Thong Ta Resort: Cheap 1-Night Stay in Bangkok
I've been to Bangkok twice before, but this was my first time arriving at night. Even for a guy, traveling alone at night in a foreign country can be sketchy, so taking a taxi was a must. That's why I booked a cheap hotel with an airport pickup service before leaving Korea—a place with the very Thai-sounding name, "Thong Ta Resort."
After arriving at the airport, I went to the designated meeting point and encountered a crowd that looked ready to pick up every single person arriving in Bangkok. It seems they set up a designated area at Suvarnabhumi Airport for all the pickup services, but it was incredibly chaotic. I anxiously scanned through about thirty pieces of paper, worrying my name wouldn't be there, but thankfully it was. The staff member gruffly told me to wait in front, and then told me to wait further away. I couldn't figure out their system at all. Do they call people at a specific time, or do they wait until they have enough people to fill a car? They didn't explain anything; they just told me to wait. I got thirsty and briefly stepped away to buy water, and a whole group disappeared. I asked them to take me too, but they said it wasn't my turn yet. I guess they have their own way of calculating things.
Looking around, I saw quite a few people looking just as clueless as I was. I spotted some guys around my age looking at the Thong Ta Resort sign and going through the exact same process. I thought, "Ah! If I stick close to them, that makes three of us, so they'll have to take us!" and made sure not to let them out of my sight. After waiting for about 30 minutes, they finally gestured toward us, and we headed outside to get in the car. As we moved, I realized that the online review saying "the pickup guy is rude AF" was incredibly honest and accurate.
Because of the bad service at the airport, I was worried the hotel service would be terrible too, but thankfully they were super friendly despite the late hour. There was a bellboy to help carry my luggage (I gave him a small tip), and the lady checking me in spoke fluent English, making the process a breeze. The room was exactly what you'd expect for the price. The interior looked a bit shabby, but it wasn't really missing anything. The shower room felt like a really cheap motel, but the hot water worked perfectly fine. The one downside was the AC: it blasted so strongly that it was freezing when on, but hot when turned off. There's no room service or anything fancy, but it's absolutely perfect for a one-night stay.
In the morning, the resort's nice exterior finally caught my eye. They must really like cute dolls because almost all the decorations were dolls. No wonder the kids were running around everywhere instead of eating their breakfast. Thong Ta also offers a transfer service from the resort back to the city center or the airport. It really is a place perfectly tailored for travelers arriving late at night. Would I stay here again? (Assuming the airport pickup was friendly) Thinking about it, I think it's a solid choice. Now that I've experienced it once, I won't expect much from the airport pickup, and I roughly know where to sit and wait, so it wouldn't be difficult at all.