Guest House/ Hotel In Chang Mai

[el gaucho]

With so many places out there, I would like some recommendations for me and my girlfriend to stay.

Looking for somewhere quite central, mid-price with a bit of character.

Was thinking of:

*Julie's Guest House (7/1 Soi 5, Th Phra Pokklao)

*Top North Guest House (Th Moon Muang)

*Lat Thai (Kotchasan Rd)

or on the river:

*Galare Guest House

*River View Lodge

Was also thinking of spending some time in one of the resorts out of town, in Hangdong like :"Banana Bon Bon" or Lanna Resort. Are these any good, or am i better off staying in the city?

Any thoughts/ideas?

Thanks in advance.

EG

[jackr]

With so many places out there, I would like some recommendations for me and my girlfriend to stay.

Looking for somewhere quite central, mid-price with a bit of character.

Was thinking of:

*Julie's Guest House (7/1 Soi 5, Th Phra Pokklao)

*Top North Guest House  (Th Moon Muang)

*Lat Thai (Kotchasan Rd)

or on the river:

*Galare Guest House

*River View Lodge

Was also thinking of spending some time in one of the resorts out of town, in Hangdong like :"Banana Bon Bon" or Lanna Resort. Are these any good, or am i better off staying in the city?

Any thoughts/ideas?

Thanks in advance.

EG

EG,

I wouldn't bother staying out of town just for the heck of it. Chiang Mai is the main attraction so you may as well stay in the city where it's at. Top North Hotel's ok (same, same company as Top North Guesthouse but different), mid-range with pool, satellite, etc - 600 per night and right on Taphae Gate. If you're planning on staying out of town to get away from it all, head for the Samoeng loop, which branches off the Hang Dong road and into the mountains. Some lovely resorts up here but a lot more pricey.

Cheers, jackr

[Ajarn]

Reminds me that there is a very decent boutique resort in Samoeng town. Can't remember the name, but as you hit town, turn right and start bearing to your left, looping around the backside of Samoeng- a couple of k's only.. Cottages in the trees with fan/air are 700 baht up...Nice romantic restaurant, too

A few meters further, is a funky little place (wannabe housing development, it seems) with nice houses for rent from 4-8,000 per month, furnished. One house, a 2 story, is completely made from river stone...

Enjoy Samoeng while you can. Once they get going on that 4-lane hiway direct to Mae Hong Sorn, Samoeng is bound to change a lot.

[chanchao]

Banana Bon Bon sucks mud. Lanna Resort.. never seen the rooms, it's not that special. There is an absolutely wonderful little restaurant/cottage operation a bit further down that road.. Forgot the name.. '.....splace.com'.. 'milliesplace.com'.. no... argh.. Anyway, it's run by a really wonderful Thai couple, bit older, really high class without being typical hi-so if that at all makes sense to anyone. It's on the main road on the left before you get to Ban Dong and Suan Bua Resort, which is a fair option for the money but not that special.

In town, also look at BP City Hotel (Formerly Felix City Inn). Nice location in the old town, and not terribly expensive.

[sabaijai]

With so many places out there, I would like some recommendations for me and my girlfriend to stay.

Looking for somewhere quite central, mid-price with a bit of character.

Was thinking of:

*Julie's Guest House (7/1 Soi 5, Th Phra Pokklao)

*Top North Guest House  (Th Moon Muang)

*Lat Thai (Kotchasan Rd)

or on the river:

*Galare Guest House

*River View Lodge

Was also thinking of spending some time in one of the resorts out of town, in Hangdong like :"Banana Bon Bon" or Lanna Resort. Are these any good, or am i better off staying in the city?

Any thoughts/ideas?

Thanks in advance.

EG

Julie GH -- excellent, Swiss-expat-run, good value, often full.

Top North -- resting on its laurels a bit, but the 2nd cheapest place in town with a swimming pool (after Awana Sleep & Swim behind the Montri Hotel)

Lat Thai -- don't know this one, can't comment on it

Galare GH - well run but noisy because of Nawarat Bridge traffic, too many mossies; was a classic in its day ...

River View Lodge - run down and overpriced for what you get.

Another place along the lines of Julie is Golden Fern GH, farang-run, great value. Both places have nice ambience, bit of garden, and Julie also has good food. Blue Diamond GH off Soi 9 also good, again good food for a guesthouse, very popular.

[jackr]

Stayed at Lai Thai and the rooms are nothing special. The menu is the best thing going for the place. Kind of off-putting when you read the laminated instruction stuck to the check-in counter, 'stains to the sheets will incur a fine of 50 baht', or words to that effect...hmmmm

[chanchao]

> Top North -- resting on its laurels a bit, but the 2nd cheapest

> place in town with a swimming pool (after Awana Sleep &

> Swim behind the Montri Hotel)

Smile House now has something of a pool as well. It's a guesthouse in a sub-soi that diagonally connects Ratchamankha Road with Moon Muang, at the point where Cosy Corner/John's Place is.

Pool is not that big, but it IS a pool. Don't know what the rooms go for, but from the outside it looks like a very nice place.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[el gaucho]

Thanks for the info all.

Any other ideas: please keep them coming!

One more thing: any quality trekking companies, based in Chang Mai people can recommend?

Cheers in advance.

[jackr]

Thanks for the info all.

Any other ideas: please keep them coming!

One more thing: any quality trekking companies, based in Chang Mai people can recommend?

Cheers in advance.

Go to Pai or Mae Hong Son and do a trek from there. Some Chiang Mai firms will say they're taking you near the Myanmar border right in the sticks. Unless you're paying the bucks, it's bullshit, it'd take all day and-then-some to get there.

[Ajarn]

Thanks for the info all.

Any other ideas: please keep them coming!

One more thing: any quality trekking companies, based in Chang Mai people can recommend?

Cheers in advance.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You might try:

Nam Khong Travel

6 Chaiyaphoom Rd.

Changmoi, Chiangmai 50200

tel. (6653) 874321, (6653) 874278

The owner, Khun Panada (01-783-0518) is a long-time friend and has a good rep among many... I've only heard positive feedback from people who've used her.

She knows lots of people and has her fingers in many projects. An excellent resource for anything a tourist might need anywhere in the North or Laos.

[el gaucho]

Nice one guys. Good info here.

Karma to you all.

[Dickie]

Soi 4 Thaepei has two places: Sarah GH and the other one whose name I forget but it's an Israeli-type place. I stayed there and I'm not israeli so that's not a prerequisite. Both cheap, about 200baht a night, and both basic. The israeli one also runs treks and their vehicle compound is opposite the place. The daughter who works in Sarah is sooooo delicious if slightly young

[el gaucho]

In general, am I best avoiding river-side guest houses due to mossies?

[Dickie]

In general, am I best avoiding river-side guest houses due to mossies?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mossies are everywhere, even down soi 4 the little buggers were waiting to feed on farang. It may have been a coincidence, but while I was being ripped to shreds in BKK I was eating Thai food. By the time I'd been munching Thai for about a week I was attacked much less frequently. Then again: maybe by then I was so damaged that no self-respecting mossie would be seen dead "eating at THAT place".