take a nap hotel, bangkok

choosing your accommodation in bangkok is quite a chore, not because it's hard to find affordable and high standard ones, but because the choices, for every budget and for every taste, are seemingly endless. but after checking out a myriad of hotels in bangkok, our group finally chose take a nap hotel along rama IV road in bangkok's silom district.

booking
booking with take a nap hotel was a breeze. just go to the website, pick the room that you want (in my case, i chose the angkor room, which had a 6x6 bed, while sarah and ayeen chose the bamboo twin room), and click book now, or send them an email.

no online payment is necessary. you just need to print out your email confirmation and show it to them when you arrive at the hotel. full payment is required upon check-in.

location
take a nap hotel had one of the most attractive locations, as far as i'm concerned. other visitors would probably prefer to stay in siam for shopping, or in khao san road for the river and the temples, but silom district suited me just fine. it didn't hurt that take a nap had quick access to both the BTS (saladaeng station) and MRT (sam yan station), which can take you to a number of attractions without going through the world-renowned traffic jams of bangkok. the saladaeng BTS is actually a couple of stops away from saphan taksin, where the river ferry station can be found.

other nearby places of interest include patpong, lumphini park, a lot of restaurants, and department stores.

service and staff
i would have to say, that take a nap hotel had one of the friendliest and most accommodating staff i've ever encountered. while i haven't had any complaints with most of the places i've stayed in (since i don't really ask or expect too much from them), take a nap hotel staff really went out of their way to help us out during our stay.

when we arrived, we were met by louise at the front desk, and let us leave our luggage in their storage room while we spent our first few days in siem reap. after that, she went outside, hailed a taxi, and told the driver to take us to the morchit bus terminal, since the driver couldn't speak english that well.

and when we came back from siem reap, it was tan who received us and showed us to our rooms. he was also very friendly, and gave us some tips on where to eat and what to do. he was also quick to help me out when i couldn't open the safe in my room. all the staff spoke english well, which is something you will appreciate when you're in bangkok.

rooms
sadly, this is the part i didn't like about take a nap. true, the rooms were spacious enough, with enough areas for your luggage and hooks for your clothes, and everything indicated on the website was provided for--i had a TV, a luggage rack, two extra seats for visitors, a dresser, and a pretty clean bathroom.

however, the sheets didn't look clean enough, and the floor was a tad sticky. and i'm the type to want to go barefoot in my room after a long day of walking outside. i just couldn't do that at take a nap.

sarah and ayeen also complained that they didn't have comforters in their room, when my bed was provided with one.

breakfast
another letdown. but then again, it was probably our fault for expecting something good for THB 1,300/night. i have no problem with simple fare, but the sausages they served were simply bland, and was complemented by the depressing eggs and pork and beans. i would usually get myself some bread and jam, or yogurt and cereal, to start my day when i was there.

others
take a nap hotel also had a recreation area slash dining area, which was where breakfast was served everyday. there were bean bags here, too, where you can watch TV or DVD movies. by the lobby, there are a couple of computer terminals for you to use the internet, check your email, and what-not. a bookshelf is placed on the corner with fiction and travel books available for your reading pleasure.

conclusion
overall, though, our stay wasn't a complete disappointment. the beds were still comfortable enough, and it was still relatively clean. the price is hard to beat, at THB 1,300/night for my room fitted with a king-sized bed, and THB 1,300/night as well for sarah and ayeen's twin room.

i wouldn't readily recommend take a nap hotel to friends, unless i know they're the types who, like us, just wanted a simple "headquarters" in bangkok. it's definitely not for people who like to lounge in their rooms, but it's an option for those who don't want to spend too much, but want to be able to get to bangkok's prime spots.

accommodation information
take a nap hotel
920-926 rama IV road (at surawongse junction, opposite red cross society)
silom district, bangkok
email address: takeanaphotel@hotmail.com
room rates:
single room: THB 1,000
twin room: THB 1,300
double room (small): THB 1,150
double room (medium and large): THB 1,300
double room (XL): THB 1,500
4-bed private room: THB 2,000
dorm rooms: THB 350 per person