Au Bon Hostel

The last time I stayed, I accidentally knocked over a glass during the night on my way to the bathroom. It had been put in an awkward spot, but they charged me 200 baht for it. I wish they’d been a little more understanding instead of treating guests like careless teenagers when it was clearly an accident. They also ask for 300 Thai baht to check in early. I’ve been traveling around Asia for six months, and everywhere else I’ve checked in early, it’s depended on availability. If a room was ready, they usually let me in without charging extra. Flights often arrive early, and people may have nowhere else to go. Here, it feels like they’re taking advantage of that.

The location is really convenient, with a 7-Eleven very close by and several places about a 13-minute walk away: The temple of emerald budha, the grand palace, bangkok library, and khoa shan road. The cleaning is very good too. On the 5th floor, though, the Wi-Fi has problems and the bathroom water pressure is very low, so taking a shower takes a long time. There’s no mirror in the room, only one in the bathroom, which wasn’t enough for getting dressed.

The room was quite small and had few amenities, though it was fairly clean. Its one real advantage is being only 800 meters from the Royal Palace.

We only spent one night in Bangkok as a side trip from Phuket, and this turned out to be a great base. The Grand Palace, temple, and Khosan Road are just down the road, and I’d stay here again if we come back. I booked on a whim without knowing much about the location. I just wanted a clean room for the night, and was pleasantly surprised by what we got for the price. The room was clean, the beds were comfortable, and there was a fridge with water. The aircon was amazing and the walk-in shower was brilliant.