Resort Bangphlat

Recently spent 5 days here whilst sorting out a wedding license. Outside of town & off a very busy road. However is set back through a small entrance & is a genuine oasis of quiet calm. Suites are comfortable and roomy. Whilst non alcoholic establishment had no problems with us drinking on the verandah of an evening. Close to ferry service & never any problems hailing a cab but not near tourist sites or central areas such as Silom. Only real complaint was restaurant - good food but it seemed that at any one time around 60% of it was not availability or had run out.

I chose Resort Bangphlat specifically to be near Yahnee Hospital. I booked for one night to recuperate from a surgery as I really didn't want to deal with trying to navigate public transport or even a taxi when sedated and with facial bruises and swelling. I arrived at the resort at 9am and dropped my bag off. Finding it was more challenging than I had anticipated, even though I had downloaded a map prior. I thought it would be on the main road but it's down a side street and the sign directing you is not in English. I spent a good 5-10 mins wondering up and down the main road which was really unpleasant in the heat and in a non-tourist friendly area. The receptionist spoke minimal English so it took me a while to convey what I wanted. in addition the receptionist couldn't find my booking and wanted my booking number or a printed copy of my booking from hotelclub. He was unable to provide me with a wi-fi password in English so I could get online on my mobile phone to provide this. They also charge extra for early check-in but I only realised this at the hotel where the information is on the desk. It was about 3.30pm by the time I returned from Yahnee, which is about 2km away and took me 15 minutes to walk. I was taken to my room, which was a $39 a night basic/standard room. I was impressed with the quality of the accommodation and the grounds. The grounds are lush and clean- full of plants and it's like an oasis compared to the grime and traffic and noise of the main street. The room is more of a mini-house with the bedroom, t.v and airconditoner upstairs. You have to go outside to use the staircase to get to the lower part of your bungalow. This lower part can be locked and had 3 rooms- a toilet/bathroom, a dressing room (with mirror and dresser and chair) and a mini- loungeroom with 2 chairs,a table and a mini fridge. No cooling. It was a really strange and impractical design but was was of good quality. Water was included and there were bathrobes and some grungy slippers. Dispensers of body wash and shampoo. There was also a chair outside each bungalow. Whilst I found the furnishings quite charming all and all it was a bit of a frustrating set-up. Every time you had to lose the bathroom or fridge you had to go outside, in full-view, to acess the staircase. The downstairs sans cooling was very hot so you couldn't sit there for too long so the space felt wasted. The shower was not enclosed so it would wet the toilet although I'm noticing that this is a common feature in the cheaper hotels. For me, recovering from a surgery and desiring somewhere comfortable and private, unfortunately Resort Bangphlat didn't suit me. I was scared to go down the stairs in case I fell whilst still under sedation. Fortunately it felt safe and was quiet so i didn't encounter anyone whilst outside. ( As it's set a reasonable distance off the main road and you have to pass through a manned reception to get to the hotel there is minimal chance of anyone bar hotel guests being present.) There were some street eats and a 7/11 very close by, a huge Tesco Lotus supermarket and mall were also 5 minutes walk away but not much else in the area. The general area is quite dingy and I didn't feel at ease walking the streets locally. Am American breakfast was included but as it was just some cookies, nescafe coffee,a fruit and white toast, I didn't partake. Wi-fi was free and of acceptable quality. Resort Bangphlat may suit people who have cars and use this as a base to travel to other parts of Bangkok or those wanting somewhere near Yahnee Hospital IF you can cope with the exterior staircase. I would also advise the staff to add an English sign on the main road to assist English speaking tourists to locate them.

I decided to stay at a Thai style hotel away from BKK city centre and thought this boutique hotel would be a nice change. Unfortunately I only stayed one night instead of the two I had paid for. This was because of several reasons. Mainly the WIFI was bad so I could not use it in the room. The room was also quite small and old with no safe only a small locked cupboard. The bathroom was old and small and the bed was very very hard. The old TV worked quite well and there were some English programs but there was very limited work surface space to sit and use my computer. The staff were excellent but I would rate this as slightly above a backpacker hotel and for about the same price Ibis or even Red Planet are better options.