By: Kathryn Rose

On my recent trip to Thailand, I decided that it would be a good idea to save some money and go overland from Siem Reap to Bangkok. This was great in theory; it should not have been too hard. And the first part of my trip was easy! The bus had AC, it was not full of people, and it only stopped a few times. Then came the border, and my day was pretty much shot. After a long wait in line for a visa, and an even longer wait for a car to take me to the Airport (NOT the city), I finally made it. As soon as I got to the airport I called the Lilac Relax hotel and they sent a driver to come get me. Thankfully I had reserved a room at this new airport hotel in advance, and I was really hoping for greatness after my long day.

I could not have been more excited to get to that hotel. And it was great. The hotel is very small, but they have done a lot with their little space. The owners have really taken the Lilac name and theme and run with it. Everything is some shade of purple, but it kind of works. Our room was small and comfortable, with 2 twin beds and a small sitting area. There was also a stocked mini fridge, and everything was complimentary. Even the beer! And man, that beer tasted really great after my long day of traveling. The AC worked well, the shower was hot and the bed was comfortable.

Breakfast in the morning was great. We had a morning flight so it was nice to know we could eat at our hotel instead of finding gross fast food breakfast at the airport. The breakfast options were limited, but the standard eggs or cereal works for pretty much everyone. And probably the best part of breakfast was that we got mini Toblerone chocolates at the end!

The airport transfer was easily organized and the new van made it a very nice ride to the airport. The hotel is located about 15 minutes from the airport, which is pretty far from the city of Bangkok. This is definitely not a hotel to stay at for a trip to Bangkok, but as a one-night stay for a late arrival or early departure it was perfect. The staff was so friendly, the airport transfers were well organized and the rooms were very nice for the $50 price tag. The location leaves a bit to be desired, but there were a few restaurants around as well as a 7-11 on the corner. This hotel is still quite new, but I have a feeling it will be come pretty popular. It is rare to find a small, boutique hotel that is meant for airport transfers. I much preferred it to other airport hotels I have stayed at, which all feel so impersonal and boring. I highly recommend Lilac Relax-Residence as an airport hotel, but it would not be worth it for more than one or two nights.

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