Hanging out with Lub d in Bangkok: a review

My new pets at Lub d Silom Bangkok.

Industrial. It’s not necessarily a word I’d normally use to describe a place to sleep. Instead, I might associate it with somewhere like a steel mill. And experience has taught me that generally a place for making steel doesn’t normally make a relaxing place to sleep. Ok, I haven’t actually racked up that particular experience, but I’m fairly certain of the theory.

It’s got something of the Crystal Maze going on…

In the case of Bangkok’s Lub d Silom hostel though, industrial is exactly the sort of word I’m going to use to describe it, because industrial is what it is.

Loving the industrial feel of the central staircase

Lub in Thai translates as sleep, whilst D translates as well. And sleeping well is the end goal at this hostel that somehow manages to pull off a marriage of warm, friendly, welcoming hospitality and a funky industrial design.

They call Thailand the land of smiles, and the welcome at reception was no exception!

Opened back in 2008, this hostel was purposely built from the inside out to be a place to stay. It was apparent from the moment we walked through the door and were welcomed with smiles that everything has been well thought out.

The main areas are open and spacey, with loads of personal touches to bring a smile to the face. These range from the crashed elephant in the entrance hallway to the stuffed monkeys swinging from the bar lamps.

The large common area with bar for hanging out / web surfing / drinking beer / meeting new friends!

The leaft lined street of the front entrance and terrace. There’s useful information like this map all over the hostel, including handy Thai phrases and maps of public transport.

Oh yes, bar lamps. There’s a bar, serving reasonably priced beers, as well as food. The wi-fi is free, fast, and found all over the hostel. If you didn’t bring your own internet device (are you people still out there?), you can get online at the internet station, which is next to the tourism info stand.

Want some ideas for what do do in Bangkok and beyond? The tourism stand is where to go. Plus the hostel arranges various night time activities, from bar tours to snack events. Which you can get involved with.. or ignore entirely. The choice is yours!

There’s also a laundry room (with iron… people clearly holiday differently to me) and a movie theatre complete with bean bags. Or you can just hang out on the street facing balcony area and enjoy a nice cold beer.

A guest enjoys breakfast on the front balcony terrace of the hostel

Of course, all these features don’t really add up to anything if the most important part of the hostel experience isn’t up to scratch – the sleeping arrangements and cleanliness. Which, I’m pleased to report, are both entirely spectacular. They even won a Hostelbookers award for the latter.

I loved all the little details adorning the walls. And of course the movie room!

Accommodation at Lub d Silom comes in four flavours. There are mixed dorms and female only dorms, which range in size from 6 to 8 beds. Great if you’re on a tighter budget or just feeling more social.

Alternatively, if you want the privacy of your own gaff, you can have a twin room featuring bunk beds, or go all out for the private double with en suite and TV. Not exactly what you’d expect from a normal hostel, but then, Lub d struck me as anything but normal.

The clash of industrial design and drying laundry. I suspect the cleaners would have got right on this

The beds themselves are well made and sturdy. We were in the twin room which meant having a bunk bed, but the beds were wide enough that we could cuddle up in just the one when we were feeling loving. Alternatively, even with Vera up top (in the bed – get your minds out of the gutter), there was nary a squeak to be heard.

There were lots of other details that made the room a pleasure to both be in and write this post from. Plentiful power adaptors. Intelligent lighting positioning. Little shelves behind each bed. An electronic safe to keep valuables locked away. And even towels, fresh sheets, and a daily cleaning service.

This was our actual room. Even the view wasn’t bad. Although I need to practice not sitting on the bed before taking the picture.

The room also came with AC, which I’m not normally a big fan of. Bangkok though, is hot and muggy, especially after arriving from an autumnal Europe, so the in-room air conditioning was wonderful relief. And as the hostel is in a quieter (for Bangkok!) part of town, there’s barely a peep to be heard from the outside world. Add this to the spaciously comfortable mattress, and I had some of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had in a hostel.

In summary therefore, if you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Bangkok, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Lub d Silom. Friendly staff, on-site bar, free wi-fi, comfortable beds, and incredible cleanliness. What more do you need?

Disclaimer: we were guests of the Lub d for our stay in Bangkok, but this didn’t mean we had to write a favourable review. We did that because we believe this is an awesome hostel! Cheers

This article originally appeared on travel and photography blog http://www.findingtheuniverse.com/, and was written by Laurence Norah. Please contact Laurence for re-use of text or images.