Santisook Midtown — An Old Shophouse Reborn as a Boutique Hotel in Downtown Pattani
If you want a place to stay in Pattani that doesn't look like every other identikit hotel in town, Santisook Midtown Hotel tends to win you over before you even check in. This is the old Santisook hotel that long-time locals know by name, gutted and renovated and reopened in early 2025. The details guests keep coming back to are the exposed-brick walls in the rooms and the red steel spiral staircase on the roof that has quietly become the property's signature photo spot — a kind of design you rarely find this far south.
What sets Santisook Midtown apart from the usual Pattani hotel is that it wasn't built from scratch. The structure is a three-storey shophouse block that has stood among the downtown commercial streets for decades, with the hotel occupying the third floor above shops on the lower levels. The design team, led by architect Nirostina Nisani, chose to keep the old bones rather than tear them out. Sections of brick are left raw and visible, set against new materials like bare concrete and timber. Walk in and you can feel that this is a building with some age to it, not a square box that was finished yesterday.
There are 20 rooms across several layouts, from the 29 sqm Standard Twin up to the 58 sqm Suite and Family Suite, plus a Penthouse at the top. Many rooms pair a red exposed-brick wall with the building's original louvred windows, which throw light deep into the room in the morning. Beds are dressed in crisp white linen, there's a soft armchair to drop into, and a vintage rotary telephone sits by the bed as a styling touch that plenty of guests photograph. Some bathrooms use teal tiles over a terrazzo counter — these are the kind of details reviews mention most often, more than any amenity list.
One guest describes opening the louvred windows in the morning, light falling across the brick, a hot coffee in hand — and feeling like they were staying in an old house that someone genuinely cares for.
Downstairs sits Rama Bistro & Café, open from 8am to 8pm, doubling as a spot for coffee and a light meal. Breakfast runs from 7:00 to 10:00 and is halal, with a mix of southern Thai local dishes and standard breakfast options. Guests consistently say the morning food is fresh and properly seasoned rather than the bland hotel buffet you try once and skip the next day. It's a small thing that makes the start of a day out in the old town easier — you eat well, then walk straight into the city.
The feature guests talk about as much as the rooms is the rooftop. Up there, a bright-red steel spiral staircase cuts against the sky and the rooftop greenery, and almost everyone climbs up for a photo. The building is also designed for the hot, humid southern climate, with a green-wall façade and a small roof garden that cut heat gain and let air move through. The middle of the day under strong sun isn't the best time to linger, but once the late-afternoon light turns gold, the roof is where you want to be.
The location is a real advantage for anyone who wants to explore the old town on foot. The hotel is on Phiphit Road, close to the Dechanuchit Bridge that crosses the Pattani River. It's a few minutes' walk to Wat Tani Norasamoson temple, the central city park, and the neighbourhood mosques, while the Lim Ko Niao Shrine and the Provincial Hall are not far beyond. The streets around the hotel are a working commercial district with restaurants and markets for an evening wander — a city with a pulse, not a quiet dead-end address.
The Trip.com score sits at 9.7/10 from 206 reviews, which is high for a hotel this new. The strongest categories are service (9.8), cleanliness (9.8) and location (9.8). Staff draw the most praise by far — guests repeatedly describe them as warm, smiling and more helpful than the price would suggest. The hotel also holds a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award. The criticism is limited and worth knowing: only one keycard is issued per room, which is awkward if you need to come and go separately, the lift is on the slow side, and parking gets tight when the hotel is busy. None of it is a dealbreaker, but it's better to know going in.
The bottom line: Santisook Midtown works best for travellers who want a downtown Pattani base with real character at an accessible price, starting around ฿1,500/night. You get well-designed rooms, a walkable location, and service that guests describe with one voice. The limitation is that there's no pool and no gym, so if this trip is about resort-style downtime it won't be the right fit. But if you're using Pattani as a base to walk, eat well, and come back to a good-looking room, the value here is hard to beat.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Staff warm and helpful, well above the price point
- ✓ Rooms full of character — exposed brick and vintage styling
- ✓ Downtown location, walk to Wat Tani and markets
- ✓ Fresh halal breakfast, properly seasoned
- ! Only one keycard issued per room
- ! Lift is on the slow side
- ! Parking gets tight when busy
- ✓ Renovated old-building atmosphere with genuine character
- ✓ Red spiral rooftop staircase makes a great photo
- ✓ Comfortable beds, very clean rooms
- ✓ Accessible price for the design you get
- ! No swimming pool or gym
- ! Limited in-room entertainment
- ! Rooftop catches strong midday sun — better in the evening
- 💡If two of you will be coming and going separately — ask for a second keycard at check-in, since rooms come with just one → it saves one of you being locked out while the other is out
- 💡If you want resort-style downtime — there's no pool and no gym here → it suits travellers using the city as a walking base; look outside town if a pool is essential
- 💡If you want the best light in the room — request a room with louvred windows on the morning-light side, where the brick looks its best early on → flag it at booking or call the hotel to confirm