Location: The real strength of the Heaven@4 Hotel is undoubtedly its location. It is right on Soi 4, the famous Soi Nana, near the beginning of the street by the connection with Soi 6, so it is only a few minutes’ walk from Nana Plaza while still being just outside the busiest part of the chaos.
For anyone staying in Bangkok mainly for the nightlife, the location is almost perfect: you step out of the hotel and you are already right in the middle of the action, with bars, restaurants, massage shops, and everything else connected to the Nana area all within easy walking distance. Nana BTS station is also not far away, making it easy to get around to Asok, Phrom Phong, and the rest of the city. There is also a 7-Eleven practically next door to the hotel, which is a far from insignificant detail when you need to stock up on water, drinks, snacks, and other essentials at any hour.
The surprising thing is that, despite the location and despite the room’s soundproofing being roughly comparable to that of a shoebox, I still managed to sleep without any particular problems during my stay. Apparently, those few meters separating the hotel from the noisiest stretch of Soi 4 make more of a difference than you might expect.
Room: Let’s start from the assumption that Heaven@4 falls into what I personally call the “cheap dive hotel” category—not necessarily in a derogatory sense, but simply because it is one of those budget hotels you mainly choose because it is inexpensive, in the right location, and basically gives you what you need to sleep and a bed on which to indulge in your sins.
In my case, since this was a trial stay for the purpose of this review, I booked at the last minute, the day before,and paid around €25 for a 27 m² Deluxe Double Room with a balcony, basically the mid-range option among those available. I think it offers the best value for money at this hotel. At that price, I certainly was not expecting luxury, white-glove concierge service, or rose petals scattered across the bed. And, unsurprisingly, there were none.
The property is fairly dated, and it shows in a number of details. The furniture has clearly seen better days, a few things are a little worn, the finishes are hardly cutting-edge, and the soundproofing is practically nonexistent. That said, all of this is fairly typical of budget hotels in this price range in Bangkok. Still, the room has a distinctive boutique-hotel feel, with a bright and cheerful style dominated by red and blue tones on the walls and finishes. The size is also perfectly acceptable, and for this level of hotel the room is reasonably well maintained. Of the many budget hotels I have tried in Bangkok over the years, Heaven@4 is probably the least bad. Put like that, it may not sound especially enthusiastic, but within Nana’s specific category of cheap, no-frills hotels, it is almost a compliment.
The main positive is definitely the bed. There is no soft mattress that you sink into; instead, it is fairly firm, which I personally find much more comfortable and which does its job very well, both for sleeping and for more playful and intimate activities with company.
My room also had a small private balcony with chairs and a table, another very welcome feature for smokers. Do not expect panoramic sunsets over the Bangkok skyline, though: the balcony is on the third floor, almost completely enclosed by a partition, and there is very little of a view outside. Still, it lets you step out for a smoke without having to go all the way downstairs every time, and that is what really matters.
Keep in mind that the hotel offers several different room types: some are larger, some have a balcony, while others do not have a window at all. Agoda clearly lists the prices, room sizes, amenities, and photos, so make sure you choose the room type you actually want when booking.
Bathroom: The bathroom is small, with finishes that have clearly seen better days and very limited space, although the shower itself is actually fairly roomy compared with the rest. In terms of size, it is the typical bathroom you would expect in a small budget hotel in Bangkok, but there is at least an attempt to give it some character and visual appeal, such as the partially frosted glass shower enclosure facing the room and the colorful decorative mosaics that break up the otherwise plain-looking tiles. There are no shelves or towel hooks, and the toilet is practically wedged behind the door, which has to be closed in order to use it comfortably. For a short stay, however, it is perfectly acceptable, and everything that needs to work does work. If you need a larger bathroom with a full range of comforts, though, you would be better off choosing a higher-end hotel.
Services: Heaven@4 is a potentially pleasant but very basic hotel, and it should be judged accordingly. It is not the kind of place you stay in to enjoy the common areas or spend the afternoon by the pool—there is no pool at all, and the lobby is little more than a corridor with two sofas. Its main service is simply offering you a room in the right location at a low price. There are no particular extras: you get a safe, a decent air conditioner, a TV, a mini-fridge, the usual kettle, and two bottles of water per day. There is also a small bar right by the entrance, but strangely enough it is not actually part of the hotel, even though it shares the same entrance steps. The only minor surprise for a hotel in this price range, although of limited practical importance, is the presence of two bathrobes in the wardrobe. For everything else, fortunately, you only need to step outside and you can find pretty much anything you need within a hundred meters or so.
Cleanliness: Considering the age of the property and the price range, I found the room to be fairly well maintained. The main thing is to distinguish between old and dirty: Heaven@4 is clearly showing its age. The furniture, finishes, bathroom, and various details all look dated, but that does not necessarily mean the hotel is poorly maintained. In my case, I had no particular issues in this respect: there were no strange smells, the room was clean, and the housekeeping staff were already active from early in the morning. Considering what I paid, the overall condition of the room was perfectly acceptable. Of course, anyone expecting brand-new furniture and spotless modern finishes would be better off looking at a higher category of hotel, while also budgeting for a significantly higher price.
Prices: Along with the location, the price is the main reason Heaven@4 makes sense. In my case, I booked the day before my stay and paid around €25, which is a very low rate considering the time of year, early August, and the fact that the hotel is practically in the heart of Nana.
For around €20 a night, getting a reasonably sized room, a large bed, a small balcony where you can step outside for a smoke, and above all a location like this is more than a fair compromise. Naturally, rates vary depending on the season, availability, and room type. If the price starts climbing too much, though, I would inevitably begin looking elsewhere: the Nana area has a huge number of hotels, and as soon as you increase the budget, the number of alternatives rises quickly as well.
Note: I can confirm from personal experience that Heaven@4 is absolutely guest friendly. During the 24 hours of this trial stay, I brought two different women back to my room at two different times, one earlier in the evening and the other late at night, without being charged any extra fee or joiner fee. The procedure is very simple: before going upstairs, the guest leaves her ID at reception. This is the standard procedure used by many guest-friendly hotels in Bangkok, and personally I also consider it a sensible security measure. No awkward questions, no extra charges, and no issues at all from the reception staff. Considering the hotel is only a few minutes from Nana Plaza and the kind of clientele that inevitably stays in this part of Bangkok, it would almost be surprising if things worked any differently.
I would also like to share a funny little anecdote about a problem that was solved in classic Thai style:
During my stay, I went to stock up on drinks at the 7-Eleven practically next door to the hotel. When I came back with my supplies, I tried to open the room door and the electronic lock suddenly decided to give up on me.
“Beep beep beep beep.” I try again.
“Beep beep beep beep.” Nothing.
So I head back down to reception and explain the problem to the lady there. She calls over an assistant and tells me to follow her. We go back upstairs, she opens the door with a physical key, and after a few seconds of Thai conversation with the assistant in front of the room, the whole situation takes a rather surreal turn. Out of nowhere, the lady produces a screwdriver and calmly starts taking apart the electronic door lock, while the assistant disappears and comes back a few moments later with… a fresh set of AA batteries. The lock had simply run out of power. Five minutes later, everything was working perfectly again.
Then again, who has not found themselves locked out of a hotel room because the door had run out of batteries?
That seems normal to me. No? Oh, well.
Beyond the comedy of the situation, though, they deserve credit for fixing the problem in five minutes without wasting my time, which in a hotel in this price range matters far more than appearances. The lady at reception was, all things considered, friendly and helpful, even if she did not exactly give the impression of the impeccably polished, ultra-professional receptionist you might expect from a major international chain. In fact, at times the whole place reminded me of the old family-run guesthouses of 1980s Versilia: very informal management, a slightly rough-and-ready approach, very little ceremony, and problems solved on the spot with whatever was needed. In a place like this, that is not necessarily a drawback. If anything, it almost adds to the hotel’s character.
In short, Heaven@4 should be judged for what it is and, above all, for what it costs. It is an inexpensive, somewhat dated hotel, with furniture that has clearly seen some use, in my case, the wardrobe in particular, a small bathroom, almost nonexistent internal soundproofing, and all those little budget-hotel details that anyone familiar with this category of accommodation in Bangkok will know very well. Still, overall it lives up to expectations. In fact, among the various budget hotels I have tried in Bangkok, it is one of the ones that has convinced me the most—or, to put it in a less elegant but perhaps more accurate way, it is probably the least bad of the bunch.
The main positives are the large, firm bed, the reasonably sized room, the small balcony that is useful for smokers, and the fact that, although the property clearly shows its age, it is still kept in fairly decent condition for a hotel in this category. Above all, though, the location is excellent: close to Nana Plaza and right in the middle of the nightlife on Soi 4, but just far enough away from the most chaotic stretch of the street that sleeping would probably be impossible with soundproofing this poor.
It may not be the “heaven” promised by the name, but for around twenty euros a night, let’s just say the entrance to purgatory is more than respectable.
HEAVEN@4 is a Guest Friendly Hotel – Check prices on Agoda.com
