Bangkok became our home base city, with Suk 11 our true home away from home during our 3.5 months in Southeast Asia.  A fantastic guesthouse in a great location, with plenty of amenities and super friendly owners and workers, Suk 11 is perfect for travelers of all ages.

Address

1/13 Sukhumvit 11
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
02-253 5927

Location

Suk 11 is located in the expat area called Sukhumvit.  It’s in a little alley-way off the main street, so there is no traffic right outside the building, making it much quieter than most other areas of Bangkok.  While you won’t get the most authentic Thai experience here in this neighborhood, it’s certainly better than the popular backpacker ghetto of Khao San Road.  Little Arabia is nearby, with tons of fantastic Middle Eastern restaurants and shops all around.  A massive outdoor market is open for most of 24 hours all along Sukhumvit, with souvenir possibilities around every turn.  Lot of rip-offs of popular name brand clothing and other items, including pirated CD’s and DVD’s.  There is a great little supermarket right across the street from Suk 11, and there are plenty of street carts all along Soi 11, so you can get lots of great food for cheap.  Cheap Charlie’s, a makeshift open-air bar, opens at nighttime in the same alley-way as Suk 11, and there are also two great little Indian restaurants in the buildings next door.  If you’re looking for a Guinness or football fix, head right next door to The Pickled Liver.  A Skytrain stop is a few blocks away, making getting around the city extremely easy.

Cost

Suk 11 has both dorm rooms and privates, with shared bath and ensuite available.  Here are the costs as of July 2011:

Shared Bath

• Single-  $16 US/night
• Double-  $22US
• Triple-  $29US

Ensuite

• Single-  $21/night
• Double-  $29/night
• Triple-  $38/night

All rooms are non-smoking and air conditioned.  All rates include breakfast.

Layout

Suk 11 is a pretty big place, but it never gets loud or annoying.  This is definitely a family friendly hostel and not for partying.  There are plenty of partying possibilities around Bangkok and the Sukhumvit area.  There is a nice little outdoor area near the entrance, with tables, chairs, reading materials, and plenty of fans to keep the air moving in the humid Bangkok weather.  The lobby is a nice little common area of table and chairs and is also where they serve breakfast.  The second floor provides another common area, with a few couches and bookshelves near a few computer stations.  There is also a closed off room with air conditioning, a big screen TV, DVD player, and plenty of movies to choose from.  A great place to chill out in the afternoon to get out of the heat.  And despite the size of Suk 11, this room never seemed to be packed with people.  The decorations and layout is very unique, cool, and funky, with a very Asian feel to the dimly lit hallways.  There is a rooftop deck that we didn’t utilize much (I would imagine that it would be better in the cooler months).

The rooms were very spacious and quite nice.  Pretty basic, but the beds were HUGE in the double rooms, there was plenty of space, and the bathrooms were always very clean and nice.  Simple and basic but quite nice.  If you face the front of the building, it can get a bit loud at night sometimes depending on the crowd down at Cheap Charlie’s, but it was never too bad.

Breakfast

The breakfast at Suk 11 was an added bonus.  They obviously had the standard fare of toast, jams, fresh tropical fruit, coffee, tea, and juice, but they went above and beyond what most do for their included breakfast.  Suk 11 adds a few authentic Thai breakfast dishes to its menu each morning, giving the breakfast a little added flair.  It’s the little things that set hostels apart from one another, and this little added bonus did a great job for Suk 11.

Amenities/Computer Access

There are a few computer stations located on the second floor and do cost a nominal fee to use.  Wi-fi is offered in the lobby and on the second floor (the signal can be picked up in some rooms), also for a small fee.  I hate paying for wi-fi and try to get around it as much as possible, and if you stay at Suk 11, you can snatch it for free in certain areas.  The Pickled Liver is a bar right next door to Suk 11, and their wi-fi signal can be picked up in the lobby and common areas on the second floor (and in a few rooms in and around the common areas).  No password necessary.

Hospitality

Great customer service is always welcome and really helps put a hostel over the top.  Suk 11′s owners and staff were nothing but kind during all our stays there.  Always smiling, friendly, and willing to help out with any questions you may have.  They have several booklets with information for traveling around Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, and the staff has no problems answering any questions you may have.

Crowd

The crowd was one of the best parts of Suk 11, with a huge mix of travelers.  There were the gap year travelers, the college students on summer break, 20 and 30-somethings like us just traveling around or on vacation, families with children, and retirees.  It was a fantastic mix, and it truly makes Suk 11 the place for everyone.