Anytime you’re visiting a very large city there’s a competing interest in finding a hotel. Part of you wants to be in the central district and near the heart of the action. The other part wants to find a secluded hideaway where you can sleep peacefully through the night. If you’re visiting Bangkok for the first time and wondering what is too close to the infamous Nana rest assured: Nanatai Suites is definitely not too close. Check prices on Expedia.
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Nanatai Suites Location
The hotel is on the very crowded Sukhumvit Soi 4, home of the Nana Plaza red light district. Find it on the map directly north of Benchakitti Park. However it is a mile south of the heart of the action at the very end of the street and bordering the large green space of the Park. My room featured a balcony. It had a view of the park and canal which was oddly obstructed by the placement of the air conditioning unit. I noticed that the rooms overlooking the pool did not have this problem but regardless a balcony on the park is a great feature.
While it is nice being a bit removed from the noise and nightlife, there is the issue of having to go all the way up Soi 4 any time you want to get out for a while. However this is not as big a problem as it may appear. Tuk tuks are common and the hotel even has its own for guests. There is a stand of motorbike cabs a two minute walk up Soi 4. You are always able to catch a ride to a Bangkok Transit station for under 100 Baht. The street has many hotels in it, as well as restaurants, a 7-Eleven nearby and several street food vendors. The bars around Nana in Soi 4 mostly cater to expats and foreigners, particularly the British, and you will see plenty of foreign visitors as you go about the day.
Nanatai Suites Property
The hotel has eight floors with a spacious lobby, large restaurant, free parking garage, ATM onsite, pool, gym, free wifi and for some reason: a hair salon. This property caters to solo and couple travelers doing extended traveling and I didn’t see any families during my stay. There are a lot of staff around and they are all very cool. What do I mean by very cool? They don’t go out of their way to fall all over you and they also don’t hassle you about anything. At one point I even saw a pair of women staying here and one of them was passed out, presumably drinking too much. The staff just tossed her on a bellhop cart and rolled her up to her room. So… cool?
This is a budget hotel and is among the most competitive on price. Even so the pool is fairly impressive. It is a couple floors up above the street and has a privacy fence, over which can be seen trees and various rooftops as well as slices of the Bangkok skyline. The large loungers are comfortable and the pool doesn’t get crowded. Pool towels are provided and service from the restaurant can be ordered to the pool via a dedicated phone. The pool area is also home to a rough and ready gym and a pair of pool tables, making it a nice place to hang out for a good part of the day. You may see it described online as an indoor pool but it is not.
Nanatai Suites Guest Rooms
I booked the more expensive superior room. It is large, with a queen bed, a dining table for two, balcony, refrigerator, desk, sofa and coffee table. There’s still a lot of space to move around in besides.
You need the room key to turn the power on, but the AC cools the room after about 10 minutes. The room is clean and was serviced daily during my stay, but was a little short on amenities. There are no carpeted areas here so pack your slippers or sandals. The TV gets about 3 channels in English. The coffee situation is a little dire. The stuff in the restaurant is bad and 7Eleven or the Thai coffee on the street limits you to very small cups. It is a schlep up to Starbucks on Sukhumvit.
Speaking of the restaurant, I opted in to the $6 breakfast buffet each morning and this was a mistake. The food is just not very good and certainly not worth the 380 baht they are asking. If you are thinking about booking, skip this and try your luck outside. I ended up getting mango rice to keep in the fridge.
The bathroom is small. Unusually small for a room of this size. It is clean but also showing a lot of deferred maintenance, much more than is evident around the rest of the property. It is functional for a solo traveler but a couple traveling together will probably face some issues here, especially in a climate that demands two showers a day.
Overall Impression
If you’re on the fence about booking at Nanatai Suites consider this a green light. With so many hotels in this street it is hard to know which ones are decent and which are best to avoid until you actually lay your head down to stay there. I had no issues at Nanatai Suites and I can’t see where anyone else shopping for a sub-$40 room would see cause to complain either. Book a refundable rate online with confidence.
