OK, I'm looking at staying at the Parasol Hotel or the Night Market Hotel in Chiang Mai. Has anyone stayed at either of these places? What kind of rate should I pay during the off season? My group needs a clean pace with A/C but it doesn't have to have resort facilities. Any suggestions?
Reply to this Hi Donadona, i think ac is overrated and can give people colds and coughs, when i recentley stayed in Chiang Mai i stayed at the eagle guest house 1 and it was clean and cheap at 150 baht a night, its also great if you want to learn to cook thai food or go on a trek as the eagle 1 and 2 guest house are run by a lovely irish lady annette and her thai husband pai, the food is good and affordable and both guesthouse are close to local attractions and the staff and annette are so helpful and go out of their way for you and they organise really good eco treks.
anyway thats my 2 cents
Thanks
Mike😊
Reply to this I used the Montri Hotel in Chiang Mai three times. This hotel is right across from the Thapae Gate, 2-6 Ratchadamnoen Road. Various priced rooms, all have air and hot water plus private toilet/shower. Security box at the front desk and there are elevators. Free ride back to the airport. One advantage with air conditioning is that you can keep the windows shut, this cuts down on street noise and mosquitoes and other things coming in.
http://www.hotelthailand.com/chiangmai/montri/
From this Montri hotel it is a short walk to restaurants, cooking schools, travel agents, internet shops, Seven Eleven type stores and not that far from the Night Market. Across the street from the Montri, at the Thapae Gate there is a small flea market selling stuff cheaper than the Night Market.
Good luck.
Reply to this Has anyone stayed at RCN guesthouse? I'll be staying at least one week in Chiang Mai in October, maybe 2 and the weekly rate of THB2300 and safety locker look very attractive.
I'd also like to hear from people who have been to the towns of Soppong, Tham Lot and Ban Toei as these are also places I'm considering. I've got 6 weeks so time isn't all that much of a problem.
Reply to this i stayed at winner inn, it is a short walk from the night bazaar, and also to go inside of the ancient walled part of chiang-mai. i forget what i paid exactly because i purchased a package deal which included a 3-day jungle trek (i highly recommend) and bamboo rafting. the guesthouse was a bed, private bathroom with shower, A/C. for 4 or 5 nights, everything included i paid 200 USD. in my opinion, it was money well spent. have a blast!!
Reply to this I stayed at the Suriwongse Hotel
The Night market is very close by. Reply to this How much do you want to pay per night?
You have hotels (Montri) from around 900 to 1400 baht all rooms with air, HW, TV, private toilet/bath, (private safety box at front desk) and the Winner Inn - those are two good choices.
With a safety box - don't leave the safety box key out in plain sight, it's not just the hotel staff you also have to be wary of your fellow tourists ripping you off too!
I Think the RCN place is one block over from the Montri. When you say "safety locker" do you mean a security box at the front desk or a community safe? Some hotels have safes in each room.
You can get tours to many places through one of the many travel agencies in town. Choose a tour the night before and leave the following morning.
If you are with a group don't forget to ask for a discount.
Good luck.
Reply to this In my experience booking on the internet is often cheaper than the rates charged by hotels to walk-in customers. The reason is that the travel agencies block book rooms and negotiate good deals as a result. Also, to advertise on some sites, hotels/guesthouses must offer a discount off the standard rate to appear on the advertiser's website at no cost.
My suggestion is that, where possible, e-mail the guesthouse in advance and ask for a room rate which you can then check against on-line travel agencies.
You can, of course, try negotiating directly with the hotel/guesthouse. In this case, ask to see a room at the back of the building, on the top floor, the ground floor and at the front. That way you will quickly get an idea of how full the place is. If they can show you each type of room you ask to view, then the place will not be full. Puts you in a better position to negotiate if you know the place has several rooms available.
However, most of the time the staff on reception do not have the authority to give a discount and if the owner/manager is not around, you will most likely be given lots of smiles and a pained look when you leave to look at the accommodation next door.
Reply to this Its worth waiting til you get to Chiang Mai and finding somewhere then. Alot of places don't have websites but are great value for money, clean and in good locations with computer access and depending on how much you want to pay, you can get ac or fan...I recommend going with the fan, ac is over-rated as Mickey M already said...I just found a card in my wallet from one place I stayed in which wasn't a bad place...its called The Royal Guesthouse...its just off Loi Kroh Road and they have a website if you do want to check them out, although they have alot of rooms and set prices and I doubt that booking online will get you a better deal.
www.royalguesthouse-chiangmai.com
Reply to this I can suggest the Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel as good hotel.I stayed there 2 months back and thought it very good value.Can get some good deals with this one including breakfast if you look around online.
Reply to this You can also use a telephone after you get to Bangkok to call and reserve a room or check on vacancies. See Bangkok for a few days and make your travel connections and book hotels at the same time. Phone calls are cheap.
Good luck.
Reply to this Sitting in Chiang Mai right at Thaphae Garden Guest House. 650/n aircon hot water. Tidy room. Has a pool not heated (perfect in the hot afternoon). Walked in. Fan singles are 350/night.
Donavan,
Book one night anywhere and head out and check some places you found on line that look intersting. A hotel anywhere in the moated city is close to the Sunday night market. And is 10 minutes to night bizaar. Tuk Tuks are cheap here so "splurging" for a ride makes up for the distance if you find its to far.
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