Different countries will have different styles for housing. Be aware of what you are booking/renting and set expectations accordingly.
When traveling, nomading, or living in a Southeast Asian country; you may have specific needs like (1) quiet, (2) privacy, (3) lots of space, (4) cheap, (5) social, and (6) fun amenities.
Woah that sure is a list of requirements! Most likely, you’ll need to prioritize, and getting to know the different types of accommodation (especially in SE Asia) will help you understand the housing situation you’re signing up for.
See the below post for extra info on renting in Southeast Asia.
Accommodation Options – A Quick List
Use these terms to search for accommodation in Southeast Asia.
Airbnb applies to all of the below.
Short-term Stays: (Traveling, Nomading)
Social & Shared Spaces
– Hostel
– Dorm
Private Room
– Hostels (Hostels have private rooms and dorms, both)
– Hotel
– Resort
– Mansion, Baan (in Thailand only)
– Nha Nghi, Kach San ( in Vietnam only)
– Holiday home
– Villa
Private Room – the setup is not fully private
– Homestay
– Guesthouse
Medium-term Stays: (Nomading)
Social & Shared Spaces
– Hostel
– Dorm
Private Room
– Hostels (Hostels have private rooms and dorms, both)
Note
*DISCLAIMER: Private rooms in hostels will be expensive on a monthly basis compared to other options*
– Hotel
– Serviced Apartment
– Condo
– Mansion, Baan (in Thailand only)
– Nha Nghi, Kach San ( in Vietnam only)
Private Room – the setup is not fully private
– Homestay
– Guesthouse
Long-term Stays: (Nomading, Expat, Retiree)
Private Room
– Hotel
– Serviced Apartment
– Condo
– Mansion, Baan (in Thailand only)
– Nha Nghi, Kach San ( in Vietnam only)
Private Room – the setup is not fully private
– Homestay
– Guesthouse
Accommodation Types In Detail
Airbnb
Most know what Airbnb is. However, Airbnb prices are very inflated compared to the normal local market.
Much better deals can be found by walking around and searching for a long-term accommodation, manually.
Airbnb’s lowest allowable price is $150 which set the bar very high for Southeast Asia. Yes, your read that correctly. Because of this, decent monthly rentals with the monthly discount included will cost $250-$300 instead of their fair value of $125 (including electric, moderate AC use, and all other utilities).
Also note that stays under 30 days are, technically, illegal in Thailand.
Warning
Thailand: Do not expect the Thai Airbnb host to register you with the local police/immigration. This will be an issue if you extend your visa, because you will not have a TM30 on file, which is required.
Hostel / Dorm
Hostel Dorm Rooms are a very popular and cheaper way to travel, but not nomad. Great for bouncing from one city/country to the next, meeting fellow backpackers, or a place just to store your luggage while adventuring.
You pay for a single bunk bed in a shared room with 4/6/8/12 or more beds inside. Showers and bathrooms are also shared. Amenities such as a swimming pool, billiards table, and onsite restaurant & bar make life feel like a real vacation.
Warning
Use the lockers and bring your own lock to use. Take security seriously for your personal belonging – things get lost and stolen in hostels dorm rooms.
Tip
After checking out, ask the hotel/hostel staff about storing luggage.
Many hotels/hostels will have an area where you can store luggage for several days, or even a couple of weeks! No need to have a reservation during those days!
This is great if you will be doing some adventuring and returning. We’ve used spare hostel lockers or storage rooms for weeks. Be sure to use your own lock on the locker and/or lock + tether you bag within the storage room so no-one can easily walk-off with it.
Hotel
Self explanatory. There are several variants of a hotel, as mentioned below.
Homestay / Guest House
There seems to be no adhered to definition in Southeast Asia for naming the accommodation as a “homestay” or “guesthouse”.
They range from a private room in a local’s house with bathrooms being shared or private to locally-owned & managed hotels.
They can be basic, or provide an intimate, comfortable, vibe along with unique layout and charismatic host, personally greeting you and supplying you with tips & recommendations.
These tend to be ‘one-offs’, where no two properties are exactly the same. You are likely to find a gem that made your stay memorable.
The possible CONs are that some are less private than you may preferred – (1) smaller buildings, (2) a single place where everyone puts their shoes, (3) shared kitchen and lounge space, (4) possibly shared bathrooms, and (5) frequently passing by the front reception. Overall, this gives the feeling that everyone knows where you are, and what you’re doing – no privacy!
Fun Fact
In Thailand: “Baan” is another word for “hotel” / homestay / guesthouse. “Baan” is a Thai word directly translated as “home”.
Mansions (in Thailand only)
Don’t let the name “mansion” confuse you – it is not a giant house for 1 person.
“Mansions” are local hotels that are also apartments, too. So, they provide short-term daily stays, and long-term rentals.
Typical options at a Mansion are “AC rooms” and “fan rooms”. Fan rooms are cheaper due to only have an air fan and no AC unit in the room.
Also, some Mansions have remodeled rooms or larger ones that act as apartments, while the daily rooms can also be rented as monthly (long-term) stays.
Outside the big city, you will often not find many foreigners staying here. But, in Bangkok foreigners like them due to being able to rent them month-to-month (1 to 3 months at a time).
Tip
Check these out first if renting in Thailand! Mansions in Thailand are a perfect place to start if you rent for 1 month or longer.
-> rent them month-to-month
->no contract required.
Nha Nghi / Kach San (in Vietnam only)
These are Vietnamese words that you will see on building signs implying that they are local-style hotels.
Note
Upon walk-in, these hotels can be booked for hourly rates of 1-2 hours. They have hourly rates, because private space is less common in Vietnam. Couples will spend personal alone time together at these hotels.
Recommendation: Do feel free to see the room and checkout the place before committing to booking or renting monthly here. You cannot judge the book by it’s cover – some of these places have very nice rooms. But, you will often times be dealing with local staff and a language barrier as these places target local customers.
Serviced Apartment
“Serviced” means housing that comes with everything. Here you can expect (1) a completely furnished apartment and kitchen; (2) room cleaning & bed sheet changes a couple of times a week; (3) staff will do your laundry; (4) amenities such as a gym, swimming pool, rooftop, and lounge spaces; and (5) on-site food & drink available.
Condo
These are very similar to serviced apartments, but they are owned by individuals.
The owners choose to live in them, or rent them out to longer-term renters.
Airbnb is not welcomed in these buildings, since residents do not appreciate strangers coming in & out of the apartment next door to them. Whether Airbnb is allowed or not is up to the condo management’s policy and/or the governing country’s laws. Signs saying “No Airbnb allowed here” are frequently posted in the lobies of these buildings.
House
There are plenty of houses on the market to rent, but usually for a minimum length of 6 months to 1 year.
Sizes range from 1 bedroom or more with single to multiple floors. They may or may not be furnished, just depends. Privacy is best here, in a home.
And, prices are very competitive. For the same price you can get a much bigger and nicer house than you can for a similarly priced apartment.
Villa
Our definition of a villa, is a fancier and more expensive house. We think of the word “architecture” when we think of a villa – a place that is a piece of art that you live in.
Holiday Home
This is a fun concept – a house that is rented out by the day, usually for larger gatherings of family and/or friends.