Review: New Road Guest House in Bangkok, Thailand

New Road Guest House is affordable and centrally located, but due to the loud party scene it's not the place for everyone.

Location

New Road Guest House is not far from the Chao Phraya River and many of the main sights of Bangkok. In Bangkok you basically have three easy ways to get around, by ferry, by skytrain (BTS), or by underground (MRT). New Road is within a 15 minute walk of the Saphan Taksin BTS station and a 10 minute walk from the #3 Ferry boat stop. It's very close to the Royal Orchard Sheraton Hotel & Towers, as well as several other larger hotels off of Charoen Krung Road. If you stay at New Road, you'll be really close to River City Antique Center, and you can get to the rest of Bangkok's attractions by a short ferry ride or a longer train ride. Coming from the boat or Skytrain, it's best to take a taxi (40 baht maximum) if you have luggage, as the lanes are quite narrow and difficult to negotiate with anything other than a backpack or small carry on.

Rooms

There are a variety of rooms and rates available, from dorms to private AC rooms. I stayed in a 2 bed private - shared bathroom with fan (9$/night), and it was very small and cell like. There was barely enough room for the bunk beds and some walking space. The bunk beds were metal and creaked quite loudly, but the mattresses were comfortable. It felt very claustrophobic even with only one person in the room. If you want a room only for crashing at night, then it's okay. The room was clean and had fresh sheets. Towels and soap were not provided in the private bunk bed rooms, so you'll have to bring your own.

Rooms get bigger, nicer and more expensive as you go up at New Road Guest House. You can get a private twin ensuite for about 800 baht ($24) or a private double ensuite for 550 baht ($16). Many families and older couples wre staying in these higher up rooms, which puts them further away from the bar and the loud Friday night karaoke. These more expensive rooms come with towels and private bathrooms.

Bathrooms

The shared bathrooms were clean but tiny, just like the rooms. I am fairly thin, and I had trouble getting in and out of the toilet stall. There were two bathrooms and one shower for about 12 people. Where I stayed, a sink with a large mirror was located in the hallway. It was kept quite clean, but without mirrors in the rooms this was the only place for everyone to do hair, makeup, etc. If you're in Bangkok on business, this could prove to be frustrating.

Ambiance & Facilities

This place exudes a loud party scene. The majority of the rooms are located over the bar, and to get to your room you need to go through the bar. There is a nice, mid-priced restaurant inside the main building, as well as computers you can use for 1 baht per minute. The bar building has a DVD room that you can sign out for up to three hours on evenings. Outside the office, there is a garden area with some wooden tables and lots of potted plants. During the day, this area can be nice to hang out if there's not too many people checking in and out of the office. You can get free Wi-Fi in this area, but due to the bar nearby and the crowd this guest house attracts the entire garden area reeks of smoke.

There is a also a restaurant on site. Food is good and prices are reasonable, at about 90 baht per meal ($2.88). Meals are large, and most times I ordered the food I couldn't finish. It can get quite busy in the restaurant at dinner time, and you might wait over 45 minutes for your food. When the restaurant isn't so busy it's only about 10-15 minutes until your order is ready.

Service was friendly enough, but since there were so many guests at New Road there wasn't really a welcoming feeling. If you want staff to carry your bags up the steep stairs you'll need to ask for someone to help. Don't plan on checking out quickly, as it took me 30 minutes for the counter girl to figure out my bill and charge my credit card! Other than the checkout, staff were quite helpful and gave me directions to a number of places in the area.

Conclusion

I booked New Road Guest House because it was centrally located and was only a 10-minute walk from the Royal Orchid Sheraton where I needed to attend a fair. When I arrived here, I immediately regretted that I had booked it for 5 nights. As the rooms were like a prison, and the common areas full of smoke or loud people drinking, it was just not conducive for what I was in Bangkok for. If you want to meet other backpackers, are a sound sleeper,you are only in Bangkok for a few nights and want to see the sights, or enjoy this type of scene, then I'd recommend the New Road Guest House. It's clean and not far from public transport. Otherwise, for couples, families or those in Bangkok on business, I certainly would not recommend it. Due to the fact that I am not into the party scene and don't enjoy smelling like smoke, I doubt I'll be staying at New Road Guest House again.