Thailand Travel Guide - Accommodation

Accommodation styles cover every range and the budget traveller is also well catered for. There is cheap accommodation throughout Bangkok but Banglamphu is the main area for cheap accommodation. Hotels outside the capital and developed tourist areas are less lavish but are extremely economical and comfortable. Visitors can book hotels on arrival at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and also at some provincial airports.

Bangkok and many tourist destinations around Thailand have some of Asia's finest hotels, with thousands of rooms meeting international standards. Many hotels belong to the large international chains. All luxury hotels have swimming pools, 24-hour room service, air conditioning and a high staff-to-guest ratio. There are many online hotel booking sites which are worth checking out, but also check the hotel's own website for Internet special offers.

Grading: There is no official system of grading hotels, but prices generally give a good indication of standards.

Guest houses with shared bathrooms and no air conditioning are cheap and popular with tourists, as are bungalows, which also often have cafes and English-speaking staff on site. Beach bungalows/huts are particularly popular with backpackers and can be found on many of the beaches and islands around Thailand.

Holiday villas and flats can be rented, especially for long-term visitors. For details, look for advertisements in the English-language newspapers.

In general, visitors will find that camping in Thailand is not popular, as other accommodation is available at such reasonable prices. Most of Thailand's campsites are in the area of the national parks where tents can be rented; there are also some private tourist resorts which provide camping facilities. Camping is allowed on nearly all of the islands and beaches.

YMCA and YWCA hostels are located in Bangkok and Chiang Mai and small, cheap hotels are available all over the country.

Thai Hotels Association (THA)
203-209/3 Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue, Bowonniwet Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: (02) 281 9496.
Website: www.thaihotels.org

Thai Youth Hostels Association
25/14 Phitsanulok Road, Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
Tel: (02) 628 7413/5.
Website: www.tyha.org