Guesthouse Name: La Locanda
Address: Soi Phantha Chit 2 40/42, Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.
I stayed at La Locanda in Bangkok. I booked online and selected the guesthouse for its location near Hua Lamphong Station and Chinatown.
It took me seven minutes to walk to the guesthouse from the Hua Lamphong MRT, and it’s close to Charoen Krung Road and Yaowarat Road (the two main roads of Chinatown). It’s in a small side street which I was unfamiliar with, but Google Maps clearly knew where it was. If you are coming by taxi it would be best to have the address in Thai on your phone.
As the name hints, La Locanda (The Inn) is run by an Italian couple. I met them during my stay and they were lovely. They made the guesthouse feel like a homestay.
A word of warning, the stairs to the first floor are very steep.
I booked a private room with bathroom. My room in particular had a bunk bed in a small room. It said so when I booked, and I was prepared for a small room. Even so, the proprietors emailed to ask if I was ok with a small room.
The room indeed was small, but I was happy with it. I was going to be out all day and not working in my room, so this was ok for me. I saw some of the other rooms, and they all appeared to be of different shapes and sizes which you can see on the booking site.
The bed was comfortable and the room was air conditioned. While the room was small there was enough room to put my bags under the bed, and the bedside table was sufficient.
The ensuite bathroom was clean and in good condition.
On the ground floor there is a dining and common area.
Breakfast is included in the stay here, which I didn’t really think about at the time of booking. I have become so demoralised by the usual guesthouse experience of no-name cornflakes and sugary white bread that I didn’t get excited by such an offer. Here though they offer a real cooked breakfast, and when I sat down for breakfast the owner was making breakfast. This was the ham omelette with sun-dried tomatoes and filter coffee.
The location turned out to be ideal, and I noticed that there is a bit of a budget guesthouse movement happening in this area. Not to the scale of Khao San Road, but with the impending opening of the MRT extension into Chinatown, this area is going to become a more popular place. Nearby to the guesthouse is Soi Na Na (not the naughty Nana on Sukhumvit Road), which is a laneway of old buildings that is starting to become hipsterfied.
Overall this was a great place to stay in Bangkok. If you are looking for a budget guesthouse room in a great location then check out La Locanda.
Book the La Locanda online or search for more hotels in Bangkok. For new visitors to Bangkok read up first on which areas to stay in Bangkok.
