are generally the same whichever you ask for, or only
very slightly more expensive for a double. An additional charge that may apply
is the 'joiner fee' that is levied by some hotels to try and prevent any 'guests'
joining you in your room overnight. Another price that has to be paid is the
7% tax in that all accommodation in Thailand is subject to. The cheaper guesthouses
will incorporate this into the price (or just not pay it at all), but for
most of the 3* or better hotels this will be added to your bill on top of
the rate you're quoted. On top of this, an 8% - 10% service charge is often
levied also (If you see prices quoted elsewhere as 2000B++, that is what the
++ means). This is well worth bearing in mind when considering hotels, as
obviously it can make a substantial difference to the total cost. It's also
an important thing to ask any travel agent booking rooms for you, as some
don't mention to try and make their prices sound lower while others quote
all-inclusive prices.
