46 Thewet Soi 1, Krungkaseam Rd., Bangkhunprom, Phranakorn, Bangkok, Thailand | (888) 551-4925
Artsy, boutique hotel
with handcrafted design elements
Located in a quiet setting in central
Phra Nakhon district
Walking distance to Chao Phraya River
ferries
Rooms with vintage flair and individually controlled air-conditioning
Organic breakfast
included with all bookings
Rooftop bar and restaurant with views of Intharawihan
Temple’s giant Buddha from
Activity Room with printing press, piano, and sewing machines
Free classes in Thai cooking, sewing, or soap carving
Kids’ area with slide, rocking horse, and swings
Thai massage room with treatments available
Small gift shop with Thai handicrafts
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Bathrooms' open showers can leave the entire room wet
No metro or skytrain
stations nearby
The 31-room Phranakorn
Nornlen Hotel is a value hotel with an artsy boutique vibe and an
emphasis on healthy living. Though it’s situated in Bangkok’s central Phra
Nakohn district near river ferries and temples, this hotel evokes
the villages and towns of Thailand’s rural provinces. From Thai cooking classes
to an artsy activity room to the rooftop bar and herb
garden, the hotel keeps everything fresh and local, and the free organic breakfasts
are particularly delightful. Rooms are air-conditioned and eclectically decorated with vintage flair, and some have cute stone balconies. Guests looking to stay near busier Sukhumvit Road can consider Alt Hotel Nana for comparably
priced rooms in a sleeker setting.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Bespoke charm with a laid-back, peaceful atmosphere
This hotel feels miles
away from downtown Bangkok and has a bespoke vibe from top to bottom. A sign
bearing the hotel’s name in mismatched letters is the first clue about what’s
inside. The second clue: the display of small, kitschy dioramas recreate Thai street scenes. Beyond that, the hotel opens onto
an outdoor courtyard that comprises most of the hotel’s common space. The area
is filled with plants and overlaid with a covered terrace and plenty of comfortable,
quilted seating --it’s an ideal place to relax over tea or coffee. Almost every
surface inside the hotel is covered in paintings, from trompe l’oeil bookshelves to country landscapes, and each floor
has a small seating area filled with reclaimed household items. The rooftop bar
has a vintage appeal, with checkerboard floors, old-school leather couches, and
nice views from the outdoor terrace of Intharawihan Temple’s famous giant Buddha
statue. Guests here are predominantly tourists and range from individuals to
couples and families.
Location
In the quiet, residential area of central Phra Nakhon district
In a quiet alley off of a
nondescript street in a mostly residential part of Bangkok, this hotel sits
within the central Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok, home to many of the city’s
historic sights. That being said, there isn’t much to see in the surrounding blocks, though Intharawihan Temple is a seven-minute walk around the block and
contains one of the tallest Buddha sculptures in all of Thailand. Just 10 minutes' walk from the hotel is the Chao
Phraya River, where river ferries can be
boarded to reach the Grand Palace area and its surrounding temples in about 15 minutes. Khaosan Road, a mecca for backpackers that's crammed with neon
nightlife, is 10 minutes away by taxi or tuk-tuk, and Suvarnabhumi Airport can
be reached in 30 to 40 minutes by cab.
Rooms
Quirky, bohemian rooms with vintage details and air-conditioning
The hotel’s quirky
aesthetic extends to its guest rooms, each of which has its own hand-painted motif,
reclaimed wood panels, handmade tables, and quilted bed linens and curtains.
Yes, there are TVs, but they don't work -- because they're several decades old and
serve as vintage-chic nightstands. Rooms aren’t particularly large, but they feel
breezy and have ceiling fans and air-conditioning, free bottled water, nighttime tea
service, and wall-mounted CD players that play a customized
collection of Thai songs. The hotel has a wide array of room sizes, some of
which can accommodate families, and several rooms have small stone balconies.
Single, Double, and Twin Rooms have comfortable queen or king-size beds, while
Connect Rooms have two separate sleeping areas, including a romantic sleeping
alcove with colorfully embroidered pillows. Each room has an en-suite bathroom, though guests should keep in mind
that they're wet rooms, meaning that showers are not walled or curtained off and floors (and often the toilets and sinks, as well) will be wet after showering. That
being said, bathrooms are spotless and have the hotel’s same rustic, retro
charm, from the exposed copper pipes to mosaic-tiled vanities and brass sinks
in some rooms.
Features
Rooftop herb garden and bar with views of neighboring temple's giant Buddha
The hotel’s rooftop
restaurant and bar is a charming place to enjoy great Thai and international
dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals are often prepared with items from the hotel’s garden, which is
also on the roof. An organic, mainly vegetarian breakfast is free with every booking and served
in the hotel’s quaint courtyard amid the greenery and chirping birds. The hotel
has an activity room with a hand-cranked printing press, upright piano, sewing
studio, and plenty of free monthly classes, from sewing to soap carving. A
teaching kitchen that looks straight out of a vintage Thai film offers free
Thai cooking classes, and reasonably priced guided walking tours of historic
sights are also available. Just off the courtyard, a small shop sells natural
oils and a variety of Thai handicrafts, while on the other side of the
courtyard there is a kids' area with a slide, rocking horse, and swings. The
hotel has a small Thai massage room and can arrange ticket bookings for guests
or hold luggage after checkout. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and coin-operated
laundry facilities are available during the day.
