Darjelling Boutique Hotel

The only good thing was the location, with decent access to Bangkok. Outside, though, there were rats running around. We couldn't find the hotel when we arrived at soi 18. Eventually we went down a small street behind a building. The outside looked rundown, and reception was dark with lights that weren't working. The room was shabby and dated too. The shower didn't work properly, the chair tipped back when you sat in it, the TV picture was awful, and the bathroom skirting was dirty and black. The bed was lumpy and hard, and shifted whenever we sat on it. The window looked out at cigarette butts and bird poo, which wasn't for me. Bring a sleep mask if you stay: so much morning light came through the curtains, it felt like the second coming of Jesus.

I expected better based on the reviews I'd read online, and was disappointed by what I found. The shower barely worked properly, and the water pressure kept fluctuating wildly. There was no boiler in the room for making hot drinks, and the TV picture was blurry. I was mostly out, so the TV didn't matter much to me, but basically everything in the room felt like it was falling apart. It's near the BTS and MRT lines, which is a plus. Still, I wouldn't recommend it unless you can put up with the poor shower and basic room amenities.

The room was so heavily perfumed when I first walked in that it started giving me a headache. I opened the window for a while, and the smell faded to an acceptable level. After that, things were quiet and I slept well, though hearing people in the hall made me think it could get noisy if the hotel were full. Darjelling was otherwise a good hotel, with friendly enough staff and a convenient location. At 1,300 baht a night without breakfast, it felt a little steep. There is a Foodland on Sukhumvit Soi 16 with a diner where an American breakfast before 9 AM costs 56 baht.

The place felt eerie, and I was uncomfortable in the room. It had no window, and the room was dingy and shabby, with old furniture that wasn't well maintained. The toilet's sanitary ware was old and poorly maintained too. I left after one night, even though I'd booked for two.