Samran Place

Samran Place is a budget hotel. Enough said.

Kidding. Samran Place is a budget hotel which provides very basic rooms for a very very reasonable price. No frills as some would describe it, it basically provides you a room and a clean bathroom which allows you to wash up and rest comfortably, no swimming pool no spa, that's basically all that's about it. However I must say that for the price I paid, I was expecting something worse than what I got so I do feel that I got a bargain.

Samran Place is located along Petchburi Road and getting back to the hotel via taxi is sometimes a hassle because not many taxi drivers know of its existence. It can be a problem for first time or inexperienced travellers but if you bother to find a way out of it, it can be solved rather easily. What I did was to get a business card of the hotel and show it to the taxi driver and subsequently tell them its located near Petchburi Soi 7 off a junction away from Asia Hotel and guide them to turn and stop when approaching the hotel. That simple. For the money I saved, I certainly do not mind doing some menial tasks that really do not require much effort. For travellers who prefer to travel by BTS, it shares the same BTS station as Asia Hotel. Ratchadewi BTS station is about a slow 10 mins walk away. Its also just a 15mins walk or 5min taxi ride from MBK or Pratunam area and the traffic there is not as heavy compared to hotels situated directly inside Pratunam area.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the hotel actually provides breakfast in its in house restaurant. You get to choose from a menu of 6 different breakfast sets that comprises of noodles, rice, American breakfast etc. Good start for the day. :)

Around the hotel are alot of things that really interest me, namely the stalls selling wanton mee, pad Thai and pig trotters. Slurp. They are situated just opposite the hotel and provided very heartwarming supper for me and my friends every night during our stay there. Nearby anemities are certainly not lacking as there is a 7-11 just outside the food stalls and a whole row of seafood eateries are just besides the hotel. There is also a cafe directly opposite which sells really nice mocha and espresso, solving my daily dosage of caffeine fix. Right outside the hotel, there is also a massage parlour providing very good Thai and foot massage for only 200 baht per hour. That's also where we ended our day almost every night. The fact that the boss of the massage parlour speaks fluent Teochew and Chinese also made me feel more at home. Home away from home. :p

My conclusion. A very good choice for budget travellers or those who do not believe in spending so much on a room so that it can be empty most of the time while you are outside enjoying yourself. Very much value for money.