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Cheap Accommodation in Bangkok - Inexpensive, Budget Hotels

Bangkok remains one of the best cities in the world to find inexpensive and down right cheap accommodation. While not all such places are places one would actually want to sleep, many are just fine, at least for the traveler.

One can generally find reasonably satisfactory accommodation – a small, clean room with private toilet, air conditioning, and a door that provides reasonable security – in the range of 400 to 500 baht a night.

If one is satisfied with fan cooling versus air conditioning, then one can often find a room for no more than 300 to 350 baht a night but this assumes that other aspects of the room are equal to those of air-conditioned rooms, which is often not the case.

It should be noted that places on Silom Road, Wireless (Wittayu) Road and central Suhkumvit Road are generally available only at much higher rates, although "short time" rooms, where one might nap for a few hours and get a shower, are available on Sukhumvit for around 300 baht for two to three hours.

One should also note that the "cheap hotels" or "budget hotels" listing in the internet are generally totally useless, as they are really advertising and marketing tools, and the places listed in them are not cheap!! Below are places where one may find genuinely cheap or inexpensive accommodation.

Khao San Road and Banglamphu area

This area has a deserved reputation for having inexpensive accommodation. Within a six to eight block area are a horde of guest houses, and a fully developed commercial culture of bars, restaurants, shops and travel agencies supporting the tourists that stay in them.

It is not difficult to find suitable rooms for under 400 baht a night, although one should carefully consider before taking a room for less than 300 baht.

This area caters largely to younger tourists – backpackers – and has a reputation for drug use and sales. On the other hand, it is conveniently located to many of Bangkok's historical treasures, and the business people here are accustomed to serving foreign guests. More on Khao San Road

Siam Square area

This area is a fairly high class shopping and entertainment area that attracts a mixture of foreigners and Thais, mainly young and/or well-to-do. West of Siam Square, walking toward the National Stadium on Rama I, a traveler will come across several streets or sois as Thais call them where one will find inexpensive accommodations.

One will also find them if one walks north on Ratchathewi toward Victory Monument. There are sois that branch off from Ratchathewi that have cheap guest houses. When one comes to Petchburi Road, one can turn left and one will find still more. It is not difficult to find accommodation for under 500 baht a night in these areas.

Petchburi Road

This road runs from east to west, parallel to Sukhumvit Road, through a large part of Bangkok. At several points along Petchburi Road, small sois containing cheap places branch off from it. Tourists don't generally stay in these places, and many of them cater to Thais who stay in them for fairly long periods of time, but one can find good bargains if one looks.

Pratunam

Pratunam is a bargain shopping area east of Victory Monument and north of the Erawan Shrine area. There are many inexpensive places on the sois branching off from Ratchaprarop (Rajadamri) Road and behind the main market. Many guests here are Indians or Africans. The most inexpensive massage places in Bangkok are located here. More on Pratunam

Sukhumvit Road from Asoke Road to Ekamai Road

This area is an entertainment and shopping area that attracts both large numbers of tourists and Thais. Several nice hotels are located here but there are some small Sois branching off of Sukhumvit that have cheap accommodation. Here again, one should evaluate this accommodation carefully, as it tends tents to attract transient Thais.

Ratchada

Ratchada is an area located north of Sukumvit Road on or just off of Asoke Road. It is, or is near, a big entertainment area on Asoke Road that caters largely to Thais. Ratchada contains many guest houses and cheap places where Thais, most of them working in the Asoke and Sukhumvit entertainment industries, live. It is conveniently located although the sois can be a little confusing.

Hualamphong

This is where Bangkok's main train station is located. One goes through Hualamphong when one is going to Chinatown from the east. There are a fairly large number of cheap rooming places around the station. These places are used to foreign guests.

Chinatown (Yaowarat)

Yaowarat is located west of the main train station and borders the Chao Phraya River. It contains several blocks of densely packed restaurants, stores, hotels and guest houses, many of which are priced very reasonably. Chinatown has a reputation for having a lot of criminal activity but most of it occurs within the context of organized activities and gangs – individual tourists are usually quite safe here. Its location near Bangkok's historical treasures makes it an especially appealing location. More on Yaowarat

Soi Ngam Duphli

This soi is located just east of Sathorn Road, which runs parallel to Silom Road. A few reasonably priced guest houses and hotels are located here. It is somewhat difficult to find but branches off of Rama IV Road near the Lumpini Tower.

East of the Chao Phraya River

East of the Chao Phraya River are Pin Klao and Saphan Phut. These are areas where foreigners do not often go as there are few "tourist" places to visit. They are, however, full of small restaurants, bars, shops and so forth. One can find reasonably priced accommodation here without too much trouble. One can begin one's search on Charon Santiwong Road and Boromaraychachonani Road in Pin Klao and Charon Rat Road, Lat Yao Road and Charon Rakhon Road in Saphan Phut. More on Saphan Phut

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