Tempting as it may be for first-time travelers of Thailand to stay along Bangkok's infamous Sukhumvit Road, we say toss aside those tunnel-vision goggles and explore other amazing accommodations found beyond this strip. There's a brand new Bangkok hotel near BTS Saphan Taksin called The House of Phraya Jasaen. It's warm, welcoming, and charming and just between you and us it's among the best hotels in Bangkok we've ever stayed at in more ways than one.
The House of Phraya Jasaen (pronounces prah-ya jah-sairn) is nestled on a lively soi, Soi 57 off Charoen Krung Road in Sathorn to be exact, filled with long-time family owned shops. In fact, this brand new hotel (as of August 2015) is in an historic area of Bangkok where not much has changed in terms of atmosphere since the 1960s.
One morning over coffee, we chatted with the hotel's two co-owners and learned that the hotel was created by merging seven antique shophouses. Much of the original walls, room structure, and hallways remain intact and make for an interesting layout of the 32 guest rooms within the four story building.
And it's what's inside these rooms that caught our attention. This is where it gets fun!
Check Out the Rooms at The House of Phraya Jasaen
One of the owners of the hotel is a Thai interior designer who studied in Chicago, USA. He not only single-handedly oversaw the transformation from shophouses to boutique hotel, but he also painstakingly designed and decorated every room in fourteen separate styles.
From an entirely white (or black) room, to a relaxing haven, to a room with a retro circular bed seemingly suspended from the ceiling, we were able to choose from a variety of sizes, layouts, and décor during our two night stay.
Here are a few more snapshots of our favorites:
Goodbye cookie cutter hotel and hello to one that had something different around every corner.
There was something really interesting in every room. Seriously, this is our kind of hotel! If you want to see more, you can check out all 14 room styles.
The hotel blends old Thai antiques and colorful modern art with a cool industrial interior design. Much of the original teak floors remain in addition to the teak staircase, but other areas feature modern lacquered concrete floors. There are big windows, countless hanging potted plants, and both functional and decorative vertical steel cable suspension wires.
The hotel is reminiscent of an art gallery and has information podiums, hanging cable systems for artwork, open and glass enclosed display cases, and recessed lighting. There are also antique items on display using furniture and shelving collected from the families who once lived in the shophouses. Even several antique tools, such as a gold cable puling machine and an old gas pump, are refurbished and now part of the décor.
A Quick Look at the Amenities
In addition to the industrial décor, the rooms have:
- No shortage of three prong outlets and fast, reliable Wifi. Perfect if you travel with a lot of electronics!
- Soft beds, fluffy comforters, and multiple pillows
- Storage shelves and clothes racks to keep luggage easily organized
- Refurbished antique furniture
- Most rooms had a sliding glass door opening to a balcony; blackout curtains
- Desk; reading lamps
- Hair dryer; hot water pot, tea, instant coffee, water; mini fridge
The bathrooms are also designed differently for each room but they all feature Western style hot water rain shower; magnifying mirror; three prong outlet for grooming electronics; variety of scented shampoo; washcloths (you hardly find these in Thai hotels!); toiletries such as toothbrush packets, comb, ear buds, and face wipes; fluffy towels.
And the hotel itself had no shortage of amenities:
- See You Again wellness massage parlor (by appointment only)
- Japanese style lounge area; dining area featuring a massive Night Table and simple menu
- Fresh coffee and pastries at Koffie Shop
- Free bicycles for guests to explore the city
- Elevator (the kind with the metal grate you only see in the movies)
- Coin operated laundry machines
And may we add that the design and structure quality was great. Everything was sleek, smooth, and made with quality craftsmanship.
Hospitality
Aside from its incredible décor, what made this hotel so different from the countless others we've been to was the hospitality of the owners and the staff.
"Here is where you receive a family-style welcome and where you will be treated as an honored friend throughout your stay."
- The House of Phraya Jasaen
The hotel stays true to its word. We were first greeted by the owner and offered fresh coconut water. Then we were taken on a tour of the hotel and even shown a delicious noodle shop just a stone's throw away that the owner recommended.
Both mornings one of the owners ( not hired help) made us coffee and sat down in the lounge area with us. We chatted like old friends and learned a lot about them and the history behind the hotel.
We were invited on a bicycle tour of the nearby morning market and later that day had lunch together with one of the owners. He actually grabbed a meal from one of the many food stalls set up along the street and presented it at his dining table on plates and silverware from his kitchen. It was a simple meal of khao mun gai (Hainanese chicken and rice) and fun company.
Have you ever had the owner of a hotel do that? Yeah, we haven't either. Their policy is to treat their hotel guests as their house guests, and that's exactly the kind of
Things to Do Near Saphan Taksin BTS and Central Pier
There's plenty to see and do in the Sathorn area away from the main Sukhumwit strip. If anything, you won't have to deal with the overcrowded grimy streets, shopkeepers heckling, or bar girls and ladyboys beckoning from Sukhumvit's streetside bars. Instead, a stroll along Charoen Krung Road reveals there are plenty of small restaurants and shops along the spacious sidewalks day or evening.
Less than a half kilometer away from the hotel is the Saphan Tasking BTS (skytrain) and Central Pier (water taxi) stations. The Central Pier is also known as Tha Sathorn, Sathorn Pier, or simply as Central and has several Chao Phraya Express Boats that travel along the river and make stops near:
- China Town (N5 Pier)
- Pak Khlong Talat Market (N6 Pier)
- Temple of the Reclining Buddha and the Temple of Dawn (N8 Pier)
- Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha (N9 Pier)
Within a reasonable walking distance of the hotel (less than 10 minutes) is a Robinson shopping center and the Bangruk Bazaar (บางรัก บาซาร์). In the other direction is Bangkok's trendy Asiatique The Riverfront outdoor center filled with restaurants and boutique shops. It took us about 20 minutes to walk there, but we could have also hopped on the free water taxi that goes between Central Pier and Asiatique.
Location and Contact Information for The House of Phraya Jasaen
Phone: (026) 759-1989
Email: booking@phrayajasaen.com
Website: PhrayaJasaen.com
Address: 168 Soi Charoen Krung 57 Yannawa, Sathorn Bangkok 10120
DISCLOSURE: Our stay at The House Phraya Jasaen was sponsored in exchange for an honest review. And that we did! We truly enjoyed this boutique bangkok hotel near BTS Saphan Taksin and think our readers will, too.
Chris and Angela sold everything, paid off their debt, and ultimately figured a way out of the nine to five grind in the United States. Today they are living full time in Chiang Mai, Thailand, guiding and inspiring future expats towards amazing lives abroad! For more updates follow them on , , and . To see a full list of posts check out the .