Buri Gallery Hotel

20 August 2007

The Buri Gallery House is a small (21 room) hotel built into a large old (50 years) wooden house. Carving even a large house into 21 rooms has resulted in something of a rabbit warren that may be confusing to guests without a good sense of direction, and even my deluxe room was not that big. The room had "wood" floors and walls, and a woven bamboo ceiling. All very authentic looking, but I put "wood" in quotes because I think the floor was actually a plastic laminate. The thin floors and walls means that you can also hear a lot more of what goes on in the hallway or the next room than you would expect in a hotel.

All the wood doesn't help light up the room either, especially since the only windows are two small frosted panes set in the door to the balcony. The small balcony faces directly into the wall of an apartment building, so even if it were cooler outside, opening the doors was not a very appealing thought.

On the plus side, the room did have a large television with a DVD player, and an internet connected PC free to use. The downside on the TV was that only a couple of the 30-plus channels were in English.

The bathroom was roomy enough, although the ceiling was low enough for me to have to watch my head. There was only a shower provided, with no tub. In addition, the shower had a manually operated water heater, the kind common enough in Thai homes but westerners may not know how to work it.

I suspect that the Buri Gallery House might appeal to 'flashpackers' - those people who used to backpack in their younger days but are now older and established enough to want a bit more from their accommodations. The location, just outside Wat Phra Singh in the old city, is not bad, although well away from the center of things - except on Sundays, when the walking street market is right outside the front door.

Hotel facilities include a simple restaurant and a massage service.

Rooms feature air conditioning, refrigerator (not stocked), color television with limited English language channels and in-room safe.

Pluses: heavy on 'local' style.

Minuses: Wood walls are thin, making the rooms subject to every noise of its neighbors. Rooms are rather dark, with little or no natural light.

More information and booking details about the Buri Gallery Hotel may be found at Agoda or Hotels Combined.