lodging - cheap but good and not so cheap but still reasonable priced places to stay in Bangkok

                                 

Our hero, Doug - Viva Garden

                                       

sukhumvit road with BTS overhead

on my way back to the states this last time I needed lodging for a few nights in Bangkok.The last two places I used wouldn't work this time so I went hotel shopping on Bookings.com .

One place I really enjoyed  in the past was Citichick- neat location off of Sukhumvit at the end of soi 11 where it connects into soi 13.   Loads of interesting restaurants and at night plenty of spots to keep you entertained, such as the Hillary Bar and the two open air jazz restaurants

Cheap Charlies soi 11

up towards Sukhumvit.

Citichic is a small but classy hotel with understated elegance, restaurant with great breakfasts though  maybe a bit over priced, small but nice outdoor pool, nice compact gym, elevator and a friendly staff with good English skills.  Rooms are good sized, clean, modern and comfortable.

Though on this trip I had to rule them out as my funds were running low and there prices had increased and their elevator was having a bad time and stairs are still not my strong suit as I continue to recover from my leg repair.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/th/citichic-boutique-suites.html?aid=383305;lang=en 

Note to my readers: Sukhumvit is the main drag running through Bangkok's center and is referred to in three different areas - lower Sukhumvit soi 1-24 which is a mix of  Middle Easterners, western men in search of girly bars,

soi cowboy

its this area you find Soi Nana and soi Cowboy, large western style shopping malls and streets lined with souvenir vendors - while middle Sukhumvit, soi 26-60 is home to many many expats and  reminds me of suburbia in the USA but with condos.  Then soi 61 and above has been mostly Thai but now the BTS extends out this way, more and more visitors are seeking out the area as the prices are lower and it's still a Thaim neighborhood and with the BTS Skyway extension is still only a 25 minute skytrain ride into the action of city center.  If your Thai is a little rusty, a soi is like a side street or alley.

my studio - sky train and station in the background

Beer Garden waitress

Viva Garden  Serviced Residence  Great spot, like coming home to your own serviced apartment, giant outdoor swimming pool, good sized gym along with wonderful and friendly service.   They have a restaurant but I didn't use it as when I was there I cooked some of my meals as the units come with a supply of pots and pans and a stove to use them on, frig and microwave for your cooking pleasure. The rest of my meals I bought out either at  the open air food market on the other side of Sukhumvit or at one of the take away shops at On Nut BTS station.  Viva Garden is adjacent to the Prakanhong BTS station, and the next BTS stop after On Nut.  At On Nut on one side of Sukhumvit is another open market plus at night it contains an open air beer garden with live Thi bands, on the other side of Sukumvit from this is a mall, containing on the ground floor a McDonalds and a mix of other US chain food spots.  On the upper level is a Tesco Lotus Super Center with a western style grocery and a large discount department store along with a food court outside it's front door.   The food court is comprised of a diverse mix of Thai style street food shops, good, healthy, cheap along with being a fun outing to try out living like a locale.


http://www.booking.com/hotel/th/viva-garden-sukhumvit.html?aid=383305;lang=en

Okay,  now for my latest cheap but good lodging pick in Bangkok,

even though it's kind of a dumb name, At Mind Executive suites is a pretty good deal It's in the upper Sukhumvit area so in the same area as Viva Garden along with also being an apartment style place but at half the price.  My reservation was for the

cheaper room, no stove but frig and microwave and a sink on the balcony where you can clean up your cooking messes.  The room was a little dark so I asked for another and was upgraded to a bright and larger unit with a kitchenette, dining table  and all the

night view from my room

cooking and eating gear. Though the first room was nicer and in better condition but both were very nice.  At Mind has a small pool on the roof along with a gym, restaurant with a  good breakfast selection and is located down a peaceful soi in this mostly Thai neighborhood of upper Sukhumvit.

 http://www.booking.com/hotel/th/at-mind-executive-suites.html?aid=383305;lang=en


More choices and pricing for your Bankok  stay - Bookings.com 

BTS Skytrains - Bangkok, Thailand

Bang Chak station over Sukhumvit

Blue designates subway
Green is the BTS sky train
Red is the BTS direct route to Suvarnabhumi International Airport

BTS Skyway station attendant 



http://www.booking.com/city/th/bangkok.html?aid=383305

                  BTS overlooking Sukhumvit

BTS train pulling into  the station

Need lodging try these guys,think you will like the results.

http://www.booking.com/district/th/bangkok/sukhumvit.html?aid=383305

St Patty's Day

May the sun shine all day long,
Everything go right and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
And may all the wishes you wish come true!






Happy  - Saint Patrick's day


Doug

Lodging - cheap but good, Sai Gon

cyclo ride

Sai Gon,  A little while ago I finished up a three month stay at the Dong Huy hotel in Sai Gon's district 1. It's a small place with only 11 rooms, located mid way down a narrow alley between Nguyen Tri and Le Lai street, a block away from 23-9 park and on the other side of the park from the Pham Nhu Lao backpackers area.  Note: addresses in Vietnam can be tricky and in this case the address is 71/12-14 Nguyen Tri - 71 is the alley number off of Nguyen Tri, and the 12-14 is the hotels physical address.  Le Lai Street is on the opposite end from Nguyen Tri street but alley access at this point is closed around 12:00 am. So the alley experiences limited motorbike traffic and in turn is relatively quiet and peaceful at night. Also only a few businesses are located here along with a smattering of private residences and a few places offering rooms for rent. You'll see only a few foreigners and then it's mostly of the expat variety but for the most part it's your typical Vietnamese neighborhood.

During my stay at the Dong Huy the front desk was manned by Nam, a personable young guy with strong English skills, so communication is easy.  At night, things change, as the night staff lack Nam's English skills but try hard. So it's still a pleasant experience interacting with them. For example one late night or closer to early one morning the motorbike guy I hired to get me back to the hotel decided to shake me down for more money in front of the hotel. The night shift desk guy looked out and saw what was happening and in a flash was outside and before he could say anything, the motorbike guy pocketed our agreed to fare and was gone.

The rooms are small but pleasant with western style bathrooms, shower stall, hot water and nice fixtures in good condition.  Floors are tile, a decent bed with nice linens, small refrigerator, workable and quiet AC, no elevator but the stairs are easy to navigate.   A minus was that their was some water damage at the base of one of the walls in my room.

They offer two types of rooms, the ones in front and a bit more pricier have small balconies overlooking the alley,while the ones facing the back are cheaper and only have the one window.

A couple handy tips:  take a right out the front door of the Dong Huy and then a left at Le Lai street and you will see a little laundry that offers next day service at very reasonable prices, wash and iron a shirt for less than $1.00 and bulk wash and fold at less than a dollar per kilo.   Go to the right out of the front door of Dong Huy and a left at Nguyen Tri, up a ways in Pho 99 and other interesting restaurants or walk across the park to Pham Nhu Lao and there are many inexpensive places to eat, western and Vietnamese fare.     

snack wagon - Vietnamese style 

The Dong Huy was booked  on line through bookings.com and I highly recomend using them.   This is the link to the Dong Huy   




http://www.booking.com/hotel/vn/dong-huy.html?aid=383305

Click for a complete offering in Sai Gon

                  http://www.booking.com/district/vn/ho-chi-minh-city/quan1.html?aid=383305