We stayed in the Orchid Room for two nights at the start of our time in Thailand, and absolutely loved it. We took a taxi to the airport (which was quite a lot cheaper than the rate offered by OBI to collect us) and arrived to a warm welcome and some refreshing lemon iced tea. The Orchid Room was even better than I had imagined from the website - very spacious, lovely tones of pink and lots of dark wood. The stairs to the mezzanine bedroom area are very steep, as mentioned in other reviews - going down backwards helps! There is free internet access in the room which was a bonus as we had a fair bit of planning to do,

Again as noted elsewhere the breakfasts were to die for - tons of fruit, lovely pancakes and great rice. The coffee was brilliant.

The staff are lovely and very helpful with suggestions. Checkout is in the morning but we left our bags and were able to use a shower room before catching our overnight train to Chiang Mai.

The hotel is in a great location about 10 minutes from Khao San Road and about 20 minutes walk from the Grand Palace.

I really recommend this place.

I hesitate to say just how much my husband and I loved our stay at The Old Bangkok Inn simply because I'd like to think it was still our little secret, and yet we can't help telling anyone we know who might be planning a trip to Bangkok that we can't imagine a more perfect place to stay at any price. The location, the charm and comfort of the rooms, the delicious and authentic breakfasts, the very reasonable rates ,(with the added bonus of being a "green" enviornmentally conscious establishment),and most of all the warm and generous hospitality of the owner Nantiya and her son, were all we could have hoped for and more. Every morning they would sit and go over our map with us and help us make our plans for the day. The Inn is situated such that most of the major sights ,particularly in the old part of town,are within walking distance or pretty easy to get to. Each evening when we returned we'd find a hand-writted note and a small gift on our pillow. We certainly felt well cared for and welcomed.
Each room is beautifully and individually decorated in gentle, soothing colors and lovely antiques,yet with the necessary amenities, such internet access, TV and air-conditioning, and in various configurations that can accomadate a couple traveling alone or a family with children.My husband and I were there for three days and stayed in the Jasmine room which is snug but has a quiet ,private outdoor space in which to recuperate from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. I wouldn't want to stay any where else on our next visit to Bangkok.

Not only does the Old Bangkok Inn have beautiful, clean, spacious, quiet rooms close to transportation and a helpful, welcoming staff, but the breakfasts are to die for. Fabulously fresh fruit, chinese donuts, coconut cream filled pancakes, eggs, yogurt, toast and jam, and the BEST congee we've had in Asia. Coffee, selection of teas, juices... The quantity is enough to fill you up 'til dinner (not that you'd ever skip a meal in Thailand!) and everything is fresh and delicious. A foodie's find!

First the good stuff:

All of the staff were very helpful and sweet. I loved the lobby and people watching while having breakfast (the food was fantastic.) I really liked the furniture throughout the place, all of the dark wood and unique pieces were very nice. The hotel was in the area we wanted to be, we walked everywhere and we were left small gifts from the lovely owner Nantiya, which was a very nice touch. Nantiya is a gem, I cannot fault her for any of the minor problems that we experienced and I did not feel compelled to complain.

After reading the accolades in Conde Nast I guess my expectations were pretty high.

The not so great stuff:

Our driver (that we coordinated thru the hotel beforehand) that was to get us at the airport didn't wait for us because we took too long at passport control (the line was insane... but from what I heard it's always like this) after spending 17 hours on a plane and 1 1/2 waiting on line... the last thing I wanted to do was walk around looking for a sign with my name and have to figure out how to phone the hotel. Please don't think that I am nitpicking - if it were NY I would have jumped in a cab, but after hearing all the stories that Bangkok taxis will never be able to find the place.... After contacting the hotel (the hotel contacted the airport taxi desk to arrange for a car, which worked out fine - but we wasted an hour.)

We arrived and had to fill out the regular paperwork and choose breakfast, we were shown to our room which was dark and very warm the AC didn't seem to have been turned on for some time (I know that they are a green hotel... but a stuffy room on arrival?). As we were shown the bathroom downstairs thats were my problem of our stay was discovered... waterbugs, they scattered back down into their tile lair when we walked down the stairs... the shower was open to outside - the only thing separating outside and inside was a roll down bamboo screen (the same with the toilet) I am a traveler, I am tough... but I am terrified of bugs. My husband and I saw them on the wall in the shower as well. The was a tile with an opening that seems to connect with the drain, thats were they were coming from. I did my best to put it out of my mind (and move the shower mat over it), now that I really think about it I find it unacceptable at a hotel of that caliber to have water bugs running around. The room itself was nice, if a bit dark (we never saw any bugs in the bedroom.)

As lovely as Nantiya is.. after visiting Bangkok we know we could stay in a comparable place (room wise / location wise at least) for much less $.