Space Ben Guest House @ Muangkao

Great little guest house right in the centre of old town Sukhothai. Lovely owner who couldn’t have been more helpful. Best shower I’ve had in Thailand. Hired her bikes for the day. Nothing too much of a problem. Clean and tidy with a lovely breakfast cooked to order.

We booked for 2 nights and arrived in the late afternoon. The lady who checked us in immediately pointed out some building work the guest house was carrying out and apologised for the likely noise. We were woken around 8am each morning by hammering, drilling, banging etc and this went on through the day. However, it seems we were the last guests who would be troubled in this way as the owner told us she had stopped taking bookings until the work is complete- a good, common sense approach which is too often missing in Asia. Aside from that, the positives are the location- you can see the historic park boundary from the guest house. It’s 5 minutes to the lake and wat and most of the restaurants in town. The room was an ok size, clean, with a huge bed which almost filled it. There was a fridge and ac but no window. The shower was electric and warm enough. There are 3 rooms, 2 internal and one facing the road which has a small balcony and windows. You may get some traffic noise in this one though. There is free tea and coffee and bikes for 30thb per day. The owner is a lovely friendly lady who speaks limited English but was helpful and cooked us a breakfast of eggs each day. Downsides- the walls seem thin and you could hear conversations in other rooms. Also, on the second night we returned late (22.30 which is a wild night in Sukhothai) and the gates were locked. I had to climb over and locate a padlock which luckily had a key in. As I said in the title, I don’t think we saw the guest house at its best and I was torn between a rating of 3 and 4, but went for the higher one based on the friendly service and the fact that they have stopped taking bookings while the building work is finished. For a central location, budget option in Sukhothai it’s fine.

Space Ben’s guesthouse was a wonderful experience we didn’t plan on. We booked it last minute and are so happy we did. The hostess was very welcoming and accommodating. It’s located so close to the historical park as well as many delicious restaurants. The room was very clean and had all amenities anyone would need. The AirCon was super cold and the shower pressure was amazing! Coming from Bangkok and the poor showers I had at guesthouses there I was not expecting much. What a pleasant surprise! I almost didn’t visit Sukhothai due to the lack of information about onward travel. There are easy buses (must be booked at station in sukhothai) to other places including Chiang Mai. If staying in Sukhothai and looking for an affordable and pleasant option this is the place! Hostess is 10+ stars!! Wish I could have stayed longer!

The only place I would ever stay while in Sukhothai. Ideally located steps from the UNESCO heritage site and many restaurant options, clean, breakfast available for a small price, and the host is great. Great value for money!