Suk 11 Hostel

Major disappointment!
When I went to check in today into my dorm room and the front desk manager said I was on the third floor, I joked "Where's the elevator?" I'm fifty-four. A young employee offered to help me carry my bags upstairs (it's an awkward walk up) but the manager told her not to help me and you could clearly see the embarrassment on her face. When I entered the dorm room, I couldn't get the air conditioning to work. I asked the front desk manager and he said the air conditioning is turned off from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To put this in perspective, this is the middle of March going on the hottest time of year in Thailand, and there's no AC -- only one fan for the entire room and no AC on in the entire building during the day! At Suk 11 you will pay 600 baht for a private room (a very basic room with only air con and small bathroom/only shower where you can also hear your neighbors next door). When I made my reservation a few days earlier in person, a man asked the same front desk manager if he could see a room and he told him flatly, " no," that he'd have to check the internet for photos to see what a room looked like. The man was surprised by his remarks and left. This was my second time I was planning to stay here but experienced completely different customer service from my first visit. Asking around, I heard that the staff are very pleasant but the owner's sons who work the front desk periodically are very rude, so customer service is "hit or miss" depending on who is working the front desk. Also, if you're interested in comfort, like the availability of air conditioning so you don't have to suffer in your room on a sweltering hot day, you might want to consider another location.

Suk11 (pronounced "suk sibet" --- if you say "suk eleven" to anyone you'll be met with some confused looks!) was a welcome little pocket of peace amongst the chaos of Bangkok. I can't speak highly enough of this place. No hassles getting here -- it's really close to Nana station. Situated in a leafy little u-shaped laneway off Sukhumvit 11, it's flanked on either side by massage parlours (a definite must) and cute, lively drinking spots popular with expats -- Q Bar, Zanzibar (which hosted awesome jazz performances nightly), and the Charlie Bar, all worth a visit. The area is home to countless street stalls selling hot food, fresh fruit, fashions and souvenirs. Great for a wander. Just remember to barter. The hostel itself is gorgeous. It's an old-style wooden Thai house, about four stories, covered in vines and ferns. The walls are covered in the scrawl of many visitors who had fallen in love with the place previously (my message is in there somewhere), declarations of devotion, drawings, recommendations of travel destinations, in every possible language. The place is immaculately clean and tidy, bathrooms are spotless (and there are plenty of them), beds are made up daily. Very secure -- everything is lockable, and in the dorm rooms, each bed has its own lockable drawer for personal items. Staff are also happy to store larger items for you (e.g. backpack). Bottled water is available in the breakfast area downstairs for 5 baht (a godsend). The second floor is home to a tv/dvd room and a computer with the internet (available for 10 baht for ten minutes). It's a pretty big place, being four stories tall -- make sure you explore the whole thing as there are lots of little spots that are good for having a read (heaps of books/magazines available) and an awesome rooftop garden. Guests get free breakfast in the mornings, which includes tea, coffee, toast, croissants, muffins, watermelon, papaya, and pineapple -- and there's heaps of it. There's also an in-house dinner available, so long as you let the staff know before 3 p.m. that you want it! The staff are helpful but some speak better English than others -- if you have a complicated enquiry you'll probably want to wait for one of the more skilled speakers. There's also heaps of information at reception on bus and train routes in Bangkok and on other areas in Thailand -- it's a good place to start from if you're planning further travels in the country. My recommendation? Skip the boring backpacker district and head here instead. If you're anything like me, you'll fall in love with Suk11 straight away.

Clean and spacious rooms with A/C, friendly staff who speak good English and easy to meet other travelers. Very close to lots of restaurants and bars and the SkyTrain. 7/11 around the corner where you can buy beer and sit outside the hostel and meet other travelers. We will definitely be back!

Fantastic place with helpful staff! Great ambience -- it's decorated like a traditional wooden Thai house in a village, and all rooms are air-conditioned and insect-free, even the bathrooms. Serendipity Cafe downstairs is lovely and the Indonesian cook is friendly. (The Indonesian dishes tend to be spicy). Breakfast is great for meeting new people, and the words of praise scribbled on the walls by grateful guests speak for the quality of the hostel. The staff trust its guests too -- there's a fridge from which you can buy a bottle of water for five Baht, not by giving the money to a staff member but by placing it in a cash box which isn't fastened to anything. There's a small reading nook with bookshelves on the second floor, a TV room, and a roof garden.

For anyone who knows a thing about Bangkok, there is not a better place in the entire sweltering city. Zanzibar, Q Bar, Bed, Ambassador are a three-minute walk, as is Nana BTS. The hostel itself is great, but who cares -- it's the location. Get off Khao San Road and get out here.

Good atmosphere. Breakfast is very good. Location could be better, but it's right off the Skytrain station, so it's easy to get around. Rooms are very good and the air conditioning is perfect as well, and due to the unbearable heat in Bangkok this is essential. I definitely recommend it!