I get it. Bangkok is awash with affordable hotel options on points. You can find a perfectly respectable room for what seems like a bargain using your points. Or you can spend $575 and get a MONTH in a one bedroom Bangkok apartment, like I did, at the Rio Monte.
Yes, $18/night.
Instead of a basic hotel room I enjoyed a full air-conditioned and furnished 1 bedroom apartment in a residential neighborhood. I also had secure access with a doorman and a pool that was pretty much always empty. Best of all, a little cafe that would deliver Thai dishes I still remember for an average of $3.
I also get that not everyone has a month to spend…but even at 2 weeks or ten days you’re going to end up ahead on a month long rental. This just happens to be the one I picked when I stayed in Bangkok, and I had a good experience there. There are literally thousands of others.
My point is…points may not be the way to go in Southeast Asia. My whole time there I didn’t stay in a single points earning hotel. I can’t say I was any worse for the wear! Even my absolutely favorite hotel stay in the world, which will get it’s own blog post one day, was at a Thai chain.
How do you find these off the radar gems? VRBO.com would be my first search if you’re looking for a month or more as you can search flexibly by month. Look for keywords like “corporate apartment”, “serviced apartment”, “executive apartment” or “long-term rental”. For less than a month, as I showed above, I had good luck on Expedia.
Have you ever rented an apartment overseas? Please share your experiences in the comments!
