Best accommodation in Thailand

Guesthouses, bungalows and hostels

Most of Thailand’s budget accommodation is in guesthouses and bungalows. These are small, traveler-friendly hotels whose services nearly always include an inexpensive restaurant, wi-fi and storage for valuables and left luggage, and often a tour desk. The difference between guesthouses and bungalows is mostly in their design, with ‘bungalows’ – which are generally found on the beach and sometimes in rural areas – mostly comprising detached or semi-detached rooms in huts, villas, chalets or indeed bungalows, and ‘guesthouses’ being either a purpose-built mini-hotel or a converted home. Showers and flush toilets, whether en suite or shared, are common in both, but at the cheapest up-country places you might be bathing with a bowl dipped into a large water jar, and using squat toilets.

Many guesthouses and bungalows offer a spread of options to cater for all budgets: their cheapest rooms will often be furnished with nothing more than a double bed, a blanket and a fan (window optional, private bathroom extra) and might cost as little as B300 ($8.60) for two people, depending on the location and the competition. A similar room in a similar area with en-suite bathroom, and possibly more stylish furnishings, might start at B400 ($11.50), while for a room with air-conditioning, and perhaps a TV and fridge as well, you’re looking at B500 ($14.50) and up. In the north of Thailand in the cool season, air-conditioning is more or less redundant, but you might want to check that your room has a hot shower.

In the most popular tourist centers at the busiest times of year, the best-known guesthouses are often full night after night. Some will take bookings and advance payment via their websites, but for those that don’t it’s usually a question of turning up and waiting for a vacancy. At most guesthouses, the checkout time is either 11am or noon.

Generally, you should be wary of taking accommodation advice from a tout or tuk-tuk driver, as they demand commission from guesthouse owners, which, if not passed directly on to you via a higher room price, can have a crippling effect on the smaller guesthouses. If a tout claims your intended accommodation is ‘full’ or ‘no good’ or has ‘burnt down’, it’s always worth phoning to check yourself. Touts can come into their own, however, on islands such as Ko Lanta where it can be a long and expensive ride to your chosen beach, and frustrating if you then discover your bungalow is full; island touts may sweet-talk you on the boat and then transport you for free to view their accommodation, ideally with no obligation to stay.

Thailand is not affiliated with Hostelling International, but there are a growing number of smart, modern, non-affiliated hostels, especially in Bangkok and the main tourist centers. They usually work out more expensive than budget guesthouses but are good places to meet other travelers.

Budget hotels

Thai sales reps and other people traveling for business rather than pleasure rarely use guesthouses, opting instead for budget hotels, which offer rooms from around B300 ($8.60). Usually run by Chinese Thais, these functional three- or four-storey places are found in every sizeable town, often near the bus station or central market. Beds are large enough for a couple, so it’s quite acceptable for two people to ask and pay for a ‘single’ room (hawng thiang diaw, literally a ‘one-bedded room’). Though the rooms are generally clean, en suite and furnished with either a fan or air-conditioning, there’s rarely an on-site restaurant and the atmosphere is generally less convivial than at guesthouses. A number of budget hotels also double as brothels, though as a farang you’re unlikely to be offered this sideline, and you might not even notice the goings-on.

Advance reservations are accepted over the phone, but this is rarely necessary, as such hotels rarely fill up. The only time you may have difficulty finding a budget hotel room is during Chinese New Year (a moveable three-day period in late Jan or Feb), when many Chinese-run hotels close and others get booked up fast.

Tourist hotels

The rest of the accommodation picture is all about tourist hotels, which, like anywhere in the world, come in all sizes and qualities and are often best booked via online accommodation booking services; it’s a good idea to reserve ahead in popular tourist areas during peak season. One booking site specializing in Thailand that’s worth mentioning is www.secret-retreats.com, a curated collection of independent accommodation (and restaurants), including some lovely boutique hotels, resorts and villas.

Rates for middle-ranking hotels generally fall between B750 and B2,000 ($22-$58). For this you can expect many of the trimmings of a top-end hotel – air conditioning, TV and minibar in the room, plus an on-site restaurant and perhaps a swimming pool and a nightclub – but with dated and possibly faded furnishings and little of the style of the famous big names. They’re often the kind of places that once stood at the top of the range, but were outclassed when the multinational luxury hotels muscled in. At these places, breakfast – often referred to as ‘ABF’, short for ‘American Breakfast’ – is usually included.

Many of Thailand’s expensive hotels belong to the big international chains: Hilton, Marriott and Sofitel (and the rest of the Accor group) all have a strong presence in the country, alongside upmarket home-grown groups such as Amari, Anantara, Avani and Dusit. Between them they maintain premium standards in Bangkok and major resorts at prices of B3000 ($87) and upward for a double – far less than you’d pay for equivalent accommodation in the West.

Thailand also boasts an increasing number of deliciously stylish, independent luxury hotels, many of them designed as intimate, small-scale boutique hotels, with chic, minimalist decor and exceptional personal service and excellent facilities that may include a spa. A night in one of these places may start at as little as B2000 ($58), rising rapidly if indulgences such as private plunge pools are laid on.

Homestays

As guesthouses have become increasingly hotel-like and commercial in their facilities and approach, many tourists looking for old-style local hospitality are choosing homestay accommodation instead. Homestay facilities are often simple, and cheap at around B300 ($8.60) per person per night, with guests staying in a spare room and eating with the family. Homestays give an unparalleled insight into typical Thai (usually rural) life and can often be incorporated into a programme that includes experiencing village activities such as rice farming, squid fishing, rubber tapping or silk weaving. They are also a positive way of supporting small communities, as all your money will feed right back into the village. Many of Thailand’s homestays are geared towards Bangkokians, so language might be a barrier for overseas visitors.

National parks and camping

Nearly all the national parks have accommodation facilities, usually comprising a series of simple concrete bungalows that cost at least B600 ($17.50) for two or more beds plus a basic bathroom. Because most of their custom comes from Thai families and student groups, park officials are sometimes loath to discount them for lone travelers, though a few parks do offer dorm-style accommodation from around B150 ($4.40) a bed. In most parks, advance booking is unnecessary except at weekends and national holidays. However, the national parks department’s website (http://it2.dnp.go.th/en/) currently doesn’t allow accommodation booking in English. In a few parks, private operators have set up low-cost guesthouses on the outskirts, and these generally make more attractive and economical places to stay.

Camping

You can usually camp in a national park for a nominal fee of B60 ($1.80) per two-person tent, and some national parks also rent out fully equipped tents from B150 ($4.40), though the condition of the equipment is sometimes poor. Unless you’re planning an extensive tour of national parks, though, there’s little point in lugging a tent around Thailand: accommodation everywhere else is very inexpensive, and there are no campsites inside town perimeters, though camping is allowed on nearly all islands and beaches, many of which are national parks in their own right.