Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 718

refuse especially for late-night or inconvenient journeys.
Try to have change with you as cabs tend not to carry a lot
of money or will pretend not to.

Pretty, colonial-style edifices around a small courtyard.
Fan rooms share hot-water bathrooms, but it's well worth
paying B200 extra for an a/c, en-suite room in the airy
original building; good rates for singles. Free coffee and
toast for breakfast. At the botto m of a narrow alley, so
quieter than many. Double B450
KC Guesthouse 64 Trok Kai Chae, corner of Th Phra
Sumen T 02 282 0618, W kc64guesthouse.com; map
p.715. Friendly, family-run guesthouse offering excep-
tionally clean, colourful fan and a /c rooms, with or without
private bathrooms. Double B350
Lamphu House 75 Soi Ram Bhuttri T 02 629 5861-2,
W lamphuhouse.com; map p.715. With smart bamboo
beds, coconut-wood clothes rails, and elegant rattan
lamps, this travellers' hotel set round a quiet courtyard has
a calm, modern feel. The cheapest fan room s share facili-
ties and have no outside view. Double B440
Lek House 125 Th Khao San T 02 281 8441; map p.715.
Old-style guesthouse, where most of the small, basic
rooms with shared bathrooms have windows; go for one
on the front with a balcony, if you want th e full Khao San
blast. Can get noisy at night. Double B240
Merry V Soi Ram Bhuttri T 02 282 9267; map p.715.
Large, e ciently run guesthouse offering some of the
cheapest accommodation in Banglamphu (small, with
shared bathrooms). Better en-suites with hot sho wers an d
a/c also available. Decent rates for singles. Double B240
Nakorn Ping 9/1 Soi 6, Th Samsen T 02 281 6574,
W nakornpinghotel.com; map p.715. In a low-rise, orange
building dotted with plants on a fairly quiet soi, this classic
Thai-Chinese hotel is e ciently run and good value,
offerin g fridg es, cable TV and bathrooms in all rooms.
Double B460
Nap Park 5 Th Tani T 02 282 2324, W nappark.com; map
p.715. On a surprisingly untouristed street just north of
Th Khao San, this lively new hostel shelters smart dorm
beds with free wi-fi, personal TVs, lockers and hot showers,
as well as plenty of space for lounging, either inside in front
of the TV or outside in the tamarind-shaded f ront yard.
Women-only dorm and laundry available. Dorm B440
New Siam II 50 Trok Rong Mai, off Th Phra Athit T 02 282
2795, W newsiam.net; map p.715. Tastefully decorated
fan or a/c rooms in a quiet, clean, mode rn guesthouse,
with a small swimming pool. Double B740

BY TUK TUK
The unmetered buggies known as tuk-tuks have very little
to recommend them (see p.702). The drivers prey on rookie
tourists and often overcharge; always agree a price before
you set off, and don't forget to barter. Also, there have
been cases of robberies and attacks on solo women in tuk-
tuks late at night. It's always cheaper (and more pleasant)
to use a taxi.

10

BY MOTORBIKE TAXI
Motorbike taxis, which can only carry one passenger,
generally do short local journeys down into the side streets
(from B10) but can also be hired to go out onto the main
streets (around B40 from Th Samsen to the National
Museum). The riders wear numbered, coloured vests; crash
helmets are now compulsory. Always agree a price before
you set off.

INFORMATION
Tourist information Bangkok Tourism Division, 17/1
Th Phra Athit next to Phra Pinklao Bridge in Banglamphu
(Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; T 02 225 7612,
W bangkoktourist.com), provides a decent information
service and has twenty or so booths around the capital.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), 4 Th Rajdamnoen Nok
(daily 8.30am-4.30pm; T 02 356 0650; national tourist
hotline daily 8am-8pm T 1672), covers destinations
further afield.

ACCOMMODATION
Banglamphu, with Th Khao San (better known as Khao San
Rd) at its heart, remains the city's travellers' ghetto and
subsequently is home to most of its cheapest accommo-
dation. Downtown accommodation is well placed for
Bangkok's shopping districts and nightlife.

THANON KHAO SAN AND BANGLAMPHU
Th Khao San itself has become progressively more
upmarket and really cheap accommodation is no longer
plentiful. The cheapest places share cold-water bathrooms.
Bella Bella House 74 Soi Chana Songkhram T 02 629
3090; map p.715. Above an attractive, plant-strewn café,
the pastel-coloured rooms here are no frills but well
priced, and a few boast lovely views over Wat Chana
Songkhram. The cheapest share cold-water bathrooms, a
notch up gets you an en-suite hot shower, while the most
expensi ve ha ve a/c. In-room wi-fi available throughout.
Double B350
Charoendee Boutique Hostel 189 Th Khao San T 02
629 1980, E [e-mail]; map p.715.

THEWES
The guesthouses clustered behind the National Library
on Th Sri Ayutthaya, close to the lively Thewes market,
are more charming than their Banglamphu counterparts,
appealing to a mixed crowd of travellers and families.
Sawatdee 71 Th Sri Ayutthaya, cnr Soi 16 T 02 281 0757;
map pp.712-713. Cheap and basic, but friendlier than many
in the Thewes area, this long-running old-style gue sthou se
offers no-frills fan rooms with partition walls. Double B250