ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK, OK THREE NIGHTS, THE ROYAL ASIA LODGE
Written: Apr 19 '04 (Updated May 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good central location.
Cons: A bit run down.
The Bottom Line: About what one would expect for the price, but overall not too bad.
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| JAMES23's Full Review: The Royal Asia Lodge |
How does that old real estate adage go? The three most important things to remember are location. Location, location. Well it appears that applies to hotels as well.
The best thing the Royal Asia Lodge has going for it is location. It is located just off of Sukhumvit Road close to what could best be described as the shopping and "entertainment districts" of Bangkok. The hotel is also conveniently located near not one, but two BTS Sky Train Stations, Nana and Asoke.
The hotel is fortunately located on a small side street, Soi 8, not on the rather busy and noisy Sukhumvit Road. It is actually at the very end of Soi 8, about a 5-10 minute walk to the intersection. The hotel provides a free 24-hour Tuk Tuk (Small motorized scooter-taxi) service to shuttle guests back and forth to Sukhumvit Road for those who don't feel like walking. There is a call button to summon it at the opposite end of the route and the driver will point it out.
For the most part Soi 8 is a fairly quiet street, with a couple of residential buildings, other budget hotels and a couple of restaurants on it. At the northern end where it meets Sukhumvit Rd it becomes filled with several bars, travel agencies, massage parlours (for the most part legitimate as opposed to the” gentlemen only" variety), tailor shops and all the other attractions one finds in this part of Bangkok
The location, near public transit and the cost were the two major factors we considered when booking. Neither of us had been to Bangkok, but we had been forewarned that getting around could sometimes pose a problem. We were only going to be there for two days, three nights and intended on spending most of that time actually shopping and sightseeing, as opposed getting to and from shopping and sightseeing.
The price available on the Internet was 890 Baht ($30.68 Cdn) a night double. We knew we weren't getting a five star experience, but we didn't expect to be spending a lot of time in the hotel to begin with. Clean and reasonably comfortable were all we were looking for.
First impression of the Royal Asia is that it has seen better days. In fact comparing it to the photos on their web site well lets just say that the photographer is a master of his craft for the images he conveyed. Either that or they were taken a long long time ago.
It was a bit dingy and run down looking, faded worn hall carpets and walls in need of a new paint job. The staff though made up for it, as they were courteous and professional, and our check in was quick and painless. Considering the ride from the airport during Bangkok's rush hour traffic, this was a good thing.
Our room was a bit smaller than a North American one for a similar budget hotel. Again it was a bit worn looking especially the bathroom. It was clean though, and as we discovered the maid service was prompt and efficient. Either that or perhaps we were the only guests tipping her.
The queen sized bed was comfortable and there were plenty of extra blankets, although why one would need them in Bangkok's steamy heat I don't know. There was a fair amount of closet and drawer space, so we could actually unpack. There was even room in the mini bar fridge to store our own water, beer etc. Naturally it goes without saying that the prices here were higher than the same items at the corner store.
There was a colour TV with cable (HBO and several local Thai stations) and a built in radio. The room had A/C and one could open the windows to try and get some "fresh air" as an alternative. Cheap rubber thong sandals or flip-flops were provided for both of us.
The hotel had a laundry service, and as we had a small accident with a bottle of duty free breaking in one of the bags I availed myself of it. In retrospect I shouldn't have bothered. It was overpriced, and if you need laundry done there are plenty of local cheaper places in the neighbourhood.
Better yet just toss your dirty clothes away and buy new ones from the vendors on Sukhumvit or in Patpong. The price for a T-shirt there was less than what the hotel charged to have it washed.
The bathroom as noted was a little dingy and small. However there was plenty of hot water and excellent water pressure which after a couple of weeks of luke warm "I pee harder than this" showers was a welcome relief. The tap water was not potable but there were plenty of bottle water in the mini bar.
The hotel has a roof top restaurant with an excellent view of the city. We only had breakfast here mainly because it was closed each evening by the time we returned. Anyway there are plenty of places to eat in the area. An American breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast and coffee) was available for 100 Baht ($3.45 Cdn) and actually quite good.
Beside the restaurant there is a roof top patio with a small bar, which is open in the daytime only. Again the best feature of this is the rather spectacular view of Bangkok's skyline especially at night. The small pool and even smaller Jacuzzi are located here. They're useful for a quick pre dinner dip after a hard day of tramping around the city. I just wish that some of the hot water and water pressure from the shower could have been transferred to the Jacuzzi though.
There is a tailor shop and a travel agency located in the lobby, and it appears that they are run by the same family that owns and runs the hotel. This was a factor in our booking the Royal Asia over similar priced places in the area, the convenience of having these on the premises.
There was a book describing the tours available in the room. We quickly discovered that the prices were higher than any of the local tour operators down the road, which we ended up booking with.
The tailor was to be polite, overly aggressive even by Bangkok standards. Every time I crossed the lobby he ambushed me, shook my hand, slipped me his card, and invited me into his shop to have a suit made up. I had a quick look at the stuff on display in the shop window the first night when he'd finally gone to bed and was not overtly impressed. We did find a good tailor at the corner of Sukhumvit Rd and Soi 8 who ran up a couple of excellent suits for each of us.
The hotel also offered traditional Thai massages in the room. Again prices were much more than those in the several places a five-minute walk away. I guess if one wanted to pay extra for the convenience of having the massage in the room than go ahead. Otherwise take a quick stroll and choose from several places available, one or more of whom probably send the masseuse to the hotel room anyway.
I was curious as to why the prices for massages, tours etc. was higher than the competition considering how close they were. I guess the hotel management really doesn’t care, or more than likely it gets enough guests that don’t bother to shop around to make operating these services viable.
The hotel had a small Lobby bar that was open 24 hrs a day. There really didn’t appear to be a bartender, just the desk clerk who ran over and served you if he wasn’t too busy. The lobby also contained a couple of computers with Internet access for guests,. These too were available on a 24-hour basis. The prices were reasonable and in line with several of the Internet cafes in the area. Connection speed was slow, but that seems to be the norm in Bangkok.
The front desk has safety deposit boxes available for guests. They are free of charge, but a fine if the key is lost. There was only one room key available for us, although the front desk was quite good about letting either of us into the room.
One good feature is a stack of small business cards with the Hotel’s address in English and Thai and a small map printed on them. I made a point of making sure I always had one on me in case I got lost and needed to show it to a Tuk Tuk ofr taxi driver.
The hotel also had a sign stating that they would store luggage for guests for a nominal fee. This was convenient for anyone who was taking brief trips outside the capital and wanted to check out and leave the bulk of their luggage.
Another good feature was the airport shuttle. Basically it was a taxi with a fixed rate of 300 Baht ($10.35 Cdn) to the airport including all tolls for the expressway and extra baggage charges. Considering an average fare from the airport to this part of the city is in the neighbourhood of 300 Baht plus tolls this is a fair value.
The hotel runs on a cashless basis. You sign for everything, drinks at the lobby bar, meals in the restaurant, mini bar, laundry etc, and it is added to your bill when you check out. Major credit cards are accepted and the exchange rates posted at the front desk weren’t too bad. There are a couple of ATM’s at the corner that accept North American credit cards.
The place was not too full when we stayed there, and the few other guests I noted were mainly Europeans. A few couples obviously travelling on a budget and several backpacker types. There were more than a few single male guests obviously availing themselves of Bangkok’s more “unique attractions.”
More than one of these “gentlemen” appeared to have his Thai lady friend staying with him in the hotel. The hotels web site I later confirmed has a rather liberal policy regarding “guests” especially locals of the opposite sex. That is not often the case in some Bangkok hotels or so I was advised.
Actually this caused a bit of an embarrassment, when one of these gentlemen with his “companion” in tow began chatting with me in the lobby. He’d mistaken my wife, who is Filipino, for Thai (that happened more than once while we were in Bangkok) and I guess presumed that I was interested in the same aspects of Thai nightlife that he was. After giving me the low down on the rather unique live entertainments in the bars of the Patpong district along with his personal favourites, he was most distressed to discover I was both married to the lady at my side and that she spoke fluent English.
Al in all the Royal Asia Lodge was about what we expected when we booked it, cheap and convenient. Will we stay there again on our next trip to Bangkok, probably not but only because there are so many alternatives available. That said and done I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest it if you’re travelling on a budget and just need a place to rest your head for a night or two.
Royal Asia Lodge
#91 Soi 8 Sukhumvit Rd, Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Tel: (66)-2251-5514-6
Fax: (66)-2253-2554;(66)-2253-3541
E-mail:chareon@ksc15.th.com
www.royalasialodge.com
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Recommended:
Yes
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JAMES23
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Member: James Smith
Location: Toronto Ontario CANADA
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