Having a kitchen was great because we could practice our Thai cookery supplied by the local market nearby, our make western comfort food from the upscale Falang supermarket called Rimping (where you can buy a quart of Ben and Jerry's for 350 Baht, aka 10 US dollars!)
Having kitchen was not great when it came time for me to do dishes in the little sink, which required rain gear to protect from the splashes. (thanks etta!)
Having a TV with cable was great because of all the international stations you can't see at home like Al Jazeera, and the weird Japanese-food-game-show channel.