This was my first solo trip and first stay in a hostel. I stayed in several more during this trip and they were all very nice (thanks to Trip Advisor reviews). The location of this hostel is ideal, not too far from Khaosan Road but not too close. It was about 2 streets away and it was fairly quiet at night. It was walking distance to the Grand Palace. I stayed in the all female dorm, in a top bunk. The building is very secure and it requires two different swiped of your room key to access your specific dorm. There was always someone at the front desk monitoring who comes and goes, very safe. You can buy a beer or bottled water from the front desk. Lots of people sitting around in the lounge area and there was often people up having drinks on the outdoor patio area, but you could not hear them from the dorms. There is a resident dog, he is very peaceful and friendly and was usually laying around on the front patio.
I made a friend while staying here that traveled with me the rest of my trip which was amazing.
I would choose this Hostel again.
If traveling from the airport (BKK), take the airport bus, really cheap, which will drop you off about 2 blocks away.
If traveling to DMK, I think I paid 150 baht to the front desk and they arraigned for my transfer to DMK.
If you need to exchange money, use the Super Rich exchange at BKK airport on the bottom level near the Rail Link, best exchange rates I found in Thailand for buying and selling USD.