BANGKOK
BANGKOKSLEEPINGBANGKOKSLEEPINGmansion. Carefully designed with attractive
wood and wicker furnishings, the rooms are
bright and airy, each featuring a diff erent
colour theme and custom wall prints.
La Résidence Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$
(Map p 82 ; %0 2233 3301, http://www.laresidencebang
kok.com; 173/8-9 Th Surawong; r 1200-2200B, ste
3200-3700B; aiW; BTS Chong Nonsi) La Rési-
dence is a boutique inn with playfully and
individually decorated rooms. A standard
room is very small and fi ttingly decorated
like a child’s bedroom. The next size up is
more mature and voluptuous with blood-red
walls and modern Thai motifs. Breakfast is
included.
Baan Saladaeng BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$
(Map p 82 ; %0 2636 3038; http://www.baansaladaeng.
com; 69/2 Soi Sala Daeng 2; r incl breakfast 1300-
2300B; aW; BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Si Lom) Of the
handful of pint-sized boutique hotels along
Th Sala Daeng, Baan Saladaeng is most wel-
coming. The lobby’s cheery primary colour
theme carries on into the 11 rooms, those
on the upper fl oors being the largest and
airiest.
Triple Two Silom HOTEL $$$
(Map p 82 ; %0 2627 2222; http://www.tripletwosilom.com;
222 Th Silom; r 3500-3800B, ste 5500B; aiW;
BTS Chong Nonsi) Rooms here resemble sleek
modern offi ces – in a good way. But don’t
worry, with huge bathrooms and inviting-
looking beds, you’ll be inspired to relax, not
work. Guests can use the rooftop garden, but
have to go next door to the sister Narai Ho-
tel for the swimming pool and fi tness centre.
Prices include breakfast.
Dusit Thani LUXURY HOTEL $$$
(Map p 82 ; %0 2200 9000; http://www.dusit.com; 946 Th
Phra Ram IV; r 7900-10,000B, ste 12,500-32,500B;
aiWs; BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Si Lom) At one
point the tallest building in the country,
this venerable luxury hotel is a testament to
how much things have changed in Bangkok.
A 2010 renovation has many of the rooms
looking more modern than the fl agrantly
1970s exterior, but the hotel remains no-
table more for its convenient location and
city views than its hip factor. Breakfast is
included.
Rose Hotel HOTEL $$$
(Map p 82 ; %0 2266 8268-72; http://www.rosehotelbkk.
com; 118 Th Surawong; r 3200-3400B, ste 4000-
4400B; aiWs; BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Si Lom)
Don’t let the unremarkable exterior fool
you – the convenient location, modern
rooms, pool, gym and sauna make this
Vietnam War–era vet a pretty solid deal.
Prices include breakfast.
HQ Hostel HOSTEL $
(Map p 82 ; %0 2233 1598; http://www.hqhostel.com;
5/3-4 Soi 3, Th Silom; dm 380-599B, r 1300-
1700B; aiW; BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Si Lom)
This new hostel combines basic but stylish
rooms and dorms with inviting communal
areas, smack dab in the middle of Bang-
kok’s financial district.
Bangkok Christian Guest
House BUDGET HOTEL $$
(Map p 82 ; %0 2233 2206; http://www.bcgh.org;
123 Soi Sala Daeng 2; s/d/tr incl breakfast
1100/1540/1980B; aiWc; BTS Sala Daeng,
MRT Si Lom) This austere guest house is a
great choice for families, as some rooms
have as many as five beds and there’s a
2nd-floor children’s play area.
YHA Downtown Bangkok HOSTEL $
(Map p 82 ; %0 2266 4443; 395/4 Th Silom; dm
299B, r 699-1129B; aiW; BTS Chong Nonsi)
Another tidy and conveniently located
backpacker hostel.SIAM SQUARE & PRATUNAM
For centrally located accommodation,
there’s really no better destination than the
area surrounding Siam Square. Home to the
intersection of the two BTS lines, and only a
brief-ish (depending on traffi c) taxi ride to
Banglamphu, this is about as good as it gets
in ever-expanding Bangkok.
For those on a budget who also need
a central location, a low-key backpacker
community exists along Soi Kasem San 1
(say ‘gà·săirm’), across from the National
Stadium.oSiam@Siam HOTEL $$$
(Map p 86 ; %0 2217 3000; http://www.siamatsiam.com;
865 Th Phra Ram I; r incl breakfast 5000-700B;
aiWs; BTS National Stadium) The lobby of
this new hotel is more amusement park
than accommodation, but that’s what makes
it so much fun. A seemingly random mish-
mash of colours and materials result in a
style one could only describe as ‘junkyard’ –
but in a good way, of course. The rooms,
which continue the theme, and which are
located between the 14th and 24th fl oors,
off er terrifi c city views, free wi-fi and break-
fast. There’s also a spa, a rooftop restaurant
and a pool on the 11th fl oor.