In September 2017 I was very excited to be invited to work in Thailand for a week. I’ve been twice before but that was back in the 90s when I did the full moon party thing as a young teacher. This time I was going to be up in the north and north east of the country, away from the touristy beach zones. As I was finishing in the north east I decided to have a holiday in Laos afterwards but more of that later. These trips were to be bookended by breaks in Bangkok, so that’s where we’ll start.
In the Thai language, Bangkok is known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep. It’s in the central region of Thailand’s four regions. The central district of Bangkok is called Phra Nakhon, also known as the old town. This is where most tourists will stay, particularly in the Khaosan Road backpackers area, as it’s near major sites like the Royal Palace and Wat Pho (see following post). My personal map is here.
Having stayed in Khaosan on previous visits and wanting a quieter life, I found this traditional guest house just off Dinso Road…
Baan Dinso 1 (Intermediate A), Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Khwaeng Wat Bowon Niwet, Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, www.baandinso.com
This is an old wooden villa, dating from the late 19th century. If you book it please be aware there is a Baan Dinso 2 at the beginning of Dinso Road which is very different, so make sure you’re booking/going to the right one. Fortunately I was armed with a local SIM card from the airport so when the airport bus (60 baht) dropped me at the art deco Democracy Monument at the end of Dinso Road, I was able to use Google maps to find the right one.
It’s a lovely building, made of golden teak, the traditional building material, and beautifully restored. There’s a nice terrace at the front with water features.
Lovely artworks decorate the interior.
There are nine spotless rooms, all with a fan, TV, fridge and shared bathroom facilities, which started at around £45 a night in 2017.
My favourite thing was the breakfasts which were beautifully presented. You get a choice of different ones. I think this was the Continental.
And this was the Asian breakfast.
So, a good base for seeing the old town. The Giant Swing is at the other end of Dinso Road.
I’ve written a few other posts about Phra Nakhon and broken them down as follows:
Walking Around Phra Nakhon the Old Town
The Wonders of Wat Pho
Mid-Range Eating and Drinking in Phra Nakhon
Other posts about Bangkok are:
Boat Noodles in Ratchathewi
Staying in Thonglor
Hipster Eating and Drinking in Thonglor
Japanese Food in Thonglor
Two High End Restaurants
A Couple of Museums
Off for a long walk next!