aloha & sawasdee ka everyone,
need your suggestions for decent silom area hotel in the $40/USD range. I usually stay near Sukhumvit Soi 11 area so your suggestions appreciated. anything located near BTS/MRT a plus. need not be fancy, clean safe with a/c fine. was recommended silom village inn, anyone stayed there recently or have any thoughts on this place. kop khun ka in advance for your replies!

__________________

Be a traveler, not a tourist.

Hi Pamela

Narai is worth a try - it's a big, rather impersonal hotel, but excellent location (just near Silom Village) and good value for money. Rooms are modern and fine. Pool area is on the roof and a bit small but the hotel is clean and safe and the staff were friendly and spoke decent English. I must confess I haven't stayed there for a few years but I have fond memories and it was perfect for me at the time.

It's about equi-distant to the Chong Nongsi and Sala Daeng BTS stations - they aren't right next door, but a healthy walk, especially during the day (not so great at night!).

These days I stay at the Pathumwan Princess as I find the location so fabulous, but it's more than double the price of the Narai ... rooms are actually of a pretty similar quality (but Narai rooms are smaller).

I've enjoyed reading your many posts over the years and I just know you aren't the sort of person to spend lots of time in a hotel room, so the Narai is worth considering!

Incidentally, I'm back in Bangkok in May (again, staying at Pathumwan Princess) and will be booking for the first time with Asiarooms. I checked the latest Qantas Holidays Brochure (I live in Melbourne) and PP has gone up to A$165 per night without breakfast ... it's A$125 including b/f on Asiarooms, which is a considerable saving.

Both Narai and Silom Village Inn are listed as 3 star hotels ... I haven't been to SVI but I do know it, as it's attached to the Silom Village shopping and cultural complex ... Asiarooms has Narai for A$63 including breakfast and SVI is A$39 without breakfast.

The link for Silom area hotels is
Silom Hotels in Bangkok - Bangkok Hotels - Silom Hotels Area Discount

I really do tend to shop around and these are the best rates I've found - BUT, I have never used this booking service before, so can't vouch for it yet - stay tuned for my post after the May trip!

Good luck, and I"m sure you'll love the area. I've got a couple of great restaurant recommendaitions too, if you want them!

Warmest wishes
Daniele

Hi Pamela,
I was going to recommend a few places that might suit, but just checked currency rates and see that your budget of 40USD = about 1300 baht. That isn't going to get you a room at any of the places I had in mind.
Silom area isn't cheap as you probably know, but there are some possibilities - you could try Silom Regent or maybe it's The Regent (??) a small hotel/guesthouse in one of the small laneways off Silom Rd. not far from Burger King. I think it could be in that price range.

I can't give a personal recommendation, but it's right in the middle of the action if you don't mind that. It's near one of the gay nightclubs so might be a bit noisy late at night/early a.m. as everyone's leaving. It would be almost at Sala Daeng BTS.

Check out sawasdee.com which lists hotels by area and price. There are a couple for your price range.

__________________
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are lookiing at the stars!
Oscar Wilde

Aloha Daniele,
Mahalo and kop khun ka for the suggestion. I've heard of the Narai from the many years I've been visiting but appreciated a first hand experience from you. My sister's of course would love to stay at the Pathumwan Princess because of it's very close proximity to MBK - a family favorite and staple during BKK stays. We're kind of looking of having a more intimate stay the next time we are there, I personally could stay in any guesthouse that is clean, has hot water and loads of storage space for my shopping but my sister's need a place a little more substantial (spoiled Americans). Anyway, appreciate your response and I'm jealous about your May trip. Please let us all know what you did when you get back.

__________________

Be a traveler, not a tourist.

Kimbo,
Will check out the Silom Regent/The Regent ??, sounds worth looking at. Thanks!

__________________

Be a traveler, not a tourist.

Hi again Pamela,
I just checked a hotel booking site (wired-destinations) and see a few possibilities for you
1. Regent Silom "from 1466 THB"
2. Trinity Silom "from 1187 THB"
3. Mandarin (it's on Rama 1V just around the corner from Silom Rd.) "from 1117 THB"

There's also the Narai and Silom Serene.
If the three of you are sharing, perhaps an apartment might work out cheaper than 2 rooms.
Two other places I've stayed ......
Saladaeng Place (about 50 m. along Soi Saladeang - you can't get much closer to Silom Rd. than this one.......... extra big rooms with sofa, coffee table, dining table and kitchenette + good bathroom BUT breakfast is pretty basic.
Also in this same street is The Colonnade - apartments... probably around 3000 THB a double. Very convenient. Included in the tariff is a fairly basic breakfast brought to your room.
Both of these places have their own websites and you can book them that way, but also appear on some other booking sites.

Kimbo,
Thank you so much for your efforts. I really appreciate it!

__________________

Be a traveler, not a tourist.