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The Thai word yim means “smile,” and from the start this hostel brought smiles to our faces. Painted teal down below and bright orange up top, a stairway leads up to a few different dorms done up with lightwood pod-style bunks that you climb into headfirst. Available in six-bed or four-bed rooms, including a women-only option, each bunk comes with a soft mattress, personal light, clothes hanger, electrical outlet and a bit of extra space with a shelf. Lockers and free WiFi are also provided.

Fancy pants foyer. Photo: David Luekens

Natural light floods through floor-to-ceiling windows and makes it easy to see how the parquet floors and wood fixtures are immaculately kept. Shared hot-water bathrooms are attached to each dorm room, ensuring that you won’t need to stumble down a hall when nature calls. While we also like The Yard Hostel over in Ari, Yim Huai Khwang’s dorms are considerably better and go for about the same prices.

Yim also offers several spacious private rooms with soft beds, LCD TVs, wide windows, tables, coffee/tea facilities, large private balconies overlooking the street or a garden and small ensuite bathrooms. We dug the brick wall painted white in one room. All private rooms, including a “pod-style” family edition, come with complimentary breakfast.

Spotless pods. Photo: David Luekens

The ground-floor common room has plenty of places to sit; we arrived to find a guy strumming a guitar in the corner. A brightly painted circular collage surrounds a clock that seems to cast creative energy over the tables and sofas. Tasteful travel photos adorn the back wall, itself done up with a classy grey-and-white pattern extending to the floor. There’s also a small garden out back and coffee bar next to the reception desk.

Location will be a drawback for some, though we love poking around the lanes extending from the other side of Ratchadaphisek Road. Huai Khwang night market is around the corner and the spiritually charged Ganesha shrine draws streams of locals across the road. Huai Khwang MRT station is no more than 200 metres from Yim, putting Chatuchak market, the nightclubs of RCA and even Sukhumvit Road within easy striking distance.