Natasha Todd

Set right in the heart of Old Bangkok this quirky little hotel/hostel sits right in eye view of the huge tourist attraction the Giant Swing and is just a ten minute walk from the world famous Khoa San Road. A backpackers paradise the road is known for it’s eccentric night life which involves plenty of bustling bars and an amplitude of dubious food offerings (fried tarantulas to be exact). So heading here after a day exploring the city is a must in many young travellers minds.With most of Bangkok’s amazing offerings being just short taxi rides away from the hotel it is really easy to get around to do some great sight seeing. On our first day in Bangkok we headed to the phenomenally beautiful Grand Palace and Wat Pho Temples. We decided to walk there as it seemed a pretty simple route and overall it took about fifteen minutes to get there. In Thailand the streets are often heaving with Taxis and Tuk-Tuks however so if you don’t fancy the walk then a ride would only take five to ten minutes depending on traffic (which can be pretty hectic in Bangkok). In the opposite direction heading away from the river you will head towards the vast city centre filled with colossal skyscrapers and many many shopping centres, you will also find this is just a quick ten minute taxi ride away too. Therefore overall the location is pretty centre to all the city attractions you might want to visit so I can’t recommend it more for this.

Ching Cha is simply a mixture of a hotel and hostel. With bunk rooms for travellers looking for affordable travel to private rooms for those more interested in a little privacy it is a wonderful infusion of budget accommodation with the classiness of a hotel. We opted for a Private Room ourselves which came in the wonderful shape of a pod! Basically a circular pod room which although was rather small with space just for the beds it was still endearing to say the least. Though the room may have lacked space the en-suite however was a very spacious well designed bathroom which had the cutest little pug shaped tap!! Facilities for our private room included free bottles of water replenished every day, a hairdryer, large flat screen TV, free wifi and of course towels.As mentioned before, because Ching cha has shared dorms also it meant that on certain floors there were also shared bathrooms. These were also beautifully designed with unique little animal tap heads and green plants a plenty! Downstairs in the reception room there were computers for guests to use and plenty of tourism books and comfy chairs to plonk yourself down in if you wanted to plan your visit to Bangkok down to a tee.

The most enticing of Ching Cha’s facilities however is at the very top of the building and can be found on the roof, for yes – I am talking about a Rooftop Bar. During the morning this area is where guests come to recover from perhaps the night before and grab themselves a bite to eat of Breakfast. It is optional when you book your stay to book the breakfast included in your trip however if you haven’t done this then you can still arrange with reception to have this added on. During the night the roof then turns into a bustling little bar which serves the most delicious cocktails. I highly recommend the strawberry daiquiri if you like something sweet!

———- AFFORDABILITY ———-