Thailand forum

Ayutthaya accommodation suggestions:

The best hotel in town is Krung Sri River - but it's probably a bit above your budget. It's very close the the railway station and has Thai, Chinese and Italian restaurants. (I stayed there for 4 weeks and was very happy.)

Ayotthaya Hotel is very central, but the rooms are small. However, it matches your budget. 3* is about right for this place. (I stayed there for 3 weeks. The breakfast was very poor, and I had to complain about the smelly pillows, but that's about par for an hotel of this standard.)

The Grand Hotel is to the east of the main tourist attractions, but is in the middle of the night life.

U-Thong Inn - also close to the nightlife, but I have totally failed to book a room there.

Woraburi - new place, still sorting out lots of problems. Avoid.

Incidentally, I live in Ayutthaya and love the city. However, unless you passionately love ancient temples 1-2 nights is enough.

"We'll stay in Nong Khai for about 4 days and then take the overnight train back to BKK, but will get off at Ayuthaya, and stay there for 3 days. Any suggestions on accommodation please?"

I found Ayuthaya to be nothing special and wouldnt recommend staying there at all. Better off going to Samet if you want to stay close to Bangkok.

There are lots of good spots to stay in NK without having to resort to Mutmee. Check them on the Travelfish NK pages. I think that Mutmee is overrated.

If you haven't gone west along the river before, a sidetrip to Chiang Khan with a possible stop in Sangkhom for a night or two is highly recommended (by me, anyway.) From CK you can go south to Loei and then catch a bus to Phitsanulok , then go by train to Ayuthaya.

I think that Ayuthaya is pretty decent, but if you are into temples a stop in Sukhothai for a couple of nights may serve you better than the same amount of time in Ayuthaya. If you've been there already, then nevermind. Wat Yai in Phitsanulok is worth seeing, though. Amazing!

Also, if you can squeeze it in, you may really enjoy a trip to Sangkhlaburi from Kanchanaburi .

We stayed at the Tamarind GH when we were in Kanchanaburi . It had only been open for a few weeks. It was a really nice spot in a great location. It's mentioned in Travelfish, as well. I should comment on the place. If you stay in that area, take the train to Kanchanaburi if you can, perhaps from Nakhon Pathom. You can walk to most of the guest houses from the train station, but it's a bit of a hike from the bus station.

Not easy to get to Kanchanaburi from Ayutthaya . There's no direct bus. And Ayutthaya doesn't have any taxis. Best bet would to be to ask your guest house/hotel to arrange a car and driver. Alternatively, go via Bangkok.

Ayutthaya/Bangkok can be done easily by shared minivan from the centre of town (if you don't have too much luggage), by bus or by train. Bangkok to Kanchanaburi can be done by bus or (more fun in my opinion) by train from the train station on the Thonburi side of the river. Khao San Road also has minivans that ply the route.