Great backpacker spot
Nudging up to some venerable trees in a quiet spot just off Soi Rambuttri, the Lamphu House remains a top pick for budget travellers in the immediate Khao San Road vicinity.
Set in a four-storey concrete building and accessed by at least one flight of stairs, all rooms come with soft rattan lamps, desks, comfy beds and free WiFi that worked very well for us on the third floor. The cheaper rooms rely on clean hot-water bathrooms that are shared and divided by gender. All have windows except for the least expensive fan-cooled single. At just 420 baht, the single air-con room is cheaper than a lot of dorm beds in the area.
The budget rooms have minimal space, but superiors are a lot roomier and come with wooden floors, queen beds, high ceilings, fairly large ensuite wet bathrooms and rattan furniture on spacious balconies shaded by the trees. Family rooms with a similar look are also available. We like how they’ve kept these upper-end rooms affordable by leaving out TVs, fridges and other extras that many travellers aren’t concerned about. All rooms are well kept, and the property stays quiet at all times.
On the open-sided ground floor you’ll find a travel office, posted info on Bangkok (though much of it is promotion for tours and such), and tables where you can grab a fresh coffee and a meal. While restaurant staff can be standoffish, all of the receptionists we’ve encountered have been patient and considerate.
The guesthouse sits at the end of a narrow side lane within a 200-metre stroll of several low-key bars and eateries on Soi Rambuttri (Madame Musur is a great one). It’s also an easy 300-metre stroll across Chakrabongse Road to Khao San proper. Walk west for a couple of hundred metres and then turn right down Soi Chana Songkhram, and you’ll arrive at Phra Arthit Road with its cool local-style bars and restaurants, and a Chao Phraya river ferry pier.
Lamphu House is easy to miss due to clothing stalls draped around the sign on the footpath; keep an eye out for it just west of Rambuttri Village Inn when walking west away from Khao San and Chakrabongse. Also be careful not to confuse Lamphu House with Lamphu Tree House, a pricier guesthouse located in the same part of town.
You might get lucky as a walk-in but we suggest booking ahead through the guesthouse’s website—rates are the same either way. If you stop by and it’s full, you could walk a bit further down Soi Rambuttri and try to score one of Siri Suvan’s few rooms in the 300 to 500 baht range, or go for BB House. If you’re in a jam, there’s always the old Merry V Guesthouse and Four Sons Guesthouse, both also located just down Soi Rambuttri. We’d pop east across Chakrabongse to try the Green House before settling on those.
If you’ll be heading up to North Thailand, Lamphu House’s sister property in Chiang Mai is also worth keeping in mind.
Address: 75-77 Soi Rambuttri, Bangkok
T: (02) 629 5861-2; F: (02) 629 5864
Web: http://www.lamphuhouse.com/
Coordinates (for GPS): 100º29'45.18" E, 13º45'42.09" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: Under 600B
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Sgl fan share bathroom Add 20 baht for a window | 290 baht | 290 baht |
Sgl air-con share bathroom | 420 baht | 420 baht |
Dbl fan share bathroom | 480 baht | 480 baht |
Dbl fan private bathroom | 600 baht | 600 baht |
Dbl air-con share bathroom | 600 baht | 600 baht |
Dbl air-con private bathroom | 720 baht | 720 baht |
Superior double room With balcony | 820 baht | 820 baht |
Triple air-con private bathroom | 970 baht | 970 baht |
Family room | 1,120 baht | 1,120 baht |
Reviewed by
David Luekens
David Luekens first came to Thailand in 2005 when Thai friends from his former home of Burlington, Vermont led him on a life-changing trip. Based in Thailand since 2011, he spends much of his time eating in Bangkok street markets and island hopping the Andaman Sea.
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Khao San Road