Bangkok: Artist's Place (Hostel)

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Address: 61-3 soi thiam bunyang, Thonburi , Bangkok 10600, South-east asia
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Lonely Planet review

A wonderful haven from the chaos of Bangkok where you can stay, paint, hangout and enjoy the generous hospitality of your in-house artist and host, Charlee. The rooms are basic but the welcome is warm. It is down a small laneway in the old city of Thonburi (west of the river).

You are greeted by a bric-a-brac entry filled with odd artefacts and statues, with canvases stacked against the wall. Charlee, a soft-eyed man with excellent English, invites you to sit, stop and have a coffee. Jazz is playing down the rickety stairs. Suddenly the world stops spinning so fast and you think, well, maybe I'll stay a while. The first floors are studios filled with Charlee's paintings (he also takes art classes). Further up are the colourfully painted rooms (fan or air-con) that, admittedly, have crappy mattresses and thin old sheets. Sure, greater creature comforts are available elsewhere, but what other guesthouse has musical instruments to borrow, a studio to paint in and a communal rooftop? Not to mention free tea, coffee and laundry (no kidding!). While difficult to find, you can walk or motorbike to the river and cross to the Saphan Taksin skytrain.