Thailand Guide
The central plains
Accommodation
1 99 Guest House 234/6 Soi Panitsan (Panichsan) 
055 611315 
ninetynine_gh@yahoo.com Tiny, homely guest house run by clued-up tour guide Naa. There are just five double rooms (with fan and shared bathroom), plus a spacious, typically Thai seating area downstairs, filled with axe pillows. Guests are welcome to join the family meals and Naa also runs cooking classes. Price: B200
2 At Home 184/1 Thanon Wichien Chamnong 055 610172 www.athomesukhothai.com Delightful, genuinely welcoming guest house that's been converted from the 50-year-old family home to accommodate 11 large, attractive en-suite rooms. The most atmospheric are upstairs in the teak-walled, teak floored part of the house. The house is set back from the road in a garden with a large pond. Free internet and wi-fi. Price: B600
3 Ban Thai Guest House 38 Thanon Pravetnakorn 055 610163 banthai_guesthouse@yahoo.com On the west bank of the Yom River, this comfortable traveller-oriented budget option comprises several attractive wood-floored rooms in a single-storey house with an inviting terrace out front, plus some nice, idiosyncratic wooden bungalows with private bathroom and the option of air-con in a little garden to the back. Home-made yoghurt is a breakfast favourite, and matsaman curry gets good reports too. Internet access and cooking courses. Price: B200
4 J&J 122/1 Soi Maerampan, off Thanon Charodvithitong 055 620095 www.jj-guesthouse.com Rooms in all categories at this Belgian-Thai-run guest house are well maintained and sparklingly clean, plus there's a swimming pool and delicious home-baked bread. Choose from en-suite fan and air-con rooms in a terraced row, larger "mansion rooms" and detached air-con bungalows with TV. Price: B350
5 
Lotus Village 170 Thanon Ratchathani, also accessible from Thanon Rajuthit 055 621484 
www.lotus-village.com Elegantly simple, mid-priced accommodation in a traditional Thai compound of beautiful teak houses set around a mature tropical garden with lotus ponds. All but the superior rooms have polished teak floors: some are in detached bungalows, others have either fan or air-con and there's also a family house that can sleep six. There's wi-fi, internet, and a charming spa here too. Reception shuts at 9pm. Price: B700
6 Old City Guest House A few metres from the access road to the museum and central zone, on Thanon Charodvithitong 055 697515 Good-value guest house offering a big range of options in two storey buildings around a yard (with parking), set back from the road. Choose between small, rather dark but very cheap rooms with shared bathrooms, attractive, well-priced en-suite fan rooms, and large, quite plush, air-con doubles with TV. Price: B150
7 Orchid Hibiscus Guest House About 1.5km southeast of the main entrance to the historical park, on Route 1272 081 962 7698orchid_hibiscus_guest_house @hotmail.com Tranquil Italian-Thai-managed garden haven within easy cycling reach of the Old City. The eight brick bungalows are furnished with four-poster beds, air-con and mosquito nets and are ranged around a pretty tropical flower garden and swimming pool. It also has a couple of more private teak bungalows plus, in a compound across the road, two four-bed family houses for rent. Price: B800
8 Ruean Thai Hotel 181/20 Soi Praharuammit, off Thanon Charodvithitong 055 612444 www.rueanthaihotel.com A labour of love, this idiosyncratic 30-room hotel has been painstakingly assembled from ten century-old teak houses from the Sukhothai area. The main two-storey complex is built around a central swimming pool, its attractive facades fashioned from salvaged teak walls, windows and doors, and steeply gabled roofs; the interiors are modern, individually furnished and with good-quality contemporary bathrooms. The most characterful rooms are the three large, homely doubles in a separate building above the restaurant. All rooms have air-con, fridge and wi-fi; price depends on the size. There are two restaurants, free bicycle rental, and free transfers from the bus station and around town. Price: B1200