บ้านโบราณ — Hotel in San Chao Pho Suea Subdistrict

The simplistic review: Mediocreto- Good guesthouse not in the center of Old Town, nor the center of Khao San road, but off the map a little bit. It is a close 10 minute walk to Khao San, but you will need to take Taxi-meters or tuk tuks to get to the main sites such as Wat Pho, Wat Arun, etc... Since it is further away from Khao San, it is more quiet, and there are less pushy people trying to sell you things or get you on a tuk tuk, or scam you. The staff is helpful, but only the woman who runs the place really speaks English. If you want to be in Old town, then this is a good budget place.||||I remember checking into the Baan Boran, and my taxi driver having really no idea where the small little hotel/guesthouse was even located, despite me printing out directions in Thai from the hotel's website. I checked in late, probably around 12:30/1 am since my flight arrived late, and the young girls who work there gladly brought up my luggage, despite them being tiny. I was really taken back by the room being 1 room with the shower actually in the room, and no toilet. The room was clean, the a/c worked well, and it was in a decent location IF YOU WANT TO BE IN THE OLD TOWN AREA.||||Pros:||-Cheap||-Close to Khao San Rd, and other Old Town attractions such as most of the temples, wat arun, wat pho, grand palace, etc...||-Clean room - they literally will clean everything/organize (pro & con)||-Staff was nice & helpful||-Breakfast included||-Fruit & refreshments given upon returning from sightseeing.||||Cons:||-Bed sucks, but pretty much any budget hotel bed sucks.||-Other than the woman who runs the place, the girls who work there barely understand English. I found it very hard to communicate & ask them questions.||-No toilet in room. ||-Shower literally placed in the room, so If sharing room, you can literally watch the other person shower. I was solo.||||I was pretty over old town, and I stayed at this hotel for roughly 4 nights. If you need a cheap place to stay or are backpacking this is a good spot to stay. I stayed in the more modern areas of Bangkok for 2 other trips into Bangkok, while backpacking through SouthEast Asia, and I liked it a bit more, since Bangkok is also a thriving and beautiful modern city with great restaurants, shopping, and amazing nightlife. I even went to an esan bar (local bar), with some expats I met and it was a ton of fun. There is a lot more to see in the city than just old town!||||My General Tips to Surviving Bangkok:||-Taxi meter tuk tuk! Tuk tuks generally try to give you a cheaper rate, but will drag you around to different places in Old town such as tourist agencies & suit shops, because they get free gas if you stay there long enough or buy something from the place. I only paid 40 baht for a 2.5 hour ride to a few sites, but also was brought to 3 places I didn’t want to go to, and was really annoyed. So while it is cheaper, it can also be a hassle if you are limited on time.||-Always tell the taxi driver to turn on the meter.||-Don’t shake hands with the people trying to sell you something, or the guys who say “Hey Brother” or are trying to get your attention. They know how Westerners operate, and are trying to have western behaviors to lure you in so they can pitch their sale to you.||-Best way to avoid them is to say no, look straight ahead. Don’t waste your time or theirs.||-When buying stuff, haggle haggle haggle, especially on Khao San road. You should never pay full price for anything they are selling in the markets.||-Carry your wallet in your front pocket, or better yet get a money belt, or one that goes under your shirt and around your neck.||-Do not argue or get in a very heated discussion with the tuk tuk drivers or taxi meters. While many are friendly there have been incidences or tourists being harmed & killed for not paying things as little as 50 baht. Sometimes it is just better to be “ripped off” and pay the guy what he wants, than to argue over it.||-The earlier you get to the temples, the more quiet and cooler it will be.||-Don’t open your mouth when on the river, that water is pretty gross, and a few drops landing in your mouth could make you sick.||-Street food, restaurant food, drinks, silverware, cups, straws… They will most likely be contaminated at one point or another, and it isn’t because they don’t clean the items, but because many of the Thai people do not regularly wash their hands after using the bathroom, even in restaurants.||-Bring antibiotics, buy them when you get there, and make sure you get your vaccines & shots you need to before coming.||-Learn some Thai words before coming, like “I do not want” or “I...

We had a poor experience at this hotel. We arrived very late at 1am and the hotel was completely dark and gate closed. We rang the buzzer and shouted for someone to let us in, but no one came. We had even put a note on our reservation to let them know we would be arriving very late, but no one was there... We then went to the hotel next door and had them call Baan Boran, but of course they didn't answer the phone either. After ten more minutes of buzzing and banging on the gate, some young girls finally appeared to let us in. They made us stand outside the gate while they confirmed our reservation (it was now almost 2am). I stayed awake to welcome my friend who was checking in an hour later because I knew the hotel staff wouldn't be awake for her. They also made her wait alone outside the locked gate while they located her reservation. They then took nearly 30 minutes to check her in before finally giving her a key around 4am. To top it off, we were in rooms without ensuite toilets (which we had expected). The hotel seems to be run by a few very sleepy young girls who speak no English. It was very unprofessional and unwelcoming. I would not...

Les + :||---------||- grande chambre confortable (j'ai réservé une chambre supérieure, celles avec sanitaires inclus) et literie parfaite||- propriétaire très sympathique et qui parle parfaitement anglais mais très peu présente (ce qui pose problème car ses employées parlent très mal anglais)||- wifi performant dans la chambre||- bon petit déjeuner, assiette de mangue fraiche à l'arrivée délicieuse||- propreté parfaite||- quartier calme le soir (à l'exception de la 10aine de prostituées qui tapinent dans le rue de l'hôtel)||||Les - :||--------||- salle de bain pas très pratique et réduite au strict minimum||- pas de coffre dans la chambre||- personnel qui parle très mal anglais et qui est très jeune et pas très dégourdi, compliqué pour obtenir des informations pratiques, demander de réserver un taxi...||- restaurant sur place de qualité moyenne-basse et salle sans charme||||En fait, le gros problème de cet hôtel c'est son emplacement. Je l'avais choisi car je voulais être au plus près des principaux sites à visiter (palais royal, wat pho, golden mount...) pour pouvoir tout faire à pied et effectivement il est idéalement situé pour ça. Mais pour tout le reste c'est la galère. Il est loin de tout moyen de transport facile ce qui oblige à prendre un taxi pour sortir le soir, pour aller à la gare, à l'aéroport (compter 400 THB), pour visiter d'autres quartiers... et comme il est dans une petite rue où les taxis passent peu il faut marcher 5-10 minutes pour rejoindre une grande artère pour en trouver un. Il n'y a pas de restaurants à proximité immédiate de l'hôtel donc si vous ne souhaitez pas manger au restaurant de l'hôtel (pas très agréable) il faut marcher une 10aine de minutes pour rejoindre Kao San Rd où se trouvent un grand choix de restaurants.||||Enfin un très gros problème c'est qu'aucun taxi ne connait cette rue et cet hôtel (je suis resté une semaine, j'ai pris une 15aine de taxis ou tuk tuk et tous étaient perdus) donc si vous, vous ne savez pas où il se trouve vous n'y arriverez jamais. Etant déjà allé à Bangkok je m'y attendais et j'avais donc tout prévu en imprimant une carte en thai du quartier sur google map pour la montrer aux chauffeurs mais même ça ça n'a pas suffit ils ne voyaient pas où c'était. C'est donc moi qui ai du indiquer la route (que j'avais heureusement repérée sur google street view) pour finalement arriver à l'hôtel.||||Bref, cet hôtel a du charme et des qualités mais je n'y retournerai pas car trop mal situé ce qui rend tout déplacement hors du quartier compliqué. La prochaine fois je choisirai un hôtel moins charmant mais situé à proximité d'une station de monorail dans un...