Elegant rooms at great prices
Ban Thai Guest House has a mix of budget fan rooms and plush flashpacker-range digs in several detached wood and polished concrete buildings spread around a large and leafy property.
The first air-con room that we checked out came in a newish polished concrete villa-style building and went well beyond our expectations for the price. Looking more like a suite in a luxury boutique hotel than a room in a guesthouse for less than 1,000 baht, it’s equipped with silk furniture on polished hardwood floors, tasteful landscape paintings and widescreen TV on the wall of a living room fronted by a wood terrace. Double doors open onto a bedroom with a cushy single bed -- surprising it’s not a double or queen given the abundant overall space. The large bathroom boasts sea-green walls, partitioned shower and modern toilet.
Across the lawn, a few of the older dark-wood houses come with small fan-cooled budget rooms on the ground floor with basic hot-water wet bathrooms and plenty of screened windows. Upstairs we checked out a double room with similar furnishings as the concrete villa rooms but less space, a more basic bathroom and double bed -- not quite as inspiring as the villa but also comfortable and with more of an old-style Thai design. These open onto large shared terraces with tables within reach of low-hanging branches.
The manager is a welcoming English-speaking Thai man who offers free WiFi and a book exchange in an open-sided common room. The property stretches at the end of a side lane and stays very quiet, within easy walking distance to Mai Thai, Mia Casa, Famous Ray’s and several other good restaurants. Across the lane is Ban Pruk Sa, a smaller guesthouse that also has decent budget rooms.
Address: 740/1 Intarakiree Rd, Mae Sot
T: (055) 531 590; (084) 820 0887; F: (055) 535 204
Email: Banthai_mth@hotmail.com
Coordinates (for GPS): 98º33'35.33" E, 16º42'47.74" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: Under 600B
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Dbl fan private bathroom | 280 baht | 280 baht |
Dbl air-con private bathroom Same price for single villa-style room and double in wood house. | 850 baht | 850 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.
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