Inside Bangkok’s prison-themed hotel
Would you pay for a night behind bars? Inside Bangkok’s prison-themed hotel where guests get a mugshot, striped pyjamas and a ‘lights-out curfew’
Most of us would very much prefer to stay out of a foreign jail.
But those who’d like a taste of it, there’s now a hotel in Thailand which is themed around just that.
Bangkok’s Sook Station opened earlier this summer and offers adventurous guests a night in a cell behind bars for £30 per night.
Enclosed by a perimeter fence topped with razor wire, the unconventional venue deliberately walks a fine line between custody and comfort.
Located in the up-and-coming Udomsook district, the budget inn boasts rooms with metal gates for doors, bunk beds and a lights-out curfew.
Each room – or rather, cell – measures just eight square meters.
Guests are treated to a mugshot upon checking in and are provided black and white striped pyjamas.
They are also given a ‘criminal record’ keepsake and an inmate number instead of a room key.
The hotel offers shared bathroom facilities, in keeping with a real jail.
Thankfully, it’s not all concrete cells and metal bars.
There’s a also a hot tub, an office space and a lounge for relaxation, plus – somewhat randomly – teddy bears strewn around to offer comfort.
Outside, there are carefully manicured lawns decorated with overhead party lights.
Thailand’s prison system is world-renowned for its brutality, which sees the central men’s jail – Klong Prem – dubbed the Big Tiger because it is said to ‘eat people alive’.
Meanwhile, the women’s section is ironically referred to as the Bangkok Hilton.
Despite this, it still exerts a fascination for westerners and has long been the subject of cautionary tales from Hollywood
Bridget Jones found herself in a Thai jail in The Edge of Reason, while Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale co-starred in acclaimed thriller Brokedown Palace.
However, Midnight Express remains the most seminal moment in big-screen depictions, while the forthcoming A Prayer Before Dawn also looks set to warn people away from breaking the law on foreign soil.
Fortunately, curious holiday-makers can now find middle ground at Sook Station. – mailonline
Inside Bangkok's prison-themed hotel
