Plus Hostel Ayutthaya — a garden hostel where the owners cook you free dinner, like staying at a friend's house
If you're looking for a hostel in Ayutthaya that gives you more than just a bed — one that feels like staying at a friend's house — Plus Hostel Ayutthaya is a little garden house in the Thawasukree area on the northern side of the island, where owners Gong and Ja cook free dinner and breakfast every day and sit down to eat with you like family. What guests mention most is the owners' kindness, the calm garden with its hammock and friendly pets, and rooms that feel cleaner than the price suggests. There are dorm beds with privacy curtains and private rooms, plus bikes to rent for the temples. From approx. THB 400/night. Score 9.7 from 614 reviews.
Plus Hostel Ayutthaya is a small hostel in the Thawasukree area on the northern side of Ayutthaya island. What sets it apart isn't the beds or the price — it's owners Gong and Ja, who run the place themselves and cook free dinner and breakfast every single day. Reviews say the same thing again and again: at dinner everyone gathers around one table, and it feels more like eating at a friend's home than at a hostel. The dish guests mention most is the owner's homemade pad thai.
The other thing guests fall for is the calm garden-house atmosphere. There's a terrace, a shady garden, a hammock to lie in, a fish pond, and friendly dogs and cats that many people call a highlight of their stay. You wake to birdsong in the garden — perfect if you want to escape the noise and actually rest. With only a handful of rooms, the owners look after guests closely and give genuinely good advice on exploring the temple park.
"It felt more like staying at a friend's house than a hostel. The owners are so kind, they cook dinner every day and we all eat together. There are dogs, cats and fish to play with, and a beautiful garden with a hammock you could relax in all day."
On the rooms, there are dorm beds — new bunk beds with privacy curtains, lockers, reading lamps and soft pillows — as well as private rooms for those who want more privacy. Guests praise the clean, firm mattresses, spotless bathrooms and strong water pressure. Cleanliness and service scores sit around 9.7 across several platforms, which is very high for a hostel in this price range.
For facilities, the hostel offers bikes for rent to explore the temple park, a shared kitchen, free parking, luggage storage, laundry and help booking onward transport. There are extras too, like small tours and evening trips to the night market or temples depending on the season. There's no pool and it isn't a luxury stay — the draw here is the family warmth, the free meals and the garden setting.
The trade-off to accept is that the location is in the Thawasukree area, toward the northern side of the island, just over a kilometre from the main temple cluster. From reviews, it's about a 14-minute walk to Wat Mahathat and 11 minutes to Wat Ratchaburana. It isn't right next to the ruins like the stays in the island's centre, but it's an easy walk or cycle — and the quiet of this area is exactly what many guests love. It's about 5km from Ayutthaya train station. The 9.7 score from 614 reviews and a perfect 5.0 on TripAdvisor reflect how consistently impressed guests are.
To be honest, what you need to accept is that this is a small garden hostel, not next to the temples, with basic facilities. A dorm is a dorm — you'll have roommates, and you have to enjoy the idea of sharing a dinner table with strangers. But if what you're after is a warm, homely stay where the owners treat you like family, with free meals and a quiet garden, all for a few hundred baht — Plus Hostel does it so well that many guests call it the highlight of their Ayutthaya trip.
A tip from following the reviews here for a while: stay in for the hostel dinner at least one night — that's when you chat with the owners and fellow travellers, and it's the real charm of the place. Rent one of the hostel's bikes and head to the temples in the early morning or evening when it's cooler. During long holidays and the cool season (November–February), beds fill quickly because there are so few, so book ahead and lock in a free-cancellation rate before comparing prices across platforms.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Wonderfully kind owners who run the place themselves like family
- ✓ Free dinner and breakfast every day, tasty and eaten together
- ✓ Calm garden-house atmosphere with a hammock and friendly pets
- ✓ Clean rooms, dorm beds with privacy curtains, bikes for rent, great value
- ! Location is just over a kilometre from the main temples; you walk or cycle
- ! Small property with basic facilities, no swimming pool
- ! Dorms mean roommates; you need to enjoy the communal feel
- ✓ Service and cleanliness score very high and consistently
- ✓ A warm, homestay-like feel rather than a typical hostel
- ✓ The shared dinner is a fun, memorable way to meet fellow travellers
- ✓ Clean beds, strong water pressure, lockers for valuables
- ! A fair walk from the old town centre; best for those who like quiet
- ! Not the full set of facilities you'd get at a large hotel
- ! Only a few beds, fills up fast on holidays; book ahead
- 💡If you want to stay right next to the ruins and walk out the door to a temple — this is in Thawasukree, about a 14-minute walk to Wat Mahathat → if you need temples on your doorstep, consider a stay in the island's centre, but if you're fine cycling, this is far better value.
- 💡If you want full privacy and an en-suite bathroom — the cheapest rooms are dorm beds with roommates → choose a private room if privacy matters to you.
- 💡If you want a pool, gym and full hotel-style service — this is a garden hostel that prioritises warmth and free meals over facilities → for a pool and full service, consider a larger riverside hotel in town.