Bella B Hotel — A Rooftop Pool by the Chao Phraya and Rooms Bigger Than the Price
If you want a base on the Nonthaburi side with big rooms and a pool that still keeps the budget down, Bella B Hotel in Bang Kruai tends to turn up on the list. It opened in 2017 and was renovated in 2022, sitting close to the bank of the Chao Phraya River. What guests keep coming back to is the rooftop pool with long city views and rooms that start at 40 sqm — larger than most hotels at the same price in town. To be upfront: it sits down a fairly quiet soi with few restaurants nearby. But if the brief is a big room, a good pool, and a low rate, Bella B is firmly on the radar.
Bella B Hotel opened in 2017 and had a major renovation in 2022, occupying a tall block on Charan Sanit Wong Road in Bang Kruai, close to the Chao Phraya River. The building stands out for a wave-patterned perforated metal screen across the front that you can spot from down the street. What surprises a lot of people is the room size — even the smallest Junior Suite starts at 40 sqm, while the Bella B Suite steps up to 45 sqm with a sofa bed. Rooms are dressed in Thai silk finishes with marble bathrooms, a fridge and a kettle, and some types add a microwave and a small seating corner. At this price point, rooms this size are genuinely hard to find in Bangkok or its suburbs.
The real selling point here is the rooftop pool. It's a glass-edge pool that looks out over the city skyline and a long stretch of expressway, and the evening light on it is lovely. Guests say the same thing repeatedly: the pool is the highlight of the stay — clear water, a wide deck to lounge on, and rarely crowded. Be aware it isn't huge and there's no roof, so the midday sun is strong; mornings or after about 3 pm are far more comfortable. Next to the pool is a glass-walled gym with the same view, with a treadmill and the usual machines covered.
Guests who stay at Bella B Hotel tend to arrive with modest expectations — the rate is low enough that you brace for compromises — and they leave having been surprised in the same two directions almost every time: the room is bigger than the price implied, and the rooftop pool turns out to be the best part of the trip.
The rooms register the surprise first. The Junior Suite is the entry level and it starts at 40 sqm. For anyone who has stayed in Bangkok-area hotels at the same price point — and found themselves in a 25 sqm room with a window that looks at a wall — the difference is felt immediately when the door opens. The ceiling is not low. There is genuine floor space between the bed and the wall, room for a sofa or a chair, space to leave a suitcase open without climbing over it. The Thai silk finish on the walls and the marble in the bathroom read as more expensive than the rate would suggest. The fridge, kettle, and in some rooms a microwave, are there without needing to ask. Guests call this out repeatedly: not luxury, but genuinely more than the number on the booking page set them up for.
The rooftop pool is where the second surprise lands. It is on the top floor behind a glass edge, and what it looks out over is the Nonthaburi skyline and a long run of elevated expressway. The best time to be there is in the hour before the sun goes down — the light comes from the west and settles over the water and the surrounding deck in a way that is warm and unhurried. The pool is not resort-scale, but the hotel is not a large property, so it is rarely packed. The glass-walled gym next to it faces the same view; the treadmill and standard machines are there for anyone who wants to exercise with a skyline in front of them rather than a mirrored wall.
The maritime theme that runs through the entire building is a detail that guests note with some surprise. The lobby is not the generic white-box entry of most budget hotels at this tier — it has ship anchors, timber slatting, and a black-and-white geometric marble floor that a guest described as looking like it cost three times what the room rate suggests. The Navigator restaurant handles Thai and international food; breakfast draws generally positive comments. The Thai-massage spa and aromatherapy services are inside the building, removing the need to go out. There is karaoke on site if a group wants it.
The honest caveats that repeat across reviews: the hotel sits down a quiet soi in Bang Kruai, and finding dinner within walking distance in the evening is genuinely difficult. Multiple guests flag this in the same terms — bring food in or plan to use Grab, because the options on foot are thin. Service can be uneven; some reviews mention staff who were slow to respond or didn't follow through. A handful note dust or stray hair in the room at check-in, even though the overall cleanliness score sits at 8.2.
The recurring summary from guests who come back or pass on a recommendation: if what you need is a large room, a rooftop pool with a city view, free parking, and a rate under two thousand baht, Bella B Hotel gives you more than that number implies — and you will need to know the location before you arrive, plan dinner accordingly, and set the service expectation at mid-range rather than luxury.
The whole hotel runs a maritime theme. The restaurant is named The Navigator, serving Thai and international dishes, while the function room takes the Captain name. The lobby and lounge are dressed with ship anchors, timber slats and a black-and-white geometric marble floor that looks pricier than you'd guess. There's a spa for Thai massage, aromatherapy and body scrubs, plus karaoke inside the building. Free parking is a real plus for anyone driving in, since parking in Bang Kruai is far easier than central Bangkok.
On location, it's worth being direct. Bella B sits down a fairly quiet soi on the Bang Kruai side, and there aren't many restaurants or convenience stores right around the hotel — several reviews note that finding dinner within walking distance in the evening is hard, so you'll want a Grab or a car. The upside: Bang O Station on the MRT Purple Line is about 1.4 km away, a short motorbike-taxi or Grab ride to the train into the city. It's also under half a kilometre from EGAT in Bang Kruai, handy if you're here on business. Chatuchak Weekend Market is roughly 8 km away by car or MRT.
The Trip.com score sits at 8.0/10 from 101 verified reviews — cleanliness leads at 8.2, with facilities and location tied at 7.9. The pool and the room size draw the most praise. The honest, recurring complaints: service can be inconsistent, with staff sometimes slow to respond, and the quiet location makes finding food nearby a chore. A few reviews mention dust or stray hair in the room at check-in, even though the overall cleanliness score holds up well. These are real limitations worth knowing before you book so the expectation is right.
Rates start around ฿1,400/night for a Junior Suite in normal periods, climbing to roughly ฿1,900–2,400 over long holidays and festivals. There's a 3-bed Family room and a penthouse suite for larger groups. It works out as strong value when you weigh the room size and the rooftop pool against same-priced hotels in Bangkok. Always compare Agoda, Booking and Trip.com before committing — the promo gap can be several hundred baht.
The bottom line: Bella B Hotel works best for travellers who want a big room and a good pool on a budget and don't mind a tucked-away soi. Families driving in, couples after a quiet base near the Purple Line, and anyone on business around Bang Kruai or EGAT get the most out of it. If you live for night-time street-food wandering or expect chain-hotel service, it may not be your fit. But if the brief is "big room, rooftop pool, low rate, near the MRT," Bella B covers it.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Rooftop pool with great city views, especially at dusk
- ✓ Spacious rooms from 40 sqm — bigger than the price
- ✓ Clean rooms and comfortable beds
- ✓ Free parking, handy if you drive in
- ! Tucked down a soi, few restaurants nearby
- ! Service can be inconsistent at times
- ! Pool has no roof, strong sun midday
- ✓ Strong value for the room size and rooftop pool
- ✓ Maritime-themed decor, lobby looks better than expected
- ✓ Near the Purple Line at Bang O, easy ride into the city
- ✓ Has a Thai-massage spa and gym on site
- ! Hard to find food within walking distance in the evening
- ! Some reviews mention dust or stray hair at check-in
- ! Rates climb noticeably over long holidays
- 💡If you want clear river or city views — request a higher floor when booking → lower-floor rooms get blocked by surrounding buildings, while higher floors open up the Chao Phraya and the skyline
- 💡If finding dinner worries you — keep the Grab app ready or grab supplies before you arrive → the soi in Bang Kruai has few options and isn't as walkable as in-town districts
- 💡If you're travelling as a family — the 40 sqm Family Grand Deluxe with 3 beds beats booking two singles → note the number of guests when booking and ask whether breakfast is included or separate