Ratchathewi Travel Guide – Visit Ratchathewi in Bangkok– Budget Travel In Thailand

Ratchathewi is situated near Bangkok’s commercial district where you can find huge malls, endless markets and the Siam transport hub.

However, just a few minutes walk from the commercial district, you will find a much different Bangkok: a much more traditional and often chaotic place with street food on every corner.

On our return to Bangkok, after almost a year travelling in Southeast Asia, we spent almost a week in the Khao San Road area. We were ready for a change of pace. We chose Ratchathewi mainly because it is where the weekly couchsurfing social events are held.

Where To Stay In Ratchathewi

There are a number of hostels offering well-priced dorms and private rooms. These are some of the best budget hostels in the Ratchathewi area, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Bed One Block Hostel
• S’NAP Hostel
• Siam Eco Hostel
• My Home N1
• OYO 685 Am Bed Hostel 
• OYO 480 Lemon Siam Hostel
• Diff Hostel
• Restiny Hostel
• Bangkok Legend guesthouse

Meetup Massage Hostel

We originally stayed at ‘Meetup Massage Hostel‘ (map) based on price, location and positive reviews.

There are dorms and private rooms (with and without private bathroom) available. The hostel is above a massage parlour which stays open until around 11 pm but you have access 24 hours.

The WiFi was usually decent but a little confusing as they had numerous connections with different passwords that sometimes did not work.

We extended our stay here and was told that we had to switch into the identical room next door as someone had booked a room for one night. I tried to explain that they could have the empty room as the rooms were exactly the same and it made no sense to move us from one room to another. The staff don’t speak English so it took a while before they realised what I was trying to say.

It’s a decent place to stay on a budget. It is very basic but the rooms are clean and come with great air-con.

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Bed Station Hostel

We also stayed in a hostel called ‘Bed Station Hostel’ (map). Here, we stayed in dorms. The beds were very comfortable and had curtains for privacy and charging points. Each bed came with its own locker, big enough to fit a backpack and more. The WiFi was excellent and the showers were clean and working well. Breakfast is provided and was pretty good; cereal and fruit as opposed to the usual eggs. There is a common area with movies, books and bean bags but nobody was being particularly sociable. The reception sells beers and there is a happy ‘hour’ from 7 to 9.30 pm where you can get two large beers for 150 baht. This is definitely a hostel worth considering if you are staying in the area.

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We paid £41 for two beds in a mixed dorm with shared bathroom for three nights.

Click here to book a stay at Bed Station Hostel.

Diff Hostel

Following our stay at ‘Bed Station’ we decided to finish our trip at the slightly more expensive ‘Diff Hostel’ (map).  This was where we ended our year long travel in Southeast Asia. The hostel was decent but nothing special to justify the increased price. It came with breakfast which was fried eggs with sausage. Asking for one without sausage for a veggie was not understood as it then came with chopped pork. The beds were comfortable but there was no locker for our backpacks. For the price, I expected a little bit more.

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We paid £54 for two beds in a mixed dorm with shared bathroom for three nights.

Click here to book a stay at Diff Hostel.

Food & Drink In Ratchathewi

From air-conditioned, modern malls to roadside street vendors, there are plenty of food options in this area. There are also many bars with live music into the small hours.

73 Bar

No-frills bar with cheap beer and live music. The music here is usually Thai which makes a change from the standard cover bands. Map.

Bang Dee

A small cafe, popular with locals, selling Halal biryanis and curries. On Fridays, they serve lamb biryani, which is what I went for. The rice was nicely spiced and the lamb fell off the bone. Map.

Casa Lapin Specialty Coffee

Most expensive coffee we had in this area. No water offered and we even had to fetch our coffees ourselves. Overpriced. Map.

Grandmother

Located in the popular Coco Walk complex, this restaurant is surprisingly cheap. Expect to pay around the same as most street food in the area. The food was quick to arrive and was decent without being amazing. Map. This was my last meal in Southeast Asia.

KruaSunee Kitchen

Typical Thai cafe selling a variety of local dishes. Most meals are less than 80 baht (with the exception of seafood) and are cooked fresh to order. My crispy pork belly red curry was delicious. Be warned, it is a little spicy! Map.

Lazy Mary Coffee

Decent coffee at a reasonable price in a relaxed environment. Many sockets available should you wish to use your electronic devices. Map.

MBK Center

MBK Center is a huge mall with over 2000 shops. You will find the usual fast-food restaurants here but head to the 6th floor and you will find a food court selling all kinds of wonderful Thai food for very reasonable prices. It’s like street-food but with air-con! You have to topup a card to make purchases but you get any unspent money refunded. Map.

Nissaree

One of many Halal restaurants in the area surrounding the Darul Aman Mosque. Typical Thai dishes at excellent prices. Not the biggest portions but very tasty. Map.

Quest Connaisseur Cafe Bangkok

It’s a little pricier than most places but the coffee here is excellent. It’s a nice, airy cafe with good WiFi; perfect for working on your laptop, as many customers were doing. The only coffee shop in the area I visited twice. Map.

Rock Pub

If you enjoy letting your hair down and like your music hard and heavy, then this is the bar for you. Drinks are expensive but there is no cover charge on the door and there is always live music. Map.

Skate Cafe

Located in the ‘Coco Walk’ complex which is home to many bars and restaurants. We have visited ‘Skate Cafe’ on numerous occasions as it is the location for the weekly couchsurfing social evenings. If you wish to meet up with other travellers, head to Skate Bar on a Wednesday night. Map.

Soi Petchaburi 5/10

These two streets are filled with street food vendors selling curries, grilled meat and fish and all kinds of delicious Thai foods. It was the first food we had in Thailand on the start of our trip and we were very happy to be returning to sample more of its tasty treats! Map.

See my post ‘things to do in Bangkok‘ for suggestions on activities in the area.

Is Ratchathewi Worth Visiting?

The Ratchathewi district is a great place to base yourself whilst visiting Bangkok. There is great street food, lively bars, huge malls and cinemas, and you can reach just about anywhere else in the city from the Siam transport hub. It is definitely worth considering staying in this area.