[Travel] Where to stay for a budget trip to Bangkok: Metro Resort Pratunam

Dear Readers,

I am back with travel reviews!

This time recommending hotels to stay in Bangkok for a budget trip!

Whenever I head to Bangkok, the only place I'll stay at is Metro Resort Pratunam.

It is conveniently located one road down Platinum Fashion Mall (about 10-15 minutes walk), and big malls nearby (including Shibuya 19 which sells wholesale fashion clothings and some electronics mall across the road)

I touched down at Survanabhumi Airport only at 7-ish to 8pm, and by the time I reached the hotel (by taxi), it was 9plus almost 10pm (local BKK time). Remember, whenever you take taxi, always ask for metered fare! (including to and fro the airport; some taxi drivers try to cheat your money by telling you there is massive jam at this time of the day, but don't fall for their trick!!) Unless you're in really popular areas at about 12am, like Ma Boon Kong, then most taxi drivers will only ferry those who agree to pay his requested fare (but always try to bargain (at least 50-100baht lower!))

This is how the exterior of the hotel look like (pardon my flabby arms HAHA)

The photo above was taken from the outside of the hotel the next morning after I touched down since it was really dark when I reached the hotel the night before.

Here's the lobby!

Very cosy lightings with 2 desktops near the check-in concierge for guests' usage. Though I recommend not to stay in the lobby for too long as there were many mosquitoes.

The very large corridors along the 3rd floor

You see really huge corridors, especially on the 3rd level. Where the middle area (on the right of the picture (with brown walls), are the exterior of one of their conference rooms.

The layout seems awkward for a hotel as this building was converted from a shopping mall in 2010/2011. Therefore, there were escalators too (which were not operating) which is supposed is meant to save electricity (since they have a lift anyway)

Interior of the room (twin bedroom)

All the rooms come with an attached bathroom, Do note that there is no carpeting in the room. Neither is there bedroom slipper provided. Please bring your own pair. In the room there is a cupboard, which had enough hangers for 2 days worth of clothes for 2 person, no luggage stand (place it on the floor), a glass table and 2 chairs, a wall-mounted TV with about 5-8 local channels, a dressing table (with a waste paper basket in the corner near the bathroom), a side table between both beds that had a table lamp, writing paper and a telephone for services.

Air-conditioning worked fine. If you're worried the room gets stuffy, just turn on the aircon in your room when you leave the hotel (the cleaners will not turn it off just to save electricity). This means you can enjoy a cool environment after a long day of shopping.

Outside the room I stayed in June 2014

Yes, to gain access to the room, you need a key and it isnt the high tech sort of tap card/ insert card into slot type of hotel. It is a physical key (the kind of key you use to lock your main door). Rest assured, if you're worried that you might lose your key, the concierge will keep your keys on your behalf. And the best part is, when you get back to the hotel (if the same concierge staff is on duty), she can remember your room number and pass you back your key. That is a really nice gesture as it shows how much they respect the guests.

I took really little pictures of the room, so here's one with me in it.

They change the towels everyday, and cleared the bins too. Toiletries were replenished daily and the sheets were changed and bed for you (ONLY IF you placed the "Please make up room" sign outside your door!)

Oh, and yes, they had a mini fridge in the room too. The bottled water (first 2) is complimentary, there were also packet coffee, tea, creamer and sugar. They are complimentary too!

Water flask is provided for you to boil your own water too.

During my period of stay, there were many Indian guests, and they tend to sleep rather late. The walls are definitely not 100% soundproof, probably about 80%, so I could hear their conversation (but not like I understood anything they were saying) Other than that, the air conditioning was so shiok that I slept and snored like a pig.

Although no daily breakfast is provided for my option, the hotel area has many good road side stalls, which mostly closes at 11pm.

Yes, this was just a 2minute walk down the hotel towards Platinum direction.

This was taken on the 1st night when we first arrived (at about 10.30pm)

Nice personalised pouches which are great as gifts (~8SGD)

3SGD roadside wanton mee stall that was cooked on the spot

The famous Kuang Heng Chicken Rice stall (~3SGD including the bottle of coke)

The 7-eleven sold Slurpee for only SGD0,70 for the giant size

The fruits in the above picture are a must eat! Fresh fruits for sale on push carts. This was from a vendor selling right outside 7-eleven, and I bought from him every single night I was there. The guava was the only fruit he cut on the spot, but all his fruits tasted good. There were pineapples, papaya, pear, guava, jambu. Jambus are must eat here. They're so sweet, crunchy and juicy! Ah, missing the jambus now!

Yes, so now you know how convenient this hotel is, with the roadside stalls opened till almost midnight! The staff are really kind too, and tries to give you as clear instructions they can with their minimal English. 

Oh yes, Thai massage is a must when in Thailand right? No worries, there is a whole street of Thai massage parlours just 5minutes walk down the street towards Platinum direction! There are 4-5 stalls for you to choose from, and I went in to try 3 of the stalls (during the 4 nights I was there in June 2014)

After telling you so much about the hotel, I haven't mentioned the price I paid. For this 3 star hotel, I paid only 4000THB for my 4night stay. That means each night only costed about ~35SGD per night!

Where else to get such deals? Although the nearby GLOW Pratunam and Amari Watergate are much better choices in terms of the quality of service and ambience, the price is about twice to thrice the price. Being the cheapo me, I think Metro Resort is comfy enough for me. I just need a proper place to sleep and rest in preparation for the next day. So what if there are gym facilities or swimming pools in other hotels? The price you pay includes the use of facilities, but truth is, you'll hardly have time to use it, as most of the time you'll be out of your hotel. Even when in the hotel, you're probably dead beat and just wanna sloth around in bed.

I am not sponsored to do this review, but since I couldn't find any reviews on the hotel, and I find that the reviews on Tripadvisor is not an accurate representation of the hotel. I decided to post on my staycation in June 2014. 

Comment if you have any queries!

If I realise I have left out any key info, I'll amend at my leisure time.

*Updated on 2nd June: The prices of all rooms at Metro have been raised. Currently, the promotional price is 1400THB per night, not the 1000THB I paid last June. Please take note!

Cheers,

Rachel