Top 10 Budget Hotels in Bangkok

Smart, smiling staff work the bright, cream-marbled lobby. Chandeliers abound in an opulent restaurant. A swimming pool sits out back, yards from a bubbling Jacuzzi. And the warm exotic rooms are as they should be – well-equipped, uncluttered, eye-pleasing. In spite of its nifty but noisy location on Sukhumvit Soi 3, Unico Leela is dapper indeed.

Looming in the shadow of the city’s tallest building, this urbane boutique is proof that the budget hotel can be bold and brash. Its slick white lobby has flourishes of glowing orange. Dark, chic rooms bristle with flat screen TVs and hip modern art. And the fast and furious Pratunam shopping area is on your doorstep. The most ultra-modern of our Budget Top 10.

What happens when you combine 30 basic rooms, a location near Silom and eye-catching pop-art? ‘Take a Nap’, Bangkok’s trailblazing boutique inn, is what happens. Each room and dorm sports a funky one-off wall design, styles ranging from hyper-real evocations of the Grand Palace to kitsch depictions of fairytale forests. Flamboyant and functional.

On Soi Rambuttri, a charismatic road parallel to Khao San Road, this veteran is near the city’s historical sites. What its patrons seem to relish most, though, is its 200 spacious rooms, swimming pool and air of elegance being yards from the famous backpacker strip. Want to experience the area’s unruliness but not feel smothered by it? Viengtai Hotel is perfect.

Its oriental open-air lobby is warm and welcoming – an embodiment of Woraburi Sukhumvit’s affable character. It continues, with the 123 rooms with mod-cons, the charming terraced restaurant, the stylish swimming pool. Oh, and lets not forget the complimentary tuk-tuk service. All this on Sukhumvit’s salacious Soi 4 – what is Bangkok coming to?

Within the old city, this family-run establishment offers the perfect base for temple or Khao San Road fans. A free tuk-tuk runs to the backpacker neighborhood until 21:00, and classics like the Grand Palace are only slightly further. Fantastic. And that’s before you even consider the hotel itself: 100 plush rooms with private balcony, a swimming pool, Chinese restaurant and spa. Swoon.

Need a place to crash after a rough landing? Flying out first thing? For in and out-going Suvarnabhumi airport travellers who don’t want to stray far, this is your ticket. It sits next to a sleepy river, with views onto a nearby Buddhist temple. Rooms are cheerful and facilities include a restaurant/bar with pool table. Location, though, is its true calling card.

Raw industrial chic – exposed steel and brushed concrete – fills this trendy hostel in Silom. The result is funky and comfy: super clean dorms with big beds and private lockers, twin rooms with bunk beds, double rooms with en-suites. Free public Internet, a café and a cozy TV area heighten the appeal of this amiable alternative to the traditional backpacker dive.

With its fort-like exterior and softly lit terrace restaurant, there is something quite Arabian about Bhiman Inn. With its spot on Phra Arthit Road, a trendy little street next to the river and minutes walk from Khao San Road, there is also something quite brilliant about it. Rooms are clean and roomy, and there’s a small swimming pool out back.