Where to stay: Thailand hostels & hotels for solo female travelers

Here’s a list of hotels and hostels that I stayed in while traveling in Thailand in September 2023. I’ll update this post with more hotels whenever I go back to visit Thailand.

Things to note:

• Since prices change so frequently I haven’t bothered to note what I paid for each room, but in general I stay at $30 USD or less per night. Most of my accommodation in Thailand was under $15 USD/night.
• I stay in a mix of private rooms and dorms, but more heavily dorms. That usually includes access to shared bathrooms, kitchens, common areas, and so on.
• I use Booking.com, Agoda, Hostelworld, AirBNB, and Google Maps to search for places to stay, and I make sure to check my major credit card’s travel portal in case I can use CC points to save a bit of money.

Places with a little ♥ in front of them are highly recommended.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and buy something, I get a small percentage at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep this blog running— thank you! Read full disclosure here.

Check out where to stay in South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Ayutthaya, Thailand

Normally people just take a day trip from Bangkok to visit Ayutthaya, but I didn’t want to feel rushed so I went up there to stay for a few nights. Honestly, you can see all the major sights in one day (especially if you get there early and hire a tuk tuk driver), but I enjoyed my stopover because it’s such a cute town.

Baan Mee Suk Ayutthaya. A small, basic hostel with a few dorms and private rooms, located right across from Wat Ratchaburana and within walking distance to about four other temples. I stayed in the 6 bed female dorm, with air conditioning. The dorm had lockers, plugs near the beds, personal lights and curtains around the beds. No breakfast, but there’s free tea and coffee plus toast/pastries in the morning. The staff was very kind and spoke good English, and let me store some leftover food in the (non-communal) fridge. Downside: only two bathrooms shared between the whole hostel.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a little dirty, a lot busy, and overwhelming if you’re not used to BIG Asian cities. Everyone has their favorite neighborhoods to stay in, but I just recommend staying on a metro or sky train line to make it easy to get around.

Holy Sheet Hostel. Located on the Sukhumvit BTS line, in a slightly more residential area than elsewhere in Bangkok. I stayed here twice, once in a mixed dorm and once in a 4 bed female dorm. The 4 bed female dorm has HUGE beds, so if you want to spread out I recommend that one. Free breakfast, including a soft boiled egg cooker which I made good use of. The actual facilities are getting a little run down (stains/leaks in the bathrooms, sewage smell sometimes, etc.) but the rooms are very clean. Friendly staff who all speak English (and who are mostly expats) and who host the occasional group event.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I really enjoyed my visit to Chiang Mai, so much so that I extended my stay a few times. I stayed within (or near) the old part of town, which is where the city walls are, mostly because I wanted to be in walking distance to lots of food choices.

Baan Lung Poshtel. A nice new hostel located in the northern part of the old city. I stayed in the four bed female dorm (though it’s listed as 8 bed on Hostelworld?) which came with air conditioning, plus plugs and personal lights in the bed. Very clean bathrooms (with separate shower/toilet stalls)! No breakfast provided at the moment, but there’s a communal kitchen which guests can use. There are no lockers and luggage storage is just leaving your bag in the kitchen area, so if that’s a concern then maybe stay elsewhere. The owner is very friendly and speaks good English, and can provide information about the different night markets and local events going on.

Here’s a short video tour of the dorm room:

The Green Sleep. Located nearly exactly in the center of old town, this is an excellently located larger hostel. It’s set down a small street so you don’t hear traffic noise. I stayed in the 6 bed female dorm, which had air conditioning, lockers, personal lights and plugs in the bed. There’s separate male and female bathrooms, though the people in the private rooms on the same floors don’t always respect that. There’s no breakfast, but there is a small shared kitchenette area that guests can use, plus free tea/coffee (and one time free watermelon slices). Really good common room for hanging out in, and friendly staff who speak good English. Luggage storage is in a small room set away from the public areas.

Suneta Hostel Chiang Mai. Located just outside the old city wall on the east side of town. I stayed in a private room with shared bathroom; it’s the tiniest room imaginable but it had a window and a bed and a door I could lock, so I was happy. If I had large luggage I would’ve been in major trouble though. The room itself doesn’t have a separate air con, but the shared hallway does and the room has an fan above the door to suck in the cold air. It ALMOST works. Decent bathrooms, with separate shower and toilet stalls. Excellent free breakfast, including eggs cooked to order, and good common room to hang out in. Friendly staff who speak decent English and can book tours/transport. And a hostel cat!! Luggage storage is in a separate room set away from public areas, though it’s not locked.

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Most people only visit Chiang Rai for a short stop before heading over to Laos or back down to Bangkok (which is what I did). It’s a pretty cute town that’s worth visiting, especially if you like unusual temples– the White Temple and Blue Temple have unique designs that remind me of some of the Modernisme style in Barcelona.

Mercy Guest House. Located somewhat out of the center of town down a side street in a more residential neighborhood, this hostel has mixed dorms, female-only dorms, and private rooms, all with air conditioning. I stayed in the 8 bed female dorm and was very comfortable. There’s a free light breakfast of toast and tea/coffee. The staff speak good English (overall) and can book day tours and transfers to nearby towns or the border. They also have cheap laundry!

Sukhothai, Thailand

Sukhothai is an ancient capital of Thailand and has tons of ruins to explore. It’s a little more organized that Ayutthaya, as all the ruins are contained in “parks” which you can buy tickets for. The parks are well-maintained, with paved roads that most people make use of for their bicycles.

The History Cafe & Guesthouse. This is located within Old Sukhothai, within walking distance to the history park and the main museum, plus night market and plenty of restaurants. It’s a little far from the main bus station, which is located in New Sukhothai, but Grab works well enough to get into the Old town. I stayed in a private room, with a double bed, ensuite bathroom and air conditioning. The bed is typically brick-like and the room itself was fairly dark as the windows open into an interior hallway, but overall I was comfortable. The owner and his wife are super friendly and gave me extra food for breakfast even though the standard offerings are just toast and tea/coffee. Free bicycles to borrow as well, which is handy for exploring the history park.

Here’s a short video tour of the room:

---