@Saphan Pla Bangkok

We came as a family of five, with three kids, and this was our first hostel stay. We had a wonderful time, and all the staff were friendly and helpful. We’ll definitely stay again on our next Bangkok visit. There’s a cafe looking over the river, plus kitchen and laundry facilities and coworking spaces. Each bed has two international charging ports, a lamp, blackout blind, and its own cute little pod with very clean linen. The hostel itself is super clean. Saphan Taskin BTS station and Sathon ferry port are both about a 10-minute walk away, and food stalls and a 7/11 are two minutes away. The hostel backs onto the river on a street with fish markets, so you can smell fish as you walk through the area. Inside, though, there was no fish smell. Locals hose down the streets regularly and the rubbish is picked up every day, so the area stays clean.

The nearby fishmarket does smell, which was the one small thing I didn't like. Still, this is a great hostel, with very good facilities, cold AC, and clean showers and restrooms. The view of the Chao Phraya River is great too, and there's a decent cafe.

I woke up covered in ants. A few had already been in the photos I took the day before, and I wanted to ask the hostel how many there were. Those few turned out to be a sign of a whole bunch coming from under the bed and climbing on me. It's crazy. This place left me traumatized. Before that happened, I'd already slept there for two nights. The hostel is at the end of a fish market, and the whole walk to it is through dirty, smelly alleys. They say it's near the train, but getting there takes about 12 uncomfortable minutes through that same dirty, smelly market area. Nothing makes that walk worth it. I spent over 40 minutes trying to find the hostel on foot when I arrived at 11:00. It's nearly impossible unless you keep asking locals until someone knows where this hole is. There are lots of stairs, and you have to carry your suitcase yourself. The layout is inconvenient: two floors up to the room, then another floor up for the toilets. The rooms are reasonably clean, but at check-in I saw a lot of hair and ants on the floor. The sheets and beds looked clean at first glance, which hid the ant problem. Toilets and showers were clean. The staff were polite in the basic sense, nothing more. Check-in isn't until 15:00. I wasn't asking to check in early, just to sit in the common area for half an hour to rest, drink, use the restroom, and fill my water. Staff kept repeating that check-in was at three, even though I only wanted a short rest. Other hostels in Korea have been happy to let me do that. Some common areas have no AC, and there's just one small air-conditioned spot that fits around six people. The AC there is very weak and shuts off at 2 a.m., in Bangkok heat of 30 degrees and above. I left early. The staff promised a refund for the nights I didn't stay, and I hadn't even asked for compensation for the distress and horrible experience. More than two months later, they were still dragging it out and hadn't sent the refund. I absolutely don't recommend staying here. If you do, don't say you weren't warned. It would be a shame to come back with ants in your hair or belongings, or to lose sleep because the place reeks of fish. Nothing there is worth it.

The hostel has games and a basketball court, and it's a great place to chill. It's not a party hostel, more an introvert's paradise. The rooftop is their USP, and the rooms are clean and spacious. The location is really good, though you do have to cross a fish market to get there, which I think is fine. The staff are friendly and super helpful. I love this place so much that I'll stay here again when I visit bangkok.