When my mother told me that she found a Taiwanese operated guesthouse in Bangkok and suggested to stay there in our pre-CNY trip, I thought we hit a jackpot! Finally, we are staying at a place with staffs speaking a language which we could comprehend - Mandarin!
It was not just Mandarin speaking staffs, but also all things Taiwanese such as Chinese instructions, Taiwanese guesthouse rules - no rubbish into the toilet bowl as well as proper introductions to everything in Bangkok all in Mandarin. You will need to book through their booking form in their website and the guesthouse will then contact you via email. Do take note that all correspondences are in Chinese and I am glad that my mother is Chinese literate.
This guesthouse is fairly new because they have just moved 30 metres down from its previous location Sukhumvit Soi 81 only in November 2014. However, AK House has been in operation for a couple of years. We stayed with AK House in January 2015 and out of the 4 days, we met Taiwanese staffs who worked at the guesthouse on a working holiday program and local Thai staffs who could barely speak any English but conversationally and decent Mandarin or Thai.
For an English educated person like me, I had no trouble navigating around the guesthouse despite all things written in Chinese. There is a lift connecting all floors and it is only 4 storey high. Each floor is quiet presumably and if you are a light sleeper, do remember to request for quiet room away from the busy Soi 81. The room which was assigned to us is a room on the fourth floor facing the roof or the back of local residential houses. So, it was really quiet and we had quality sleep.
It is not just an ordinary guesthouse as it also appeared like a boutique hotel. The beddings, linens and decorations used were vibrant, warm and a fusion between Taiwanese and Thai art together. So, the iconic colour for this guesthouse is orange. Room rates starts from THB1200 a night for two. Bed is kingsize, overhead shower, hundreds of channels on the TV, bottled water, coffee and tea are replenished every day in your room for you and unless you instruct the guesthouse to make up the room for you, then only they would do so. There will be Mandarin speaking staffs between the hours of 7am to 7pm and just a local Thai security guard after that who could barely speak any English or Mandarin.
Once you have made the booking and the booking has been confirmed by the guesthouse, you will then be provided with a PDF file containing the directions to the guesthouse via taxi or sky train (BTS). The nearest skytrain to the guesthouse is BTS On Nut (pronounced as on-noo). "Nearest" is an understatement because you will need to walk about 7 minutes into Soi 81 before reaching the guesthouse. There are also motorcycle taxis available at the beginning of Soi 81 just underneath the skytrain station if you don't feel like walking. Rates differ depending on distance but it begins at THB20. BTS On Nut is about 5-6 stops away from BTS Siam but only 2-3 stops away from BTS Thong Lor for your mango sticky rice fix.
Instructions courtesy of AK House. All copyrights belonged to AK House and I am using these for illustration purpose.
When using a taxi from the airport to the guesthouse, remember to have the guesthouse's address in Thai and the guesthouse's mobile number handy. Our taxi driver got lost (I seriously think he is pretending to be so) and I dialled the number for the taxi driver on his handphone. Remember to insist on using metered taxi regardless of how much the taxi driver tells you. Our driver offered a flat rate of THB600 (to include the tollway fares) from Don Mueang (DMK) airport to the guesthouse but at the end it only costed us THB480 including the tollway fees of THB120. The taxi ride was almost an hour due to ridiculous traffic jam into the city.
Sukhumvit Soi 81 (soi means street) is a quiet street away from downtown or CBD (central business district) in Bangkok, so it really felt as though you are staying and living in Bangkok just like the locals. There is a 7-Eleven nearby for your daily needs (thank God!) and a local drugstore, massage parlour, launderette; all are just walking distance from the guesthouse (under 2 minutes walk). There is not much of a night life around the guesthouse per se but you can find a small night market and street food near the BTS On Nut station. Tesco Lotus is on the other side of the BTS station and there is an elevated walkway to Tesco upon exiting the skytrain. You may get your Rabbit card (BTS card like Oyster card in London) where you can preload credit in them and used them as and when you get in to the skytrain. The Rabbit card has an expiry of 2 years so if you plan to visit the city the following year, just keep the card if not you can have the deposit of the card (THB50) refunded to you together with any leftover balance in the card.
AK Travel
AK Travel is AK House's sister company which organises local tours in and out of Bangkok city. We signed up for a day tour to Hua Hin with AK Travel. There is a van which will take us to the AK Travel's office at Chit Lom from our guesthouse at On Nut. Similarly, after your trip, the van will also drop you back to the guesthouse. The excursion to Hua Hin starts at 8.30am and finishes about 12 hours later. Costed THB1650 per person, it included transport, petrol, tollway fees and all entrance fees to the local attractions.
Itinerary
AK Travel - Marukathaiyawan Palace/Palace of Love & Hope, Cha Am - Plearn Wan (Vintage Eco Village), Hua Hin - Hua Hin Railway Station - Hua Hin Beach - Santorini Park, Cha Am - AK Travel
Marukathaiyawan Palace
Plearn Wan
Hua Hin Railway Station
Hua Hin Beach
Santorini Park
Tollway R&R for toilet and snack break to and fro Hua Hin from Bangkok.
In conclusion, it is very rare to see a guesthouse/hotel that also has its own travel agency for tourists especially Taiwanese ones (we're Malaysians and they don't seem to mind as long as we could speak Mandarin) and their service is top notch. Taiwanese tend to speak very slowly and they take it easy. The driver who drove a group of us to Hua Hin was an excellent driver. He drove very fast despite having children in the van and he is helpful. The guides which AK Travel arranged are also Mandarin speaking, so not to worry about communication. He will also share his mobile number with the group in case we got lost during the trip. Motion sickness medicine are also provided for those who are prone to car sick.
I would recommend this guesthouse to everyone who speaks and read Taiwanese Chinese and Thailand people for one is not that fluent in English so, to save you some headache and if you could speak Chinese, stay with AK House. At least, you will be briefed and guided in Chinese before venturing out to Bangkok on your own.
