When I go to Bangkok, I am usually a budget traveller. Many aspects of Bangkok aren’t expensive and hotel accommodation is one of them. You can quite easily get a fairly decent hotel in a fairly decent and convenient location for just about RM100/night and that’s where I usually stay.
During this most recent trip however, I wanted to do something different for once. I wanted to stay somewhere nice, just because! I asked around and looked around online and came across Hansar Hotel Bangkok, that used to rank as the #1 hotel in Bangkok on Tripadvisor and on my trip, ranked #4. It came highly raved and with a pretty price tag but, I just had to jump at it 😀
The Hansar Hotel Bangkok is located on Rajdamri Road, which is a rather quiet area just a stones throw away from the bustling CentralWorld. The closest BTS station is Rajdamri and the hotel is about 2 minutes walk from there so it was pretty convenient getting there from the airport. It is a hassle because you have to change trains from the airport train to the BTS and then switch lines at Siam station but a hassle isn’t the same as convenient 🙂
I walked up to the hotel in the evening, dusty, tired and dragging my luggage and was promptly intercepted by the concierge at the entrance, relieved of my luggage, and directed up a flight of wooden stairs in a dim foyer, to the lobby and reception counter. Very interesting! It makes the place look a little less sterile than a normal modern hotel with its huge lobby and marble floors. The Hansar Hotel, with its wall of green plants outside felt instantly welcoming.
I’d made my booking through Agoda so all I had to do was handover my booking form and passport. I loved that I was seated in an armchair at a table, and served with a lovely cold refreshing drink while all the check in hassles were done away from where I was. In a few minutes, we were done, and the person who does your check in then accompanies you to your room.
The room was impressive. It was HUGE! There is a very comfortable bed, a living area, a gigantic bathroom and a work table area. It was almost as large as a studio apartment! In fact it even came with a lot of amenities that pushed it up a notch in my estimation.
The bed was lovely and firm but soft and after a solid day of walking about outside in the streets of Bangkok, feels like heaven to sink in between the cool cotton sheets. I was walking all around the room going “Wow! Look at this!” at every opportunity because there was just so much to see!
The bathroom, as I’ve said above is gigantic and filled with very useful amenities and toiletries including toothbrush sets if you forgot yours. These weren’t your regular flimsy hotel toothbrushes either but very substantial things that I appreciated.
There was a huge stone tub that could easily fit 2 persons comfortably but which took forever to fill. For some reason the water flow wasn’t very powerful and the hot water wasn’t very hot. Also, if you run the bath and the shower at the same time, the shower turns really cold so you have to turn the hot water up to the maximum. That aspect of it wasn’t quite up to par. I just had to show you the lovely rain shower of course. I love rain showers and its just unfortunate that I couldn’t install it in my own home.
In the hotel room too, you get a washing machine cum dryer complete with detergent so you can do your laundry! How cool is that! You can do all your laundry and go home with a suitcase of lovely clean clothes 😀 I didn’t but it would have been nice to. There was also a little kitchenette with an induction top cooker and pots pans, plates and crockery were provided. Useful perhaps, if you were travelling with children and wanted to heat up food or milk.
Oh and get this. You know how you go to a hotel, look wistfully at the minibar and wish you could have a midnight snack or drink but don’t, because the prices are exhorbitant? Well, the room at Hansar Hotel comes with a stocked minibar replenished daily containing soft drinks, water and 2 bottles of beer. And its complimentary! OMG you don’t know how excited that made me. I didn’t know about this till I got to the room.
Lots of bottled water is provided in the room so this was one trip where I did not have to purchase any water at all. I’m sorry to say I was most excited about the minibar so although its not something I usually do, there I was, enjoying midnight snacks and drinks while curled up in bed watching TV 😀
Another notable mention is the breakfast included. The breakfast was half buffet half ala carte so you could pick up what you liked from the buffet area but also have some items cooked to order.
Clockwise from Top-Left: Rice Porridge (congee) with minced chicken century egg and condiments, Green salad and fresh orange juice, Eggs benedict with crispy bacon and pork and chicken sausages
I really love the bacon served in hotels in Bangkok, even at the RM100/night ones. They are always so good! And they are usually fried till they are crispy so I can pack away a few without realizing it. Terrible if you’re on a diet, but not, if you close one eye while on holiday 😀
Oh and there’s more!
Clockwise from Top-Left: Scrambled eggs on toast, Clear soup with minced pork balls and fishballs, Omelette with sausages and bacon, Clear rice porridge (congee) with salted egg and condiments
Oh and your choice of freshly brewed coffee and tea from the menu. Its one of those places where you just want to sit there, stuffing your face silly because you just want to try EVERYTHING! I even forced myself to be up earlier so I could enjoy the breakfast and not spoil my lunch. While in Bangkok, there is a ton to eat you know! Got to allocate space for everything LOL!
The hotel is very conveniently located as I mentioned, so I walked and took the BTS everywhere I needed to go. The Erawan Shrine is just about 10-15 minutes walk depending how fast you walk and then you’ll find yourself at CentralWorld. From there, I usually take a public bus into Chinatown. If you don’t want to switch BTS lines at Siam for that 1 stop to Rajdamri, you can stop off at Chidlom station and walk back to the hotel. Its just about 15 minutes but you don’t feel it at all. I liked that, because you save time, and the walk along Rajdamri road is lovely and relatively quiet as compared to the other surrounding area.
One more thing. With my room too, came a THB1000 dining voucher that allowed you to dine in the hotel, including room service. That was a brilliant touch, but I ran into a problem. Most of the time, I’m much too full from gorging myself on the street food outside, how was I going to enjoy it! Ah, but enjoy it I did with room service 😀
Clockwise from Top Left: Crispy pork parcels (fried wontons), Wagyu beef burger, Rad Nah (flat rice noodles in gravy)
Honestly, the food wasn’t bad at all, and the beef burger was lovely and juicy and done to perfection. Not the sort of thing I’d usually do, but hey, when on holiday, calories don’t count 😛
There is a spa in the hotel too, Luxsa Spa which I stopped by to take look as there was a special price givenas a resident of the hotel. But unfortunately, it was fully booked for the times I wanted, so I could not avail of it. Its pricey though as you can expect from a hotel spa but from what I read online, it comes highly raved so some day, if I’m back at Hansar Hotel, I will give it a try.
The hotel corridors are open and breezy so you don’t get the stuffy closed in feeling of a normal international chain hotel. I took a wrong lift one morning and ended up at the Residence area, but a hotel staff spotted us looking bewildered and immediately escorted us back to the main hotel area which was very helpful of them.
I was leaving for the airport early on my last day and the concierge was very helpful in helping to hail a taxi and to ensure that they used the meter. They could even tell us an estimated time by when we’d have to get a taxi which was very helpful. No one knows local traffic like the locals so that is always a good thing to bear in mind since Bangkok is notorious for its traffic jams.
Have you by any chance stayed there? Where do you usually stay if visiting Bangkok?
I usually look for hotels around the Rachaprasong area or even Pratunam, and as I said, i don’t usually pay more than RM100-150 a night. you can get some pretty decent hotels in that price range 🙂 How much did this set me back? About US$160/night booked through Agoda. Told you it was expensive. But the experience was absolutely worth it. I’d love to go back but I’m not sure my wallet would allow it 😛
Paris B
Hansar Hotel Bangkok Address: 3, Soi Mahatlek Luang 2, Rajdamri Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10330 Website: www.hansarbangkok.com
Oh nice! I’ve only been to Bangkok once, and that was about 10 years ago. I should make a trip there again. All the photos of food make me hungry…. time for breakfast!
I make a trip annually 🙂 Its a nice place to visit and I usually go for the food. Didn’t buy much this time around, nor step into any of the beauty halls which pleased me greatly 😀
Paris i have a question.one of my friends is going to bangkok in march and i especially want to order some asian beauty stuff 🙂 as i mentioned before i really want to try laneige and shu uemura if they are available. Do you know any place where i can direct him to buy those brands? Thanks a lot in advance 🙂
Hi Casey, I can’t quite remember if the brands are available and if so where (so I do hope someone living in Bangkok could chip in one way or another!) but if your friend goes down to CentralWorld, he can try both department stores there – CentralWorld and Isetan where I believe both Laneige and Shu Uemura are available along with many other international brands. These are the 2 places I go to most often because of proximity 🙂
Hello Casey, I think Shu Uemura and Laneige are commonly available in all Central or The Mall department stores. 🙂
Siam Paragon (which is the luxury branch of The Mall) has a huge beauty department that it’s crammed with many brands. Paragon is nearby Central World. 🙂
I suddenly feel the strong urge to book a vacation to Thailand now! And all the yummy food pictures! And the bathroom! It looks like dream, aaah 😀
hahaha I wish I had that bathroom at home, seriously! It was just amazing!
What a lovely hotel room! Ahh I’d love a vacation right about now…you lucky lucky girl!! 😀 Ooh and now my tummy is growling–I want breakfast foods! 😀
The breakfast was soooo good! I had to physically restrain myself from pigging out on more so I could go out and eat all the lovely street food out there haha! Sadly this would probably be my 1st and last time. Thanks for being so pricey 😛
I am so going to stay there when I go back to Bangkok, you make me want to go like now.
Haha see if they have any deals. I read of some people getting some really good prices when they run promotions now and again. I really liked my stay there but my wallet didnt 😛
Paris i have a question.one of my friends is going to bangkok in march and i especially want to order some asian beauty stuff 🙂 as i mentioned before i really want to try laneige and shu uemura if they are available. Do you know any place where i can direct him to buy those brands? Thanks a lot in advance 🙂
Oh also since they are extremely unavailable here maybe aesop and antipodes? Sorry i asked so many!!!
I don’t know if Antipodes is available in Bangkok or Aesop (Although I’m quite sure I saw Aesop at Zen CentralWorld or Isetan). I didn’t go into the beauty halls this trip so I can’t quite remember what they have in there. I do know they stock most major department store brands including Nars and Suqqu.
Wow! I like the fact that they have diffuser reed, although it’s something I can buy cheaply outside and put in my hotel.
I only visited Bangkok for the first time last November, and I stayed somewhat budget at a hotel called Kingston Suites. I wouldn’t mind staying there again, because it’s a 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor. Really pretty good.
The diffuser reed was a lovely decorative touch 🙂 Thanks for sharing about Kingston Suites. I’d never come across that one yet since I’m always on a shoestring budget in Bangkok but I’ll check it out for the next time I go 😀
looks absolutely amazing! So miss Bangkok!! Can’t fault its service, food, but especially the friendly people! 😉
Bangkok is a lovely place to visit! And you’re so right about the people – always ready with a smile even with a language barrier. Oh and the food! amazing stuff!
woowww.. that z great man. just wish that i can experience this
I’m sure you could, Nina – its a really nice one to visit (although pricey!) 🙂
i see u had an awesome trip! enjoy!
I did and the hotel made it so much better haha!
This is a dream hotel come true – washing machine cum dryer complete with detergent, free mini bar with beer, sumptuous breakfast with porky bacon delight. OMG! I have always loved Bangkok. Service rendered is seldom of poor quality and food is always decent or great without hurting the wallet too much. Oh Paris, you have made me miss Bangkok so much 🙂 Glad you had a good trip and thanks for sharing this gem of a place. Hmm, I have not had much luck with RM100-150 hotels though…
I sense a Bangkok trip in the near future for you, Jennifer? 😉 I like going there because it makes for a nice little break, is near enough and not terribly expensive while being just exotic enough to merit as a holiday 😀 I have had my share of RM100/night dumps – sometimes, those hotel booking sites make the rooms look so much better than they really are! I once stayed in one which albeit clean, had the bathroom door handle come off in my hands. I patched it back as best I could and quickly checked out before they discovered 😛 Oh and at breakfast, the proprietor would stand by the buffet and COUNT the slices of toast you took! OMG.
Hahaha, for that room rate, you surely have a lot of “upclose and personal” moments at the hotel 🙂 I stayed in a youth hostel many year back…and that was it. No more thereafter 😛 Yeah, hopefully I get to steal some time in Bangkok.
I am pleasantly surprised with the washing machine/dryer that came with the room. Looks like you could fit a family of 4 (2 adults 2 small children) in there couldn’t you? 🙂
I never get a chance to stay in a BKK hotel so I’ll get your reviews and pass to friends who want me to recommend one to them. HA HA HA
Haha you don’t need to! The same way I don’t know anything about hotels in KL 🙂 you could actually fit a family of 4 quite comfortably in the room. It’s just like a small studio apartment! Loads of space
The place looks amazing!! Only problem as you mentioned, is that if I go there I won’t be able to drag myself away from the hotel to do anything else! 😛 This is going on my list of places to try at least once. 😀
PS: The bacon…oh the bacon…best part of BKK breakfast buffets ever!
Yes, must try! Amazing place to stay and although hard to tear yourself away from the hotel, its such a wonderful place to come back to! 😀
Amazing trip, Paris! I haven’t been to Bangkok in a few years but you’re reminding me how lovely (and reasonably priced) it is. Great pictures!
Thank you HapaGirl! 😀 Bangkok is a lovely city! I have more pictures coming up but I realised it was all about food >.<
I stayed at Dusit Thani hotel in Silom area for 3 nights on my first trip to Bangkok in 2009, where I followed Asian popstars also billeted there. The rooms and hotel itself, albeit a little old, were charming and the bathroom was spot clean. I was even given additional toiletries when the cleaning staff noticed there are more than 2 luggages on the room. 🙂
The staff were courteous and I was amazed at how they personify the famous Thai hospitality. I am not a Bacon lover, but on the breakfast buffet that came with the room, I had put more than a healthy share of Bacon on my plate. And the egg station chef even made Eggs Benedict for me. I vowed to try 4-star/5-star hotels on my next trip but I don’t know when that’ll be. Next time I follow touring popstars, perhaps? 🙂
Ooh I remember coming across Dusit Thani when doing my research. I think its one of the older, high end hotels but still very popular. I’ve never stayed in the Silom area before – always Pratunam/Rachaprasong! Some day I hope to venture out of there 😀 Oh and I was quite amused that you chose the same hotel as that of the pop stars – you must be a huge fan! 😀
I love the washing machine! (Oh dear, I must be getting old). Such a great idea, as is the minibar (and love the shape of the Fanta bottles).
Hahaha it’s not just you, I was most excited at the sight of the washing machine too! Haha