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Where to Stay in Chiang Mai
for Retreats or Workshops
Chiang Mai offers a wide range of accommodations for our workshop
and retreat participants. You may plan your stay at a world-class,
multi-star hotel/resort or choose a budget guesthouse within the boundaries
of the old city for a few US$ per day.
Chiang Mai is such a small city that any location you chose is only a 10
or 20 minute taxi ride (red songtaws are 20bt/70 cents and tuk tuks are 50/100bt) to our place.
See our location map to know where we are, but please call to make an appointment before coming by.
Phoning Internationally: Use (66-53)
for Country Code and City Code.
Budget and Convenience for $5 to $10 per night
For the average (cost-conscious) tourist, we'd recommend an initial internet booking for $15 to $25 (during the high season or if you have a late night arrival) somewhere in the Thapae Gate (Eastern side) area of the old city.
There are also many small guesthouses with charm in the same are. You don't need to go on the internet to book a room (most don't have web sites) so you'll need to roam around and look. Find a place to store your luggage and move around on foot, which is very doable in the city.
The Montri Hotel is too well located to need a web site. Email montri_hotel@hotmail.com or call +66 53 211069 and ask for a room in the back (to avoid the road noise) and be in the city's best location. You may only want to book 1 or 2 days here until you can find something that suits your character.
From here you can branch out and find a family-ran guesthouse with charm, smiles, character and maybe even a garden off the little streets (soi's) that make up the east side of the city. Smile House, Rose Guesthouse, Top North and so many more. Watch out for the Loi Kroh area; it's the red light district and gets noisy at night. But, it still has great shopping during the day.
Online Bookings for $15 to $300+ per night
Online bookings start at about $15 a night, often with breakfast. Our favorite places for online discounted hotel bookings. You may use tripadvisor for dependable reviews
Agoda - guaranteed lowest internet pricing. Chiang Mai listings are here.
Booking - new to Asia, but great for us in Europe. Can book without paying for room until arrival.
DirectRooms.com
- check for listings close to Chiang Mai's city center. We're close to the Huay Kaew area but if you book here, you'll be far away from all the tourist services available in the city. We're talking about a distance of less than a few miles/km's.
AsiaRooms.com - there's a pretty big listing here. Check the rates and comments here and then source out the given locations main web site and book for the most savings.
Accommodations Available closest to our location.
Things have exploded around the Nimmanhaemin area of Chiang Mai very close to our location (10 mins walk). Email or call each place and ask best rates.
Kantary Hills - it finally happened. TRUE serviced apartments in Chiang Mai. But wait... they're also available on a daily basis. Too sweet! And, only 15-20 minutes walk from us. Ask for a Marc and Diana referral rate from Christian by email and you're staying in STYLE for a great price! The Princess stays here and Thai Airlines pilots and airhost staff. Japanese people love this place and so do we!
Lotus Pang Suan Kaew Hotel and Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel are package-tourist hotels connected to the Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Centre - the biggest mall in the city. The back door to this complex is only 7 minutes walk from us. We'd never recommend paying a full price for this old hotel rooms, but if you can get a room for 1000bt or so, there okay. Swimming pools make them good for families.
Suandok Mansion - we almost moved in here as a nice upscale condo. 390-650bt Daily. 7 minutes walk from us. Have a Thai speaker call for booking confirmation 053-895-195/7. Ask for room in back, off the main street with serious traffic.
The Pooh Cottage and The Nest are the closest guesthousees to us. 700 too 1400bt with breakfast for 2. A little upmarket pricing for what we see; about 1/2 these prices would still be expenisve for Chiang Mai. Both are on small streets with no traffic. Boutique in the 'small' and unique senses of that word.
Looking for Chic accommodations in
Chiang Mai, Thailand? Price not an object?
Tamarind
Village - Double WOW!
Email: sales@tamarindvillage.com
Rate: 3000bt ++
Address: 50/1 Rajdamnoen Rd., Sri Phom, Chiangmai 50200
Phone: (66-53) 418896-6
Fax: (66-53) 418900
Comments: Exclusive Spot (only 40 rooms). Lodge here and dine
at the nearby Shabby-Chic House Restaurant. You’ll never
expect you’ve left the West.
Rachamankha - Triple WOW!
Address: 9,T.Phra Singh Chiang Mai 50200
Rate: 12,000bt+ (website), 4,685bt (directrooms.com)
Phone: (66-53) 904-111
Fax (66-53) 904-114
Comments: an upmarket boutique hotel located in the old city.
A small number of rooms in buildings built according to local
designs. A wonderful atmosphere in this traditional hotel; with
much attention to detail and great style. Don't eat here though unless you have to.
 's
are for places that need them. If you want a complete list of the 'in' spots for stay, food/drink and shopping see this link.
A link to other places that 'claim' to be boutique, try at your own risk.
Looking for Luxury accommodations in
Northern Thailand?
We'll list these based on bang for the buck rather than proximity to us. Low season rates are just going to blow you away with 4 and 5 Star qualities at 3 Star prices.
Holiday Inn (formerly the Sheraton)
On the opposite side of the city about 20 minutes away. A GREAT sunday brunch in the city! Don't think of any Holiday Inn you've ever seen state-side, this place is UP scale. Newly refurbished in 2009/10.
Shangri~La Hotel
Simply our favorite interior of any hotel in Chiang Mai (sorry Chedi). This location puts you on the river and in the night market area (but not on-top of it - which is a good thing). If you already know Shangri~La, enough said!
Le Meridien - Night Market area
We've had good experiences at Le Meridien so happy to include these guys in our recommendation list. They are becoming known for 'THE' Sunday Champagne brunch in Chiang Mai.
D2 - Night Market area
Some of the best deserts in the city... That's a good sign! This may be the most posh spot to hangout in Chiang Mai with the In Crowd. Their monthly food specials rule!
Mandarin
Oriental
On the opposite side of the city in San Kamphang about 25 minutes away. If there was a 6 star classification, these guys have certainly gone for it. If you are any kind of serious luxury traveler you already know this place by reputation. All the movie stars visiting Chiang Mai stay here. Even though it's a sort of over-the-top Lanna-style-temple meets Disneyland, we still LOVE it!
Four Seasons
in Mae
Rim
20km outside Chiang Mai about 40 minutes away. This was the first full featured, luxury resort in Chiang Mai. All the others listed here are here BECAUSE of Four Season's success in capturing an upscale market in the north of Thailand. Lots of places have tried to copy them simply because they got it all right the first time.
The Chedi Riverside
This place has unbelievable architecture which is wonderfully lit at night and enhanced by a river location. Unfortunately, I kind of miss the point of all the open-air seating in a place as hot and humid as Chiang Mai. We hope to take more advantage of the place in the winter months. High-tea at 4pm and sunset work well here.
Serviced Apartments in the City
Kantary Hills - mentioned above.
Viangbua Mansion - not only serviced apartments with weekly/monthly rates, but a great place to stay (900 to 3500bt a day) in Chiang Mai for nice decor at a very reasonable rate. We've had many people happy they've stayed here, but haven't actually seen the inside of the place ourselves. You'll be a little off the beaten path but just a couple of miles/km's for the city center.
Studio 99 - close to Thaepa Gate, the heart of the backpacker tourist center of Chaing Mai. Note: the night market area is propably the 'proper' tourist center of Chiang Mai.
Daily Rate:
2,000 to 28,00bt per day
Monthly Rate:
34,000 to 40,000bt per month.
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