Phang Nga Inn: A home to stay at Phang Nga, Thailand
When you are a backpacker, you typically stay at budget hotels or hostels and hence when you get to stay at a lavish home for the cost of a budget hotel, you feel you are being pampered in spite of it not being too expensive. Such is the Phang Nga Inn located a couple of blocks away from the bus station at Phang Nga town in South Thailand. It used to be the house of a rich Thai family that has now been converted to a hotel. I stayed at this hotel for 4 nights and 5 days and this review is based on that experience.
1) The best part about this place is that it is not a hotel, but a house. I absolutely love such places. There is some class attached to such places. The rooms are large and the flooring is wooden. The family runs the place, so you feel more comfortable.
2) The house has many rooms and each room comes in different sizes and with different facilities. Each room is air-conditioned and the prices start at 500 THB and go up to 2000 THB. I opted for the room with a private bathroom, but the bathroom was downstairs in a different part of the house. I paid 500 THB for it.
3) The place has internet connectivity and TV in every room, though I never switched on the TV even once during my 5 day stay.
4) The place is very close to the food joints and is a 10-15 minute walk from the 3 different night markets of Phang Nga. The hotel serves a simple but nutritional English breakfast for 80 THB from 7 AM to 9 AM.
5) The people running this inn are very customer-oriented and will ensure that they try and address all your needs and questions. They are also pretty well versed in English. One can also hire a motorbike from them.
6) Most of the local sightseeing spots are a short walk away from the hotel and for the far away places, a motorbike can be hired.
7) The only problem with this place is that it is close to a supermarket where a restaurant plays loud music till midnight on festival days and on Friday and Saturday nights. This can annoy you if you get rooms that face the supermarket. If you are a light sleeper, do not take these rooms.
I would definitely recommend staying at Phang Nga Inn as it is a beautiful home where you can get to stay for a hotel’s price. Personally, I would stay with them when I return to Phang Nga.
