Living in a serviced apartment in Bangkok, Thailand, I have my own internet connection at home. Sometimes, though, I’m out in downtown Bangkok and want to check e-mail or waste some time surfing the net, so I go to one of the thousands of internet cafes in Bangkok. I’ve been to many of the internet cafes in Bangkok all over the city, but these are the ones I recommend the most.
1. True Urban Park Internet Café – 3rd Floor, Siam Paragon Mall. In my opinion, this is the best internet café in Bangkok. It’s located in the most expensive mall in Bangkok, surrounded by stores selling high-end designer items, so you would think it would be expensive. In fact, it’s not. At only 50 baht an hour (around $1.50), it’s a great deal. You get high-speed wireless internet, on fast computers with enormous flat screens. Each computer has a couple of very comfortable armchairs in front of it, headphones, and sound tubes above where you can listen to your own music choices while you surf the net.
The café is good too for drinks, serving all the usual kinds of coffee and tea drinks – hot and iced – and they also serve some food. I would recommend skipping the food as, the two times I’ve ordered it, it’s been pretty bad but that’s the only bad thing about True Urban Park internet café. The place is dark and moody, and they play excellent European and Thai music at a low enough volume you can still concentrate. The music is also for sale in their extensive CD shop located in the cafe. Also, on each end of the enormous café are two of the largest screens you’ve ever seen. One normally has a sports event playing and the other flashes True messages. About 20 computers available, plus you can hook up with your own laptop. True Urban Park internet café is an excellent place for a relaxing time surfing the net or playing computer games.
2. Namastee Internet Café – 13-15 Khao San Road, 2nd Floor,Banglampoo (Khao San Road). I love this place as I’m a big fan of the internet and Indian food, and Namastee offers both. The internet connection is fast (there are about 7 computers available) even though it’s only on 56K modems, and the Indian food is delicious. The charge for the internet is 1 baht per minute (around 3.5 cents) so Namastee is quite cheap too.
3. Hot Spot Internet Café – Soi Rambuttri, Banglampoo (Khao San Road). Hot Spot is one of the best internet cafes in Bangkok, not only because the internet access is good, but also because of its location. It’s near Khao San Road, but is next to my favorite British restaurant, Oh My Cod. The great thing about Hot Spot is they also offer some food items from Oh My Cod, so you can eat and surf the net at the same time. They have 15 computers with LCD screens, or you can bring your own laptop and surf the net using the wifi outside by the pond (a bit too hot for me!) You can also make international phone calls here and get faxing or printing done.
4. True Café – Central Ladprao Mall – Pahonyothin Road. In northern Bangkok, near where I live, there is another True Internet Café that has excellent internet access, as well as good coffee and tea drinks. It’s on the second floor of the mall, tucked away at the back near the mobile phone section. They have fast wireless internet, LCD screens and headphones as well as iPod hookup to listen to music. The staff is knowledgeable and is able to fix minor problems very quickly. They’re very friendly too. Also in a good location as it’s near Pahonyothin underground train station and, because it’s in Central Ladprao mall, there are many restaurants, so it’s easy to grab a bite after accessing the net.
5. UCC Café – Siam Center Mall, next to Siam sky train station. UCC Café at Siam Center Mall only has three or four computers to access the net, but the great thing about this place is they’re free. All you have to do is buy a drink or some food and you can get online. It’s not a great place if you need to be online for a long time, but fabulous for a quick 20 minute checking e-mail session. The food here is good too, although portions are small. It’s on the ground floor of the mall in a large open area, so very easy to find too.
There are thousands of internet cafes in Bangkok but, don’t forget, in the tourist areas they’re likely to be more expensive than in the more local areas. If you have a laptop, you can also access the internet in many restaurants, hotels and cafes. You’ll just have to buy an internet card from them first. Internet is generally very fast in Bangkok. Just make sure you avoid the internet cafes where all the kids are playing computer games – the noise alone will drive you nuts.
