If you've been following my blog, you'd know I visited Bangkok this June with the boyfriend on a short 1 week trip. During our trip, we stayed at the lovely Asadang, a small quaint bed and breakfast sitting by the side of a canal, a mere 10 minutes away from Wat Pho. Though I'm not paid to write this review, the staff and our stay was so lovely that I am compelled to write a review on it. And here it is, along with a couple of photos of our stay there.

Sao, one of the lovely staff in the dining area of the Asadang

Aside from the cheap food & shopping, the main draw of bangkok to me is really Thai hospitality. It is unassuming, gentle, thoughtful, and sincere.
That, in essence, is exactly what the Asadang is.


The Asadang is a bed and breakfast housed in a three-storey shophouse located at the corner of Soi Praya Si. The exterior is very modest looking- walking by on the street, it is easy for one to miss it or mistake it for a residential building. Once you step inside the building however, you will be impressed by the details and how quaint and lovely the furniture and architecture of the place is.

reception & waiting area

chalkboard sign & some souvenirs (fans, rattan balls)

waiting area at reception

Upon your arrival you will be seated at the reception area and asked to help fill in a guest information form. The staff then serve you lovely drinks (iced tea!) to cool you down from the smothering heat outside. After you're done with your drinks, the staff then present you with a map of the area & room key and provide you a briefing of various attractions to explore within the vicinity of the Asadang.

map of the area & room key with vintage bell attached

Out of the 9 unique rooms in the bnb, we stayed in the Ratchabopit room, which was located on the third floor. The last flight of stairs from the 2nd floor up to the room is very narrow, so I would advise you against booking this room if you are traveling with elderly, small children or travelers with limited mobility. However for the both of us this was fine.

Up the flight of stairs & a old wooden door, a room with a calming floral scent greets you upon your arrival. The staff had very thoughtfully burnt some calming floral incense & switched on the air conditioning prior to our arrival so that when we settled in we felt very at home.

the Ratchabopit room

We had especially selected this room because of the old-Asian style low bed on a raised wooden platform, which is very unique compared to traditional western four-poster beds. The blue patterned sheet covers and lovely green cushions give the bed a very laid-back vibe.

comfy asian-style bed

The small wooden rocking chair at the corner of the bed, flowers in the vase and small ornaments placed near the television add finishing touches to the 'old bangkok' feel of the room.  

The room is filled with glass panels that almost reach the floor, letting in a lot of natural light, giving the room a lot of warmth and character. In the afternoons though, it can get a bit hot with all the sunlight coming in, but it's not a problem as there are blinds that you can lower to prevent too much light from getting through. 

Another draw for us that the Ratchabopit room has is it's lovely private balcony and 'outside bathroom'. The private balcony and bathroom is located to the right of the room and can be accessed via a small wooden panelled door. 


On the balcony sits a long bench that can comfortably sit four people, a small round table, some plants and a rattan stool. During our 3 night stay at the Asadang this become our favourite resting place. It's also a nice place to sit and watch the locals (from across the canal) go about their daily lives, or just to look at the low-storey buildings across from the Asadang. 


Looking across from the balcony, the first thing that hits you is the view of Wat Ratchabopit, a small temple located a mere 5 minutes walk away from the Asadang, which the Ratchabopit room is named after. Though the boyfriend and I both agreed the view was nothing to shout about, this does add to the uniqueness of this room and is interesting. 

To the side of the balcony area is a wooden paneled door that opens to the shower and toilet area. There is no bathtub (pressumably because this is on the 3rd floor) but a spacious shower, which was adequate for us. The boyfriend and I generally prefer bnbs/hotels with bathtubs but out of the 9 rooms in the Asadang, only the Asadang suite, which is the most expensive and spacious room, located on the 2nd floor, had a bathroom. We considered the difference in decor/layout (Asadang has a more standard western style four-poster bed) & the cost difference (more than 1000 baht) and decided on Ratchabopit. 

wash basin & shower area

Aside from the lovely room, dining at the Asadang was a daily highlight for us. For a bed and breakfast, even with an excellent 'bed', it would not be complete without an impressive breakfast. In this aspect the Asadang is indeed impressive. The dining area is located right next to the reception on the first floor and is decorated with beautifully maintained vintage furniture, paintings and ornaments. 


A stay at the Asadang includes a daily breakfast and afternoon tea, both which are delicious, particularly the breakfast. For breakfast, an option of Thai or Western style breakfast is given, and you can select the drinks (coffee/tea/juices) you want from a menu, and this has to be done the night before you have your breakfast.

deciding what to eat for breakfast

Though the western spread, which the boyfriend had one morning, is quite adequate, the boyfriend and I both love the Asadang's Thai breakfast, which much more impressive. It comes in a set of very old-school-looking green rimmed pastel yellow tins. The staff open each of the tins and set them on the dining table in front of you, explaining what each of the foods are.

Amazing spread for breakfast

Great way to start the morning

The breakfast items for the Thai-style breakfast change every morning but typically consist of a sweet appetizer, fruits/jelly, a main (rice or noodle based) and a side (e.g. meat). Here are the photos of the Thai breakfast we had on the other 2 days of our stay:

Thai Chicken rice, egg-yolk sweet appetizer, fried fritters and watermelon

Mangosteen, Thai barbecued pork with rice, assorted fried rolls & coconut sweet appetizer

Aside from the sumptous breakfast, the complimentary afternoon tea (served from afternoon till 5/6pm) is something you shouldn't miss. Typically they serve any drink (e.g. coffee/thai iced tea) and a dessert (mango sticky rice or coconut ice cream). We had coconut ice cream on both afternoons and it was a lovely way to cool down after a long day outside in the bangkok heat.

amazing coconut ice cream and tasty milk tea

Aside from the 'breakfast' and the 'bed', another important element for any accomodation is the location. Sick and tired of the typical chain hotels located within vicinity of shopping malls, we were looking for a place to stay that could offer us a unique old-bangkok experience.

For me I really liked that the Asadang is located within walking distance to 2 major attractions- the Wat Pho and Grand emerald Palace. It is also just a short bus ride or taxi ride away from Yaraowat, or Chinatown, which is a nice place to have dinner, and a comfortable 15-20 minutes walk to the crowded, crazy, cheap and cheerful Khao San Road, where you can buy cheap clothes and street eats.

More importantly, the Asadang is also within 5 minutes walk to Wat Ratchabopit, which we visited on our last day at the Asadang. Unlike the Wat Pho or Palace, it is a small temple compound with a school in it, and offers visits a very unique and un-touristy temple experience. Here are some photos of the temple grounds and school:


getting a hair cut at the temple school 

authentic temple experience minus the crazy crowds

We visited on a weekday morning, and aside from us, there were virtually no tourists around. The peace and quiet of the temple grounds and smiles that greeted us from the temple staff made the visit very memorable. We also managed to catch a few monks on the grounds, going our their daily activities. 
A monk, shocked by the presence of us tourists (since presumably this is not a main tourist attraction and they get very few visitors) struck up a conversation with us while we were visiting. He was all smiles when we said we are from Singapore and welcomed us and bid us an enjoyable stay. 



The 'bed', the 'breakfast', and the quirky location all sum up to make the Asadang a really wonderful bed and breakfast. Though it is slightly on the pricer side, all in all the boyfriend and I agree our experience was worth every cent we paid. (Also helped that we booked it while there was a stay 3 for 2 offer, look out for that on their website). I didn't manage to take any picture of the staff (except the very 1st photo above), but they are all kind, sincere people who went out of their way to help us and make our stay comfortable, from helping us hail a cab on the road in the rain, to making recommendations for where to eat.

I hope by now, I've convinced you, or at least enticed you to stay at the Asadang to try the 'old bangkok' experience. The boyfriend and I had a lovely time, and I think you will too.