Rattanasin Hotel — A 1957 Shophouse Reborn in Emerald Green on Rueangrat Road, Ranong
Walk through the door of Rattanasin Hotel and the first reaction is mild disbelief that a room here costs only a few hundred baht. This is a Sino-Portuguese shophouse from 1957, renovated top to bottom in deep emerald green — a turquoise reception desk, hand-painted Chinese-Thai lanterns, and arched plaster walls that read more like an old-town Phuket cafe than a transit hotel in a border town. There are only about 13 rooms. Most guests come for the same reason: Ranong is their overnight stop before catching the ferry to Koh Phayam or Koh Chang, and this place sits right on the walking street and morning market — step outside and the food is already there.
Rattanasin Hotel is a small property right on Rueangrat Road in the centre of Ranong town. The building is a Sino-Portuguese shophouse dating to 1957, given a full renovation in 2011. What people remember is the emerald-green and turquoise treatment running through the whole place — from the street sign to the check-in desk to the carved wooden doors. The lobby has rattan sofas, floral ceramic stools, hanging Chinese-style lanterns, and arched walls hung with old black-and-white photographs. It feels closer to a boutique guesthouse in a heritage quarter than a typical budget hotel. The roughly 13 rooms are spread across three floors.
Rooms are simple and functional. The air-conditioned rooms come with a fridge, flat-screen TV, drinking water, sachet coffee, and a private bathroom. What surprises a lot of guests is that the beds are firm and genuinely comfortable, and the linens are changed fresh every day — not something you always get at this price. The Wi-Fi is strong enough to reach the rooms, too. That said, here is the honest part: this is an old building, the corridors run long and a little dim, the stairs are fairly steep, and there is no lift in every part of the property. If you have heavy luggage or struggle with stairs, ask for a ground-floor room when you book.
One guest expected a worn-down transit room and instead walked into the green-toned lobby, started taking photos, and noted the bed was more comfortable than the price had any right to be.
The real draw here is the location. The hotel sits on Rueangrat Road, the main artery of Ranong's old town. A few steps out the door puts you on Ranong walking street and at the morning market, known locally for dim sum and old-school filter coffee. Convenience stores, rice-soup shops, and coffee houses surround it, all within walking distance. Rattanarangsan Palace and the central mosque are also a short walk away. For anyone who arrives without a car, this kind of position is the single biggest advantage — you barely need transport at all if you are staying in town.
The reason most people book a single night in Ranong is to catch a boat to the islands. The Ranong-side piers for Koh Phayam and Koh Chang are a 10–15 minute drive from the hotel. A second group comes to renew visas or passports at the Kawthaung (Koh Song, Myanmar) border crossing, and the fishing-pier jetty for that is not far either. That mix has made Rattanasin a popular overnight stop for both backpackers and cross-border travellers. The owner and front desk speak English and can point you toward the right boat or ride, which helps a lot if it is your first time in Ranong.
Now for the things to know before you book, because this place is not without weak spots. The overall guest score sits at around 8.0/10, which is strong for a 2-star hotel, but the recurring complaint is noise — the building faces the main road, so you will hear some traffic at night, and on some early mornings roosters from the surrounding lanes start up before dawn. The walls between rooms are fairly thin, so sound can carry. On top of that, there is no breakfast served, and no pool or resort-style facilities — this is a sleep-in-town base, plain and simple. Worth knowing so you do not arrive with the wrong expectations.
On price, rooms start at around ฿650/night for a double or twin in normal periods, which — set against the renovation and the cleanliness you get — is almost surprisingly good value. Larger rooms or quads for four run roughly ฿900–1,300. During long weekends or high season (November–February, when Ranong sees the least rain) rates climb a little and rooms fill quickly, since there are only about 13 of them, so book ahead. Ranong is one of the wettest provinces in Thailand, rain most of the year, which is exactly why a walk-everywhere town base like this is so convenient — when the rain comes you can duck into a shop right away.
The bottom line: Rattanasin Hotel works best for travellers who want a clean, characterful, central place for a few hundred baht, using Ranong as a 1–2 night stop before crossing to the islands or handling a border run. You get a beautifully renovated old shophouse, real charm for the money, and the market and walking street on your doorstep. But if you are a light sleeper sensitive to noise, or you need breakfast, a lift, or full resort facilities, this may not be your match — look at Tinidee with its mineral-water pool instead.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Beautifully renovated old shophouse, emerald-green tones, photogenic everywhere
- ✓ Central location, walking distance to the morning market and walking street
- ✓ Clean rooms, fresh linens daily, firm comfortable beds
- ✓ Very good value for the condition of the rooms
- ! Building faces the road, some traffic noise at night
- ! No breakfast served
- ! Walls between rooms are fairly thin
- ✓ Friendly English-speaking front desk, helpful with boat advice
- ✓ Wi-Fi strong enough to reach the rooms
- ✓ Good overnight stop before crossing to Koh Phayam / Koh Chang
- ✓ Close to convenience stores and plenty of restaurants
- ! Roosters from the surrounding lanes on some early mornings
- ! Long dim corridors and steep stairs, awkward with heavy luggage
- ! Some rooms are small and windowless
- 💡If you are a light sleeper — ask for an upper-floor room on the inner side, away from the road, when booking → the building faces busy Rueangrat Road, with traffic at night and roosters from nearby lanes on some early mornings
- 💡If you have heavy luggage or struggle with stairs — request a ground-floor room at booking → this is an old building with long corridors, fairly steep stairs, and no lift in every section
- 💡If breakfast matters to you — none is served on site → but that is almost a plus here, since the Ranong morning market is a 2-minute walk away with dim sum and filter coffee that is better and cheaper anyway