Budget Travel Tips: Bangkok, Thailand
Is it possible to stay in Bangkok without breaking the bank? The answer is yes!
In early 2007, I was surfing online and found ECC Language Institute’s Introduction to TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course in Bangkok. It sounded interesting. I tried to answer some questions and applied. Later I received an email informing me I got accepted. I told my parents about it, and I was glad they supported me. My father made sure the language institute was legit. Good thing I did not have to pay online for the course that time. I only paid when I was already in Bangkok.
It was my first time to travel on my own to Bangkok. I was thankful my mother was with me in Manila before my flight. She helped me prepare things and made sure everything was ready.
I had a tight budget so I was careful in choosing my accommodation in the Thai capital. ECC Language Institute was located in Siam Square that time (I heard they moved) and its website offered me choices of accommodation near BTS National Stadium that were affordable and easily accessible.
SOME BUDGET ACCOMMODATIONS VERY NEAR BTS NATIONAL STADIUM:
Muangphol Mansion is quite old, but it is near MBK Center, BTS National Stadium, Jim Thompson House Museum, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Siam Center/Siam Discovery Center, Siam Paragon, and Central World. It has its own restaurant and you can order food to be delivered to your room. There is also a 7-Eleven nearby.
It was not necessarily the nearest from ECC Language Institute and the cheapest, but I stayed here for the full duration of the course in 2007. I stayed alone in its double room on the first week. On my second week, I moved to a twin room with a fellow Filipina in my class. I was able to save a few baht. Classes started at 9 AM and we just walked daily from the hotel to ECC and back.
After the course was done, my roommate went home to the Philippines. I moved to Hotel White Lodge down the soi (street) and stayed there because it was cheaper. The room was clean and it was still near MBK Center.
The only thing that bothered me was I could smell cigarette smoke before I entered my room. Apart from that, I had a wonderful time writing and reading in bed when I was not eating Thai food and window shopping. Before sleeping, the room gave me solitude to decide if I would stay or not in Thailand for the rest of the year.
3) A-One Inn
A-One Inn is located at Soi Kasemsan 1, Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok just like Muangphol Mansion and Hotel White Lodge. It has been in operation since 1988. I did not stay here, but I used one of its computers on the first floor to check e-mails because it was very near Hotel White Lodge.
4) Wendy House
Wendy House is also located at Soi Kasemsan 1. I almost stayed here in 2007, but there was no available room after I checked out from Muangphol Mansion.
5) Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Siam
Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Siam is near the main road and a few minutes walk from BTS National Stadium. It has a rooftop garden and free breakfast. I include it in this budget accommodation list because it is still affordable especially if you travel with friends or family and split the cost of the room. I first stayed here in 2015 with a Vietnamese friend. She was working in a hotel in Hanoi and booked the non-smoking standard room with two single beds. The room was clean and had the amenities we needed.
The second time I stayed here was with a colleague from New York who visited my hometown in the Philippines. She came back to Bangkok with me and we stayed in the same standard room with two single beds for one night. The third time I stayed here was with my husband.
Lub d Bangkok Siam Hostel is a few steps away from BTS National Stadium. A room with a private bathroom should be booked if traveling alone or as a couple, and privacy is a concern. It costs more but still at a reasonable price. If sharing a room and bathroom with other travelers is fine, book a bed in the dormitory either for female only or mixed for a much lower price.
Siam Square House is also located at Soi Kasemsan 1 and is about 3-5 minutes away from BTS National Stadium on foot and a few steps from Hotel White Lodge. It has six room types to choose from.
8) Chao Hostel
Chao Hostel is located at Soi Kasemsan 3 and on the 8th floor of Siam@Siam building. It is a short walk from BTS National Stadium. The private rooms with own bathrooms cost more than the male and female dormitories with shared bathrooms, but the price is still reasonable considering the location.
