Which Is The Best Cm Location

[hhfarang]

Hello CM members,

My (Thai) wife and I are coming up from our home in Hua Hin for a week in CM in late January. We will fly so we would like to stay in an area where we can walk to lots of restaurants, bars, nightlife, attractions, etc. with a minimum of taxi/tuk tuk hiring.

I've been looking at two hotels that sound good in our price range (1000 to 1500 baht) but I am not familiar with the layout of Chiang Mai. Both hotels seem to be in good (but different) locations.

The hotels are the Amora Tapae Hotel near the Tapae gate and the Empire Residence Nimman (in a popular restaurant night life area, Nimman Road???). Both appear to be good values for the room price and each appears to be in a location with a lot of restaurants, pubs, shopping, etc., within walking distance.

Given the choice, which do you think is better, and any other suggestions of hotels or other areas of town would be welcome.

Thanks in advance,

hh

[hhfarang]

I'm just giving this a bump... It's very strange that I can ask a simple question like this and get no answer. Just to be clear, I'm not asking about the specific hotels, but about the locations. We want to be in a good place to walk out of the hotel and quickly find restaurants, bars, nightlife, and shopping.

Maybe it's just that a place like this doesn't exist in Chiang Mai but I'm very curious why no one has even bothered to answer my question about locations.

[sbk]

Given the prevalence of foodies in this forum hhfarang, I suspect they are all off stuffing their faces with Christmas lunch/dinner

[Chunkton]

Both are probably fine. If you prefer the gay action go to Nimmenhemin, or if the straight action go to Thapae.

[Tywais]

Maybe it's just that a place like this doesn't exist in Chiang Mai but I'm very curious why no one has even bothered to answer my question about locations.

As mentioned, it is Xmas day and all the Brits are probably having their pudding. You might look at the Montri Hotel which is right at Thappae Gate and in the same price range. Good value and good wifi access within the hotel.

Montri Hotel

[delboygoeslarge]

i stayed at tapae boutique house a few weeks ago. close to everything. nice place. i prefer to stay close to the old city but have no problems eating and drinking further out in the city. just my preference.

[Atmos]

we stayed at a guesthouse near Tha Phae gate 2 weeks ago, thought it a good location - close to night markets, old town, easy transport options, and would happily stay same area again.

[Steve2UK]

Comparing locations - i.e. with a view to easy walking to the greatest number of interesting places (for eating, nightlife, sightseeing etc) - I'd say definitely Thapae. I live not far from Nimmanhaemin and enjoy going there sometimes for eating/drinking (good choices and generally a bit more stylish, less touristy than I can think of elsewhere) - but, frankly, there's not much there that you wouldn't have exhausted in a couple of days/evenings. Far more variety of just about everything from quirky to quality around Thapae - and you won't discover even a quarter of it in a week..... little chance of getting bored there. If you do feel like a change, you could always take a tuk-tuk to the Nimmanhaemin area one day/evening.

BTW, I thoroughly recommend that you get hold of Nancy Chandler's wonderful annotated map and accompanying booklet early on - maybe even worth getting hold of it to look through before you come (it takes a bit of getting used to - but definitely repays the effort).

http://www.nancychandler.net/product.asp?pId=12

[Oneman]

we would like to stay in an area where we can walk to lots of restaurants, bars, nightlife, attractions, etc. with a minimum of taxi/tuk tuk hiring. ... I've been looking at two hotels that sound good in our price range (1000 to 1500 baht) but I am not familiar with the layout of Chiang Mai. ... Amora Tapae Hotel near the Tapae gate and the Empire Residence Nimman

Hello HH --

It is clear you have done your homework about hotel locations.

Either of those hotels would be suitable for your objectives, but, the "personality" of those two locations is very, very, different.

Amora -- close to Tapae Gate -- is in the heart of the backpacker area: low budget tourists, with low budget attitudes.

And the shops and restaurants around there know they'll never see most customers a second time.

So service and quality are just enough to keep their names in Lonely Planet, and not one bit more.

I wouldn't stay there, but flocks of backpackers do.

Yes, one appeal of the Amora is that it's across the moat from the Sunday night "walking street" night market.

Big deal: You have a night market in Hua-Hin which is virtually identical.

Your post mentioned bars and nightlife, yet you are coming with your Thai wife:

Well, that's not clear at all.

But the beer & prostitution bars are mostly within a 15-20 minute easy walk from the Amora, mostly along Loi Kroh road from the moat to the Night Baazar, with a few sprinkled in other areas as well.

As for cocktail bars and pubs, they are all over town, so if you are thirsty, you can find beer or whiskey anywhere.

Your second choice of hotel is in a location with a totally different "personality".

Nimman Road is advertised -- ad nauseum -- has "hip and happening".

What exactly does that mean?

It means there are a lot of bars catering to Thai college students at nearby Chiangmai University.

If you are Thai and 20-something, you'd fit right in.

If not, then not.

A farang can go in, and they'll serve you, but you'd be the only farang on foreign territory.

The Nimman Road area is full of restaurants, some of them quite decent, but none (that I know of) are exceptional.

They are too busy being hip and happening to pay much attention to the quality of the food.

But, within walking distance of the Empire Residence hotel you can easily find an acceptable meal.

Otherwise, what's in the Nimman area?

There are a lot of coffee shops -- more coffee shops than customers, it seems.

And a lot of pastry shops -- where the pastries look far better than they taste.

Plenty of foot massage shops -- as in any touristy area in Thailand.

But the main shopping attraction is shops offering (1) clothing for Thai women, and (2) home decor accessories (nick nacks).

Maybe that kind of shopping would be fun for your Thai wife, but would it be fun for HHFarang?

Other than food and shopping, what is there on Nimman Road to attract a farang from Hua-Hin for one week?

Nothing that you can't easily find in Hua-Hin.

Given your request in your OP, you're best option is to stay inside the old city, within the moat.

Find a hotel or guest house there.

In your price range of 1,000-1,500/night you have many, many options.

And you can easily walk to anything you want or need within the old city.

Now I will take a completely different approach and offer a counter-point to your desire to visit here without using tuk-tuks or taxis.

Tuk-tuks in Chiangmai are very benign.

I take tuk-tuks almost every day, to everywhere in the city area, with never a problem.

With your Thai wife as your care-taker, you wouldn't have any problems either.

Typical tuk-tuk fares in the city are 40-120 baht.

Taxis don't cruise the streets here, as they do in Bangkok, but song-taeow are easy to find on every major street.

Unlike Pattaya where song-taeow mostly follow regular routes, here in Chiangmai, just tell the driver where you want to go -- anywhere at all.

If he agrees, the fare is only 20 baht.

For longer distances, or in special situations (like from the Night Bazaar) the fare may go up to 40-50 baht.

Still, just pocket change.

Being willing to use tuk-tuk or song-taeow will open up lots of possibilities for your visit here.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

Edited December 25, 2009 by Oneman

[hhfarang]

we would like to stay in an area where we can walk to lots of restaurants, bars, nightlife, attractions, etc. with a minimum of taxi/tuk tuk hiring. ... I've been looking at two hotels that sound good in our price range (1000 to 1500 baht) but I am not familiar with the layout of Chiang Mai. ... Amora Tapae Hotel near the Tapae gate and the Empire Residence Nimman

Hello HH --

It is clear you have done your homework about hotel locations.

Either of those hotels would be suitable for your objectives, but, the "personality" of those two locations is very, very, different.

Amora -- close to Tapae Gate -- is in the heart of the backpacker area: low budget tourists, with low budget attitudes.

And the shops and restaurants around there know they'll never see most customers a second time.

So service and quality are just enough to keep their names in Lonely Planet, and not one bit more.

I wouldn't stay there, but flocks of backpackers do.

Yes, one appeal of the Amora is that it's across the moat from the Sunday night "walking street" night market.

Big deal: You have a night market in Hua-Hin which is virtually identical.

Your post mentioned bars and nightlife, yet you are coming with your Thai wife:

Well, that's not clear at all.

But the beer & prostitution bars are mostly within a 15-20 minute easy walk from the Amora, mostly along Loi Kroh road from the moat to the Night Baazar, with a few sprinkled in other areas as well.

As for cocktail bars and pubs, they are all over town, so if you are thirsty, you can find beer or whiskey anywhere.

Your second choice of hotel is in a location with a totally different "personality".

Nimman Road is advertised -- ad nauseum -- has "hip and happening".

What exactly does that mean?

It means there are a lot of bars catering to Thai college students at nearby Chiangmai University.

If you are Thai and 20-something, you'd fit right in.

If not, then not.

A farang can go in, and they'll serve you, but you'd be the only farang on foreign territory.

The Nimman Road area is full of restaurants, some of them quite decent, but none (that I know of) are exceptional.

They are too busy being hip and happening to pay much attention to the quality of the food.

But, within walking distance of the Empire Residence hotel you can easily find an acceptable meal.

Otherwise, what's in the Nimman area?

There are a lot of coffee shops -- more coffee shops than customers, it seems.

And a lot of pastry shops -- where the pastries look far better than they taste.

Plenty of foot massage shops -- as in any touristy area in Thailand.

But the main shopping attraction is shops offering (1) clothing for Thai women, and (2) home decor accessories (nick nacks).

Maybe that kind of shopping would be fun for your Thai wife, but would it be fun for HHFarang?

Other than food and shopping, what is there on Nimman Road to attract a farang from Hua-Hin for one week?

Nothing that you can't easily find in Hua-Hin.

Given your request in your OP, you're best option is to stay inside the old city, within the moat.

Find a hotel or guest house there.

In your price range of 1,000-1,500/night you have many, many options.

And you can easily walk to anything you want or need within the old city.

Now I will take a completely different approach and offer a counter-point to your desire to visit here without using tuk-tuks or taxis.

Tuk-tuks in Chiangmai are very benign.

I take tuk-tuks almost every day, to everywhere in the city area, with never a problem.

With your Thai wife as your care-taker, you wouldn't have any problems either.

Typical tuk-tuk fares in the city are 40-120 baht.

Taxis don't cruise the streets here, as they do in Bangkok, but song-taeow are easy to find on every major street.

Unlike Pattaya where song-taeow mostly follow regular routes, here in Chiangmai, just tell the driver where you want to go -- anywhere at all.

If he agrees, the fare is only 20 baht.

For longer distances, or in special situations (like from the Night Bazaar) the fare may go up to 40-50 baht.

Still, just pocket change.

Being willing to use tuk-tuk or song-taeow will open up lots of possibilities for your visit here.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

Thank you all for your replies, especially Oneman for the very detailed answer. Yes, my wife and I like to go out to eat and drink but I'm talking about normal places, not "red light" places and we would like to be staying nearby lots of eating, drinking, and shopping (for the wife!) choices. I am 60 and American so the Thai college crowd location definitely does not appeal to me, nor does the backpacker area. I was more interested in an area that has a good variety of food choices and expat bars for a chat so the inner city, "within the moat" definitely sounds like the best bet... now to find the best hotel choice there. Will do more research tomorrow!

Thanks again for the answers and Merry Christmas to all of you!

[hhfarang]

BTW, I thoroughly recommend that you get hold of Nancy Chandler's wonderful annotated map and accompanying booklet early on - maybe even worth getting hold of it to look through before you come (it takes a bit of getting used to - but definitely repays the effort).

steve2uk,

Thanks to you especially too for the recommendation of Nancy Chandler's map. I've seen her maps of other places and they are great for newbies to an area.

hh

[Johpa]

If you are under 40 and can speak Thai then by all means stay near Neeman. My kids and nieces and nephews, all young adults now, love the area. It is not "gay" but it is, in the vernacular, "metrosexual" so if you have issues with gay people then it will not be for you. But most young adults love the area.

If you do not speak Thai then stay around Thapae. It has become a bit sleepy, but there are plenty of places catering to a wide variety of tourists and ex-pats and it is within walking distance of the night market and most of the historical sites. But I think the Thapae area represents Chaing Mai's past and that Neeman area represents Chiang Mai's future.

[Oneman]

.

HHFarang -

Here's a hotel for you to consider: Vieng Mantra.

It's brand new, and, as you know, in Thailand almost everything works better (and tastes better) when it's still new.

I've never stayed at Vieng Mantra hotel, but I did have a look in last week (just happened to wander past).

Everything shiny new, plus a lovely swimming pool.

The location is ideal: inside the moat, and just a few meters from Thapae gate, but, the hotel is too expensive for the backpacker hordes.

Located on a very quiet soi -- really not much more than a foot path -- so no noisy traffic.

Lots of restaurants within a few minutes walk: Miquel's Mexican, Mike's Hamburgers, and some of the best pizza in CM at Girasole.

The new, and still excellent, Brix restaurant in the Montri Hotel.

The House restaurant up the street, for nouvelle-fusion, if you like that sort of thing.

A Thai cooking school around the corner, which looks like fun for a day.

And fantastic pastries at De Naga cafe just South on Moonmeuang Road.

Som-phet market about 15 minutes walk North, for fruit and Thai-style snacks.

And on Sunday night there is the "walking street" night market, which is totally shopping and totally tourists.

But on Sunday nights, an excellent food court sets up inside Wat Phan-ohn.

I recommend that.

So, with luck, you may never have to squeeze into a tuk-tuk.

Normal, rack rates in the range of 2,500-4,800: far above your requested price in the OP.

But when I walked in, the desk clerk was quick to offer a rate of 1,500 per night.

I wasn't looking for a hotel (I live in Chiangmai), but I just wanted to have a look.

Remember, this was just last week -- high season in full force already.

Rates that far below rack rate means they don't have many customers.

So chances are high that you'll be able to snare a similar rate for your trip in late-January.

But hurry in before the backpackers discover it, and before the hotel puts in a buffet, because then everything will go downhill from there.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

(Psssst, HHfarang: Thank you for the compliment, but it embarrasses me to have every single word in my long and detailed posts, quoted in full. Just a sentence or two is enough to focus your reply, and enough to boost my ego.)

Edited December 25, 2009 by Oneman

[dave2]

oneman.

no offence but re ... But when I walked in, the desk clerk was quick to offer a rate of 1,500 per night.

the sign outside says rooms are FROM 1.500 baht a night ! ... fair enough !

so where do you get this ... " rack rates in the range of 2,500-4,800 " from ?

just interested .... dave2

[Oneman]

so where do you get this ... " rack rates in the range of 2,500-4,800 " from ?

1) From a brochure offering "Special Promotion" -- which I picked up in the hotel lobby, and which is on the desk in front of me at this moment.

Special Promotion ... Buy 2 nights, Get free 1 night ... Room Tariff ... Standard [room] = Baht 2,450 ... Deluxe Plus [room] = 4,800.

2) From the hotel's web site -- just a few minutes ago -- which also quotes a similar range of rates.

My bet is that when a hotel, any hotel, is close to full, any low-price sign outside is pulled in and hidden away.

But if the OP knows to ask for the low rate, chances are he can get it, even if the sign is nowhere to be seen.

-- Oneman

Chiangmai

.

Edited December 25, 2009 by Oneman

[hhfarang]

Thanks again very much for all your replies and Oneman, and Tywais; thanks for the specific hotel recommendations. I am going to check out the Vieng Mantra and the Montri now using my favorite online travel agents.

[Asmerom]

Thanks again very much for all your replies and Oneman, and Tywais; thanks for the specific hotel recommendations. I am going to check out the Vieng Mantra and the Montri now using my favorite online travel agents.

I do hope one of your favourites is www.agoda.com. I think its the best.

[hhfarang]

Thanks again very much for all your replies and Oneman, and Tywais; thanks for the specific hotel recommendations. I am going to check out the Vieng Mantra and the Montri now using my favorite online travel agents.

I do hope one of your favourites is www.agoda.com. I think its the best.

Yes Asmerom,

I am an Agoda member and use them almost exclusively for my bookings and to research reviews and locations of hotels. In fact, I just booked our stay at the Vieng Mantra using Agoda! I got the standard room for 1372 baht per night, a little over 1500 total after government taxes and fees were added. That's the only complaint I've ever had with Agoda is that they don't add in the taxes and fees until you get to the final booking screen. Otherwise, I've found them to be the best online service.

Now, I will watch this space for any suggestions of anyone's favorite restaurants (not fancy formal places, but low to moderately priced both foreign or Thai food) and best bars or pubs to have a good beer and a chat with the locals. Any places serve Beer Lao dark? (Oneman, I've already taken note of the restaurant suggestions in your post above. Thanks again, they all sound good and I especially like Mexican food!)

Thanks again for all the help guys (or gals). I've been in Hua Hin for over 5 years with only one trip back to the states and a few trips to "the village" in Issan or Bangkok. I'm really looking forward to a relaxing week in Chiang Mai!