P California Inter Hostel

Room 103 was large and had aircon. I believe every room is different there. The Wi-Fi, hot shower, and aircon all worked well, and it was good value with a separate living area, couch, and couch-table. The room was rather quiet, with some distant street noise, and the window had a mosquito net. There was a big, noisy fridge, and a communal washing machine for 30 Baht a wash. You can hang laundry outside, though that spot is dark and windless. There's a small communal garden, but I wasn't sure whether outside food was allowed since they also have a café, which I saw had few outside customers. The daily morning market and weekend evening market are nearby, and the English local information was good. My quibbles: it was very dark, with just one small window, two ceiling lights, and a bed-light. People walked past the window, so I usually wanted the curtains shut, though I missed the daylight. The cabinet was small and had hardly any shelves or hangers. Parking seemed to be on public ground next door, open and not behind a gate, though nothing happened to my car. There were one or two mosquitoes in the room and communal garden, as anywhere in Thailand. You have to move the bed to reach the hidden socket beside it.

10-11.5.26 (sun-mon): HOTEL: 308 THB through #agoda. Fine for one person, since the toilet in my room was almost not private. I'd have felt shy if I hadn't been alone, though I guess it could be practice for something I haven't done since childhood 😀.

At 285 baht, this was the cheapest place on booking at the time. We got a queen bed room, tiny and cramped, with only a curtain separating the bathroom from the room. The walls looked like carton. On the plus side, the room design and cleanliness were superb, and the owners seemed hospitable and nice. I found the no-own-food rule really disappointing and inconvenient. I usually make coffee in the morning and at least want to be able to make a mama noodle with boiled water. Here you have to order from their restaurant or eat somewhere else, and I guessed you couldn't even bring food you bought outside.

The rooms are clean, and it's a rather nice hostel with some restaurant or food service. They have scooters for exploring, and say there are no buses or other scooters to rent anywhere, so the choice is 300b scooter or no. I'd have given it five stars if not for what happened with the booking. We'd paid for three nights, but decided to leave after the first full day. I expected some discount or partial refund for one night, but got nothing. In my over 18 months in Thailand since 2007, this was the first time I paid for a service I didn't use. It felt like they were only after my money. That's why I'm giving it two full stars.