Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport guide for those who arrive late or early

It is inevitable that when flying you will arrive at a destination super late or early. Due to a massive price difference and itinerary clash, I had to book a flight that lands at Bangkok just before midnight, when their skytrain stops working. I tried to look for information on how to get to the city and on hotel airports, but there really isn’t any good information. A few days later, my friend arrives before sunrise to join me and here are our joint experience on arriving late or early to Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok:

• See the rest of my Thailand series here or look at the Bangkok recommendations

Is anything open this late?

Almost everything is still open at the airport almost 24/6, even SIM card stores on the ground level. Do note that if you are looking for a particular store or restaurant, it’s worth checking their operation hours. Otherwise, you are sure to find everything you need.

Suvarnabhumi airport to bangkok

The skytrain and most public transport stops operating between 12am to 6am, so if you arrive within that time frame, here are some options:

Private transfer

There are a number of private transfer options. For example, Klook offers them and it’s a safe and guaranteed way to make sure you get to your hotel or Airbnb with no fuss. Some of these are still shared services, therefore expect some waiting time involved if you have booked one that is shared.Most of the meeting or pick up point are the area between the gate numbers on arrival levels, with the majority gathered between 3 and 4.

Grab

Grab is the most convenient way to get a reliable taxi service in Thailand without fear of being ripped off. There are usually some kind of promotion going on that will kick some good 70 baht off your bill.You can add a specific point to meet your Grab Driver, and once connected you can message for clearer instructions.Note: from the airport to city you are likely to go past some tolls and there’s also a airport parking fee that the driver might or might not as for. Both should be under 100 baht each.

Layover plan

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport hotel

There is only one airport hotel within the airport vicinity: Novotel. While it is a stunning choice, it is on the higher end. What is great is that you can get a room in hours slot and they also offer a full 24 hours rooms.If you are in transit, there is the Miracle Transit Hotel. They also offer options to stay for only 8, 10, to 12 hours, and it’s ideally located on the fourth floor of the airport. Again, it’s not the cheapest option, but it’s a good one to get some much-needed rest without venturing out. Especially if you have Visa problems.For something simple, Boxtel offers single, pod-like rooms in three hours slot near the airport link station.

Cheaper hotel with pick up

In the end, I opted for finding a cheaper airport hotel with free shuttle services. There are a few options, but I ended up picking Mariya Boutique based on value and reviews. There are two more that was on my consideration list:

• BS Residence Suvarnabhumi – it was sold out since I was booking last minute. The shuttle are more frequent and they also have a pool (always a good thing)
• Floral Shire Suvarnabhumi Airport – it was a little further than Mariya but look less dated. I also didn’t choose it because reviews say that some building work is happening (July 2018)

Mariya Boutique Hotel

They had sent me a detailed instruction upon booking as well as receiving my flight details. I was able to find the meeting point with no problem. 

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Getting pick up

Between gate 3 and 4 are where the majority of Group transport and hotels wait for their customers to pick up. It’s closer to the lower number luggage claims. The staff isn’t there but another guy waiting next to my name called and he turned up 5 minutes or so later. Then we wait for the car for another 5 minutes to reach us before I was escorted out. The drive was about 10-15 minutes and since I arrived at around midnight, check in was smooth and easy. They have the shuttle schedule to the airport listed on the reception, which runs roughly an hour apart.

Room review

The room was as described, spacious with a double bed and the basic amenities. It was quite stuffy when I checked in, but the aircon worked fine and aside from the bathroom being dated and not very clean, there wasn’t anything to complain about.

In fact, there’s even a small kitchenette.

The WiFi worked fine, too, and I basically told the staff which shuttle I wanted to be on, slept, wake up, then left.

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