I normally don’t leave bad reviews. I’m well aware that not everything is going to be perfect 100% of the time and I’m not one to let a couple of little things ruin my experience. That said, as much as I tried to see the silver linings at Sala Arun, at the end of the day I simply cannot recommend this hotel.
My wife and I booked a 3 night stay at Sala Arun at the beginning of our two week trip in Thailand. We arrived after more than 24 hours of door to door travel and were pleasantly surprised that our room was ready, despite us arriving a couple hours before check in.
Upon walking up the stairs to our room, we immediately noticed a damp, musty smell. Not a big deal, but something we took a mental note of. We had a room on an upper floor that faced Wat Arun. The view from the room and balcony was absolutely breathtaking but it is simply not enough to make up for what was to come.
After getting settled in we went out to explore the neighborhood and get some food. We eventually made it back and, jet lagged, decided we would take it easy and go to bed around 8:30 PM. Shortly after falling asleep, we were awakened by loud noise on the river. As it turns out, there are throngs of party boats and river cruises that pass by blasting music from around 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. The noise was so loud that we could hear it through our ear plugs. There was also a lot of loud noise from people going up and down the stairs through the night to access the rooftop bar. Despite all the noise we were eventually we were able to go back to sleep. However, I woke up very early to find a cockroach in the bathroom.
This experience continued during our second night with more loud boats, load people going up to the bar and unfortunately, another roach in the bathroom. At this point we were so frustrated that we nearly left in the middle of the night. However, we decided that it would not be worth the effort and we would stick it out.
Our final night was slightly better. We still had loud boats passing by at all hours but we did not find any roaches. Needless to say we were glad to pack up and move on the next day.
I quite frankly am not sure how this hotel is so highly regarded. Yes, the view and location are both amazing but between the noise and the roaches it was nearly impossible to get any kind of meaningful rest. There are so many excellent hotels at this price point in the city that I cannot recommend Sala Arun, especially to those who are looking for a place to relax and rejuvenate a bit after a long day of travel. If you take the view away, the experience is more akin to a budget hostel as opposed to a boutique hotel.
Despite our poor experience, I do want to take a moment to acknowledge the staff. Everyone from the front desk staff to the cleaning staff and the servers at breakfast was very hard working and attentive. They were friendly and were sincerely trying very hard to help us make the most out of our experience. The staff were truly wonderful but the issues we experienced need to be addressed by the management and the hotel owners. If they could take care of the pests and do a bit better job of soundproofing the rooms (tightly sealed doors and double pane windows would help) this would truly be a hotel worthy of its price point.
