The first hotel I stayed at in Bangkok, some 25 years or so ago, was The Manhattan off Sukhumvit. Wasn’t my choice, one of my travel partners, Ann, picked the place and arranged our stay there. It was a perfect lesson in why going cheap isn’t necessarily your best bet in selecting a hotel in Bangkok.

Back then The Manhattan ran US$38 a night. So it wasn’t the cheapest place in town, more of an ‘economical’ choice than down right cheap. It was long enough ago that I’m fuzzy on all of its faults, but do remember the wallpaper. Rather than nice tight seams in the corners, the wallpaper was looped around the squared off junctions giving the room a distinct oval look. The place is walkable to Sukhumvit, so location probably wasn’t at fault. But there was enough wrong with the place that we all agreed to find a new hotel when we got back from out quick trip up to Chiang Mai.

We flew Thai Air to Chiang Mai and I found an ad for a hotel in the airline’s flight magazine I jokingly showed to Ann. Narry’s Hotel at $20 a night. Ann didn’t see the humor, she saw the savings and demanded we check it out when we got back. Oh, shit.

This place was not Nari’s on Silom (an okay average place) but rather a stack of rooms above Narry’s Tailor on Sukhumvit Soi 11. The hallways were filled with baskets of dirty laundry (Narirys provides cheap laundry service). The rooms. Ahhh the rooms. Think 1950 mid-western Sears special motif. Then add lots of dirt. Narry’s might have provided cheap laundry service but didn’t seem to utilize the service themselves. Quick pass and back out onto the soi.

We spent another 45 minutes checking out the other cheap dumps on the soi. Narry’s still won the OMG award, but the others were close running candidates. We were getting no where fast so I suggested we split up to see if anyone could find a winner. My first try was The Swiss Park, tucked into the corner of the soi. Mmmm, what’s this? A spacious reception area with marble floors? Intrigued, I checked out the cost ($US45 – $US60), and asked to see a room. Wow. Spacious, Clean, fairly modern decor, and marble floors again. I was sold.

Pricier than what we had started with, that’s one of the things I loved about Ann, she could admit when she was wrong and embraced our new home with gusto. Meaning she went with the $60 ‘Executive Suite’, too. The Swiss Park had an incredible buffet breakfast included with the cost of the room, a friendly staff (with cute bell hops), andits  location was dead on. So we went from an Oh Yuk! accommodation to a happy smile for a mere $22 more.

Now a lot of travellers, especially the cheapskates, will tell you your hotel and room really doesn’t matter. That it is just a place to lay your head. That you really don’t spend all that much time in your room anyway. All valid points. If penny pinching is your top priority. On a subsequent trip Ann, Char, and I brought along a friend, Karen who quickly became know as Tiger Balm Karen (already posted her tale, you can use the search box to the right to find it). TBK didn’t want to pay $60 a night for a room and opted for a hotel across the soi that only charged $30. We visited her room (well, we took turns, all of us couldn’t fit at one time). It was red. Red walls, red bedspread, red carpeting. With a beautiful view of the side of the next door building through a tiny window. Guess who was relaxed and refreshed after an afternoon’s nap each day. Not Karen.

The Swiss Park became my home in Thailand for a good ten years. I became quite friendly with the manager, Can-Can (another tale) and was always warmly welcomed by familiar faces each time I arrived in the Kingdom. The place is still there, a bit more worn down these days, still charging 1800 baht for the executive room, and I’d still be using it as my base but they are the sole Bangkok hotel hold out on wi-fi. None. Nada. Not even if you pay for it. Totally unacceptable in these connected days.

I’ve stayed at numerous hotels in Bangkok since then. I’m always in search of the perfect place. Good location, good free breakfast, welcoming to over night guests, clean, spacious, and with free wi-fi. Some have been okay, others barely making the grade. But none have been an outright dog. Because I quit looking at the budget properties. Not that I’m looking to pay $100 a night places or more. I’m still being economical. It’s just that you can find a $60 – $80 room in Bangkok that will rival a $200 a night room back in the U.S. So why wouldn’t you?

The best place I’ve found is the Centre Point Silom located over by the Shangrila, riverside. Beautiful property set behind and attached to a Robinson’s department store. Nice spacious rooms, full kitchen, washer dryer, big spacious shower with good water pressure, incredible breakfast buffet, and a 1 minute walk to the closest BTS station. When the baht was trading at 40 to 1, I was paying $57 a night through Agoda. Now the same room tips the scale at just over $100. The economy sucks to boot so I’ve abandoned Centre Point and started my quest for the perfect hotel once again. Wonder what Narry’s Hotel looks like these days?