Topland Hotel Phitsanulok — Step Out of the Lift Straight Into a Mall, Right in the Centre
Anyone who has passed through Phitsanulok knows Topland Hotel & Convention Centre — it's the tall tower you can spot from almost anywhere in town. What guests keep mentioning isn't slick design; it's something far more practical: you can walk straight out of the lobby into the Topland Plaza mall without ever stepping outside. Rain or shade, you've got food, shops, a supermarket, coffee and a cinema all under one roof. The building itself has been around a while and shows its age, but rooms start in the low four figures of baht, come large with a bathtub, and you can walk to Wat Yai to pay respects to Phra Buddha Chinnarat in about 8 minutes. Reviewers say it's solid value if you want convenience over polish.
Topland Hotel opened in 2010 as a 14-storey tower with 252 rooms, with its most recent major renovation in 2023. Its real draw is that the hotel connects directly to the Topland Plaza shopping mall — you walk from the lobby through a door and you're inside the mall, no taxi, no sun. For a town as warm as Phitsanulok most of the year, or during the rainy season, that's a lot more comfortable than it sounds: food, shops, a supermarket, coffee and a cinema all sit under the same roof.
Most rooms are the Superior category at around 27.6 sqm, which is genuinely larger than what you'd get at the same price in other towns. Beds are soft, nearly every bathroom has a bathtub, and there's a minibar, safe and TV. Guests repeatedly note that the rooms are clean and the housekeeping is thorough, even though the building is older. The decor is older-school hotel — dark wood furniture, nothing modern — but it's functional and the space is real.
"One guest stays here every time they come to Phitsanulok for meetings, because the moment they finish work they just go down and walk into the mall — no need to find a car anywhere. Easy."
Dining is well covered with four restaurants. The ones guests mention most are the Dynasty Chinese restaurant and the ground-floor restaurant with a live band in the evening. Beyond that there's a bar, karaoke, a snooker room and a nightclub for anyone who wants to keep going after dinner. Families travelling with kids get a garden outdoor pool plus a children's pool and an indoor kids' play zone, so the little ones can run around without leaving the building.
The reason most people come to Phitsanulok is to pay respects to Phra Buddha Chinnarat at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai), and that's an 8-minute walk from the hotel — or a very short drive. The Nan River and the evening market are within walking distance too. Anyone visiting Naresuan University is about 15 minutes away by car. This central location is where Topland edges out the prettier resorts sitting 10 km outside town: everything in the city is close.
The Trip.com score sits at 8.8/10 from 185 reviews — location and value are the consistent praise points. But to be straight about it, the building is old and parts of it show. The most common complaint is slow lifts that aren't enough when the hotel is busy, especially on seminar mornings. Some reviewers report patchy Wi-Fi in certain rooms, and the pool water occasionally looks less than clear. Come here expecting convenience and generous space rather than new-build polish, and you won't be disappointed.
On price, a Superior room starts around ฿1,150/night on weekdays, which is very cheap for the room size and a central location. Larger options such as the Business Family or the Deluxe Connecting room for families still sit in the low thousands. Rooms fill quickly when there's a big conference or festival on, since this is the town's main hotel for seminars — book about two weeks ahead if you're coming over a long weekend.
Bottom line: Topland Hotel suits travellers who want a central, convenient, affordable base in Phitsanulok — attached to a mall, with Wat Yai a short walk away more than anyone chasing a brand-new luxury property or a resort mood. If you want a quiet room with a view, ask for a high floor away from the street. But if your priority is something new and riverside, look at Wangchan Riverview; and if your budget stretches to a quiet resort outside town, Pattara Resort & Spa is a completely different kind of stay.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Central location, connects straight into Topland Plaza mall
- ✓ Large rooms with a bathtub, excellent value
- ✓ Walking distance to Wat Yai and Phra Buddha Chinnarat
- ✓ Several restaurants, live music in the evening
- ! Older building, some areas showing wear
- ! Lifts slow and insufficient when busy
- ! Wi-Fi patchy in some rooms
- ✓ Best value among central-city hotels
- ✓ Spacious, with large convention rooms for seminars
- ✓ Children's pool and indoor play zone the kids enjoy
- ✓ Housekeeping thorough and rooms kept clean
- ! Older-style decor, not modern
- ! Pool water occasionally looks unclear
- ! Lobby and breakfast crowded when a conference is on
- 💡If you want a quiet room with a view — request a high floor away from Akathotsarot Road at booking → lower or street-side rooms can catch the bustle of the mall and street during the day
- 💡If you're coming during a seminar — lifts and breakfast get crowded in the morning → leave extra time for the lift, or head down for breakfast before 7:30 am for an easier run
- 💡If you prioritise new and polished or a resort mood — this may not be your match → for new and riverside try Wangchan Riverview · for a quiet resort outside town try Pattara Resort & Spa