Bangkok is a city of serviced apartments: buildings of one- and two-bedroom flats with a kitchen, a pool and a gym, made for people who stay for weeks. We list 22 of them and similar stays in Bangkok and checked the kitchen of each, so here is how the main areas compare, and where to buy food in each.
Across the city, 50% of the stays we list have a full kitchen and 68% a confirmed oven; they average 4.48 out of 5 on Google.
The stays we list in each area. Appliances count when the property's own website or photos show them.
| Area | Stays | Full kitchen | Oven | Dishwasher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhumvit (Asok, Nana & Thong Lo) | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4.47 |
| Lumphini, Langsuan & Ratchadamri | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4.50 |
| Sathorn & Silom | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4.43 |
| Phrom Phong | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4.50 |
| Further out | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – |
| Riverside | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.60 |
The long Sukhumvit Road, with the BTS Skytrain above it and the MRT crossing at Asok. Busy, central and full of restaurants; Thong Lo, further east, is quieter and more residential.
9 stays on our Bangkok page, with a full kitchen at Fraser Suites Sukhumvit Bangkok, Marriott Executive Apartments Sukhumvit Park, Marriott Executive Apartments Sukhumvit Thonglor, Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok and Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor Bangkok.
Shopping: Supermarkets every few blocks: Villa Market and Foodland for imported goods (some Foodland branches open 24 hours), Tops, and Gourmet Market in the malls. Khlong Toei Market, the city’s biggest fresh market, is a short ride south.
Leafy lanes and embassies between Lumphini Park and the Chit Lom shopping district, on the BTS. Central but calmer than Sukhumvit.
5 stays on our Bangkok page, with a full kitchen at Marriott Executive Apartments Mayfair Bangkok.
Shopping: Central Food Hall in Central Chidlom and the supermarkets in the malls around Ratchaprasong; Lumphini Park is the place to run.
The business district, on the BTS and MRT. Offices by day, street food in the lanes off Silom Road at all hours.
3 stays on our Bangkok page, with a full kitchen at Marriott Executive Apartments Sathorn Vista.
Shopping: Supermarkets in the office towers and malls, and cooked-food stalls in every soi: many residents cook breakfast and buy dinner.
Between Asok and Thong Lo on the BTS, around the Emporium and EmQuartier malls and Benjasiri Park. A favourite of Japanese residents and families on long stays.
2 stays on our Bangkok page, with a full kitchen at 137 Pillars Residences Bangkok and Oakwood Suites Bangkok.
Shopping: Gourmet Market in Emporium and EmQuartier, Japanese supermarkets such as Fuji Super, and Villa Market.
Residential areas east and north of the centre, such as Phra Khanong and Rama 9, still on the BTS or MRT. Fewer tourists, and usually lower prices.
2 stays on our Bangkok page, with a full kitchen at Marriott Executive Apartments Sukhumvit 101.
Shopping: Large Lotus’s and Big C hypermarkets, and neighbourhood fresh markets.
Along the Chao Phraya, with hotel shuttle boats and the Chao Phraya Express to the old town. Quieter, with river views, but further from the BTS.
1 stay on our Bangkok page, with a full kitchen at Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok.
Shopping: The food floor at ICONSIAM across the river, and local markets along Charoen Krung Road.
45% of the Bangkok stays we list are serviced apartments. Ovens are more common than in most cities: 68% have a confirmed oven, against 49% of all the stays we list. Dishwashers are the exception (5 of 22); 4 of the 5 Marriott Executive Apartments have one. The stays with a confirmed stove, oven, fridge and dishwasher are Marriott Executive Apartments Sukhumvit Park, Grande Centre Point Hotel Ratchadamri, Marriott Executive Apartments Mayfair Bangkok, Marriott Executive Apartments Sathorn Vista and Marriott Executive Apartments Sukhumvit Thonglor.
Even the kitchenettes are often usable for real cooking: 5 of the 11 Bangkok kitchenettes we list have a confirmed oven. If you want to roast or bake, check for an oven on the stay card.
You will eat out more than you cook: street food is everywhere and cheap. A kitchen earns its keep for breakfast, tropical fruit, and a quiet night in. Khlong Toei Market, near the MRT station of the same name, is the city's largest fresh market, wholesale and noisy from before dawn; Or Tor Kor, by Chatuchak, is smaller, cleaner and pricier, with some of the best fruit in the city. For imported and Western food, Villa Market, Tops, Foodland and Gourmet Market are in every central area. OpenStreetMap maps few of Bangkok's markets and stalls, so the distances on our stay cards undercount what is around you here.
Comparing types of stay? Read aparthotel vs serviced apartment vs extended-stay hotel.
Sukhumvit (Asok, Nana & Thong Lo) has the most choice (9 of the 22 Bangkok stays we list). In Phrom Phong and Riverside, every stay we list has a full kitchen. For a quieter base, Lumphini and Langsuan are central and close to the park.
More often than elsewhere: 68% of the Bangkok stays we list have a confirmed oven, against 49% of all the stays we list worldwide. Dishwashers are rarer: 23%, mostly in the Marriott Executive Apartments.
For a few nights, a fridge and a kettle are enough. For a week or more, a kitchen pays off for breakfasts, fruit from the market and the occasional quiet night in, and serviced apartments usually give more space and lower rates for long stays.
Tops, Villa Market, Foodland and Gourmet Market for imported and Western goods; Lotus’s, Big C and Makro for big shops; Khlong Toei and Or Tor Kor for fresh produce, meat and seafood. GrabMart and the supermarket apps deliver.
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