If you’re ever in need of an affordable but comfortable night’s accommodation in downtown Silom, just “take a nap”.

Take a Nap Hotel’s rooms start from about 1,000 baht (US$32) per night and the hotel certainly delivers on value compared with other hotels in this category.

Décor with a difference
For a start, the décor in the small but practical rooms is modern and tasteful without going overboard. The room I stayed in featured dark red, semi-flocked wallpaper, along with a simple lighter red silk curtain.

The two small furniture items, a matt-black painted, wooden television table and chair both looked neat, while the bed sheets, pillow, and cushion were clean and stylishly presented.

Each room has its own en-suite bathroom. This was, most importantly, squeaky clean, but also quite pleasant in design without being “fussy”.

The washbasin was a large, rounded ceramic bowl, while even the W.C. was of an above average standard. Likewise, the shower and its curtain seemed robust and the system delivered plenty of warm or hot water on demand.

What’s on the box?
Each room also boasts a small kettle and one or two complimentary instant drinks. There’s a safe in each room should you need to lock up your Rolex!

If you’re somewhat of a “television addict”, fear not, although you are limited to the major Thai channels, Channel V, France’s TV5, and a business-oriented German channel (with English news), for shorter-stay guests, such as myself (one night), this has little relevance since there is plenty to do in the area for more adventurous types.

Each floor of Take a Nap has been pleasantly decorated with plants, giving the place a cool, natural, and rustic charm. I also personally liked the open rooftop area.

Nutritional boost included
The daily rate includes breakfast. It’s a basic, buffet-style affair, but nevertheless offers great value if you have a reasonably healthy appetite.

On offer are two basic types of breakfast cereals, toast with jam, (fried) eggs, sausages, along with orange juice, tea and coffee. There is also a more typical Asian breakfast dish available, such as noodles or rice soup. Chilled plain yogurts offer an alternative, healthful option.

In addition to value for money, we also need to highlight some added-value benefits of staying at Take a Nap.

Where it’s at
Probably the biggest draw is Take a Nap’s location. The nearest MRT subway station is Sam Yan, while it is only a little further to Si Lom and the BTS skytrain station Sala Daeng. You can easily walk to Patpong if nightlife and street life are your kind of thing, while Lumpini Park offers exercise options for sporty types. If you organize an alarm call, you can even start your day with a session of Tai Chi in the park.

Take a Nap may appeal to those working close to Silom and Sathorn or other nearby locations as an alternative to commuting home during a weekday night.

Clubbers, or indeed “party people” in general will love Take a Nap’s close proximity to Patpong, and other popular clubs and bars, gay and straight, in the area. Close to the hotel there is also a broad array of places offering numerous kinds of massage or other treatments.