White River II Hostel

I was passing by and stopped for lunch. There were seven other customers, and I only realized after ordering that it was a restaurant and hostel. The $5.50 USD meal was a fair portion for the price. I got spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread with a Sprite. The bolognese was okay, but they forgot the garlic bread at first. When it arrived, it was a hard bread, not a version of garlic bread I'd seen before.

There are lots of places like this on the street, serving food aimed mostly at expats and tourists. The menu didn't have anything I couldn't get nearby. Seating is indoors or outside by the street, with fans but no air conditioning, which seems standard here. Service felt patchy and a bit unprofessional compared with other nearby places. I had to ask for a menu and request several times for the ceiling fan to be switched on. I ordered a Coke Light but got a warm regular Coke with a glass of ice. Maybe it was just a silly mistake, and the correct drink was cold when it finally came. My USD 3.95 hamburger arrived without three major ingredients: cheese, bacon, and pickles. I had to point to them on the menu before the staff agreed to send it back. It came back fixed, but the chips had gone cold and weren't cooked very well to start with. A lot of fuss for a burger advertised outside as a pioneer of the great American burger. Nothing is awful here, but there are much better places nearby for the same money, across the road or next door.

My room was clean, with really cold air conditioning, and it was only $17. The location is perfect, and draft beer is cheap. The food is really good, and the staff are lovely and accommodating. The atmosphere is okay, though it could use an update. Everything was clean, so I'm not sure why there are so many bad reviews.

I had a double room with a fan and private bathroom for $9 a night. It was clean and the bed was comfy. Draft beer was $0.75 a glass, served in an ice-cold mug. It's also a guest house.