Miami Hotel was a hotel that I passed by on Sukhumvit Soi 13 a few weeks ago. By coincidence, a chance I decided to take an overnight at Citrus Hotel on my way to Amman /Jordan. Just stopping over in Bangkok for a night.

Sukhumvit Soi 13

Soi 13 was really interesting with all its sports bars(frequented by many of the classic sorts of timeless foreigners sitting with a beer alone at any time of the day, fruit vendors, the usual massage parlors with aged ladies, and two 7/11 s.

What really caught my eye was the Piri Piri restaurant that obviously has a branch here and then it was love at first sight when I glanced through the window to Miami hotel.

Miami Hotel felt familiar

So I have seen the sign of the hotel, I have heard the name. Looking through the window, it was clear to me that this was movie material. Any movie taking place in Bangkok during the 1960s or 1970s could be filmed here. What was even more interesting, the hotel doesn’t look worn. It was surely recently renovated.

Anyhow, I decided to book it for my next layover. And here I am. Miami Hotel doesn’t disappoint and sure enough, people were filming and taking wedding photos there.

The story behind the name

Inside the hotel, you can read a brief history that it opened during the Vietnam War in 1965. This is the year when Apasra Hongsakula was crowned Miss Universe at Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach in Florida. So a qualified guess reveals why it is called Miami Hotel. After a bit of research, it turned out to be correct, the hotel logo is even a crown. Many hotels welcome American GIs would use a familiar name to those soldiers to make it more inviting. In Bangkok there is also a Florida hotel for instance.

Miami Hotel where the Serpent was filmed

Just when I checked in I texted a friend of mine that this hotel really reminds me of the Netflix series The Serpent. Also, that turned out to be correct. The pool scenes were soo much like Santa Cruz Hotel from the series. See more about it here. The owners wouldn’t allow any violent scenes recorded in the hotel though.

Vintage 2 Star but worth all the praise

So, Miami Hotel is a vintage hotel with rather big rooms and high ceilings in a practical old fashioned way to keep the room cool.

What I also like is that you get the sky train station just outside the so I and opposite side of the road it is a short walk to Korea Town with all its restaurants and as a Scandinavian, I do have my food cravings from the Stable Lodge on soi 8. Also a place frozen in time. But it deserves its own blog post.

If you enjoy the nightlife at Nana Plaza it is also very close. At least Hooters can be worth the meal every now and then.

Below is a collection of photos from Miami Hotel.