Arawana Express Chinatown

"Unfortunately, my experience at this hotel was extremely disappointing, and I feel it's important to share it to help others avoid the same mistake. I had to leave after just 24 hours, losing the entire amount I had paid - honestly, it was far too expensive for what they offer.\n\nI paid extra for a room with a window, only to find that the window opened onto a cramped space full of electric cables and walls from other nearby buildings. If you're planning to stay here, don't bother paying more for a window - it's not worth it.\n\nThe soap and shower gel dispensers were already empty when I arrived and were never refilled. If you're interested in this place because it advertises a kitchen, forget about it - the stove and pans were in awful, unusable condition.\n\nThe furniture must be quite old, because there was a strong unpleasant smell coming from it. There's also a loud fan that stays on continuously in the room, so I highly recommend bringing very good earplugs if you plan to sleep here.\n\nThe bed linens were another issue - they were worn out and stained. It was very clear that they had not been replaced or properly cleaned, which added to the overall feeling of neglect in the room\n\nThe staff was mediocre at best - they ignored us the entire time and made no effort to help, even when the booking platform contacted them to try to resolve the issues we experienced.\n\nThe location is also not great. The alley where the accommodation is located is often blocked by parked vehicles, making it difficult for cars to access. Honestly, the whole atmosphere felt very different - and much worse compared to the other places where I stayed in Bangkok.\n\nI would strongly advise against booking this hotel. There are far better options available at a similar or even lower price"

"I needed somewhere cheap as a place to shower and sleep while I spent my days exploring Bangkok. Arawana is clean, reasonably priced, centrally situated in Chinatown, and most important of all: quiet.\nThis hotel also provides laundry access. At first view it comes off a bit dingy because it's a bit old. But it's a great option for the price. No cleanliness issues. My room included a couple of cooking hobs and everything to prepare my own meals, had I wished to. Along with fresh towels, they give you a couple of bottles of water each day.\nThere are eateries very close. A little family run eatery is just 20m from the front door. But all of Chinatown is 100m from the door. Bus and subway are at the end of the block, so weary feet don't have far to go on the way home.\nThe only mis-discription is that the roof is no longer accessible for guests. So take that photo with a grain of salt. Good wifi but you have to re log in each day so keep that piece of paper."

"It's a suitable room for those who want a place to sleep at night after being out all day and do not need any frills. Definitely not remotely luxury, and I would say it even falls below the standard of cheap "business" hotels (like in Japan).\n\nIt is located off the main road, so it is quiet in that sense, but the narrower of the two alleys it sits between is dark dirty, and smelly. Also full of cats, so if you have allergies, be careful!\n\nIt is very close to Chinatown and its nightlife and all the food stalls popular with tourists. There are also plenty of cheaper, more locals-oriented places around the corner that operate from the morning.\n\nWat Mangkorn station is fairly close by. Many of the big tourist sites are only a quick bike taxi ride away. So location-wise, it was very good. However, it is definitely not a 4-star hotel, maybe barely a 3-star.\n\nThe A/C and hot water worked fine, though the shower often went hot or slightly cool randomly. The mattresses are very... springy. As in, you can feel the springs quite clearly.\n\nOur room came with a kitchen area, and while I felt it unnecessary at first, it was nice being able to buy whole fruit and bring it back to cut up and eat. Though this can be a bit risky, given the ant situation (mentioned below).\n\nThere were many little things I noticed:\n-The towels are dried with excessive fabric softener and do NOT suck up any water. I tried to wrap my hair in a towel, only to have water drip down my back, because it was just sliding through the towel rather than get absorbed.\n\n- Sheets have mysterious spots of all sorts of colors.\n\n- The floor feels dirty if you walk over it barefoot. There are dusty spots where they do not bother to fully clean around the bed.\n\n- The front desk staff were seemingly never around to answer the phone when I would call them. They are quite cheerful most of the time, but they also have no interest in going out of their way to help you.\n\n- The "laundry service" they have is a washing and drying machine out front. No laundry detergent is provided, which I can understand, but the front desk won't even exchange your bills for coins! I suppose it is a burglary prevention measure, but... it's like 50 baht, come on. The "middle" wash cycle is very, very gentle, so you may want to use the strongest level.\n\n- There are ants, which came in through a tiny hole in the ceiling of our room's bathroom. They will show up in a matter of hours if you're unlucky.\n\n- The toilet was a bit stinky from the first day and got worse with time. I was not peeing everywhere like an animal... and yet it smelled like I did?!\n\n- The air conditioner works almost too well. Even on 27C and set to low, it could feel cold in the room. This is a good thing or a bad thing depending on you.\n\n- You can hear other guests if they are loud. You can hear them entering and leaving, the clatter of their luggage, and if they are playing music loudly or have the TV on high volume, you can also hear that through the wall.\n\nAll in all, I would stay in this area again, but I would probably not use this hotel a second time."