Rambuttri House

The room wasn’t worth the rate, and the hallway had old, dirty mattresses. I only needed a few hours of sleep before an early flight, so oh well. The location, though, is amazing. It’s in old Bangkok, among winding streets and vendors, with a quaint, slower pace than BANGKOK. There’s even an elevator, which not all of these older places have. I booked through Airbnb and paid everything there, giving the host the information they asked for. At check-in they demanded a photocopy of my passport. I could see a pile of other guests’ IDs on the counter, with no apparent security or storage, so I refused. That wasn’t listed in the Airbnb details, and I didn’t like how they handled it. The staff got angry and two employees kept pressuring me. I offered another ID, but they didn’t respond. After that, they asked for 500 baht as a deposit. I explained that I’d paid through Airbnb and there was no deposit listed, so I wouldn’t pay that either. Two more employees joined in. I contacted the host, who then spoke to the hotel. They reluctantly handed over the key and aircon remote.

The rooms were small and smelled bad. The hotel is on a street that gets into party mode at night, and you may hear music from your room. I wouldn’t recommend it for families. It seems better for solo travelers or friends on a budget. The location is good, with many Bangkok attractions nearby.

It was comfortable enough, but being in a busy area meant noise late into the night. I stayed for around two weeks and eventually got used to it. The lively neighborhood does make finding food easy, with a McDonald’s, a 7-Eleven, and plenty of other options close by.

There are several nearby night spots with live music, starting early in the evening and going on into the small hours. One has bass loud enough to vibrate the walls. I like music and would have enjoyed it if the mix of beats hadn’t cancelled out any musical value. The venues are so close together that the different sounds don’t mix well, and it gets chaotic. My room was near the street, so I got the full force of it. I can ignore noise that’s best ignored, but if you can’t, ask for a room away from the street. I stayed in the same room for three weeks because I was happy with it. It was small, clean, and neat, with a private bathroom, Wi-Fi, AC, an elevator, and free bottled water. It was on the third floor and cost $20 a night. Daily maid service was available if you wanted it, and there were loads of restaurants, shopping, and sights nearby.