Polkadot Cafe Hotel

The hotel is fairly close to the airport, which was convenient compared with other provinces, and I booked it as part of a Trip.com flight and hotel package. Still, my first stay in Phitsanulok was only okay. The room felt dated, with old wooden decor, and the bathroom looked worn. The toilet in particular didn't feel clean. I also heard noise from nearby rooms in the morning, and there was no hair dryer. It may work for an affordable, convenient stopover, but I wouldn't expect much comfort.

The room faced away from the road, so the constant stream of cars and motorcycles on one of the busiest streets I've experienced in Thailand didn't bother me inside. Crossing that road can be a project, though. There are lots of great food options along it, day and night, and the lobby is very hip. The rooms are less so, but everything works. I was happy with mine, especially at 490/night coming in from the street. There's pretty safe bicycle parking out back, but the different levels and stairs make it hard to get a bike into the room.

It's good value and the location is incredibly convenient, within walking distance of the train station, street food, shopping, the gym, and Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Woramahawihan. There are three downsides. The lift is separated from the rooms by a flight of stairs, up or down, because of a design flaw. The place calls itself "Café/Hotel" and has an interesting display of coffee bags, but the coffee I tried was tepid and flavourless. There was no milk in the breakfast room, either.

Good value for the price. We got just one key for a three-bed room, which made planning a bit inconvenient when we wanted to do different things. Construction was still going on, but during our two days there the drilling only happened around 12-15pm.