An Oasis in Soi 16

If you want to escape the heat and chaos of Bangkok then Shanti Lodge is the place, an oasis of tranquility.

Take your shoes off at the door, step inside and cool your feet on the clean stone floors. Everything you need is here. 600-800 baht (ฃ10) will get you a basic room for 2 people in Bangkok but what makes the Shanti Lodge special, are the extra touches that make you feel at home.

Our double room was 700 baht - a carved wood bed with Thai Silk bedspread, a silent and clean air-conditioning unit, and an optional fan, a safe, a selection of books, ornaments on the walls – butterfly chimes, dimmer lights (always important to get the atmosphere right), a sparkling mosaic tiled bathroom, handmade painted pottery sink, clean dark wood floors.

On the second floor, an open terrace with beds, here you can have a Thai Yoga Massage for up to 2 hours for 300 baht ( a fiver). Adam & I both indulged on our first night staying here, our knotted muscles, stress and tension released and we both ended up in a meditative state. Highly recommended, don't forget to leave a tip, those ladies deserve it.

There is a laundry service, internet, luggage storage and clothing shop. Speak with friendly and informative Yuan, the manager of both Shanti Lodge, Bangkok and Shanti Farm, Phuket for 20 years or so now, who can help with all your onward travel plans and arrange visas. Yuan has some stories to tell and will also update you on all the tourist scams to avoid.

On the ground floor is the Shanti restaurant, a lovely open space yet private with sneaking views to watch the hum of street life. Ceiling fans keep you cool and the mosquito coils keep the mozzies away. The Shanti mainly caters for vegetarians, ( a few meat and seafood dishes available) priding itself on the careful preparation of good produce. All fruits and vegetables are soaked and washed to remove pesticide residues and they use organic food where possible.

My first meal was a soothing and restorative soup (usually eaten at breakfast time), perfect after a long flight and a massage. A flavoursome broth filled with finely diced vegetables, tofu, red rice, fine slivers of ginger and sprigs of coriander.




I can highly recommend the phat thai (you may know it as pad thai or pat thai), a Thai version of a fry-up, subtle tamarind and lime, silken egg noodles, crisp bean sprouts, egg, succulent prawns and on the side roasted, crushed peanuts, dried crushed chillies and lime to tweak the flavours to your own desire.

The Shanti has managed to relieve our tensions, nourish our souls, and prepare us for a long journey ...