Places To Stay In Cm - 2-4 Months

[californiabeachboy]

I am coming to Chiang Mai next month for a few days. I have been to Thailand several times before, but not CM. The purpose of my visit is to scope out some places that I may want to rent early next year for several weeks or 2-4 months (I will just get a hotel for this visit). I have done some searching on the net and have a few possibilities but I thought I would post here as I am sure there are places I have not found out about. I plan to do a lot of walking around to check areas/places while I am there (weather and soi dogs permitting), but maybe someone can give me a heads up on places to look at.

My requests are:

1. Somewhere on the West or Northwest side of town, between Old Town and Chiang Mai University, slightly North or South of Huay Kaew Road.

2. Must have a pool, gym and a kitchen. It is only me so size really doesn't matter as long as it is over 30 square meters.

3. Around 5-10,000 baht on a weekly basis or 20-25,000 baht for a month, all-inclusive.

So far, I am aware of Nakorn Ping Condo, Hillside 4 and Trio, all of which may have private owners who do short term stays. There is also Punna, but I am not sure if there is a pool - there may be more than one site. I am aware of Kantary Hills, but probably above my budget.

If anyone has any other suggestions I would love to hear them. Feel free to PM me if you prefer.

Thanks for your help.

[NancyL]

Definitely go look at Kantary Hills -- maybe you can work out a deal with them that would be within your (rather generous) budget. The place is really deluxe.

Nakorn Ping has a nice pool, but no fitness center. Hillside 4 has both pool and fitness center, but the fitness center gets low marks. Perhaps you could stay at someplace like The Dome (their larger units have kitchens), which is nice, but has neither a pool or a fitness center and join a health club with a pool for a couple of months.

[fritter1970]

You'll get a good night's sleep at Downtown Inn

[KRS1]

Empire Residence,a cut above and cheaper than Kantary. Furniture is also very comfortable, much more than Kantary's cubicle couches.

Be sure NOT to get a room facing Nimanheimin though, noisy at night time when clubs close.

Can't remember if they have a pool. But it'sright in the middle of Nimanheiminm has a Lotus express minimart downstairs and a stones throw away from many restaurants and coffee shops. Kantary is in the back of a soi and you have to walk quite a fair distance to get anywhere on Niman.

Kantary has good steak though.

Empire Residence

[el jefe]

Based on your very restrictive requirements, afaik, only Hillside 4 meets all of them:

10-12k baht should get you 45 sq meters with a kitchen.

Nice pool.

Old gym.

It all depends what you're looking for in a gym. Hillside 4 has more machines than any other gym. Most of them work. Plenty of free weights and benches. Never crowded before 4:00pm. The cardio machines are old and many don't work. The bathroom, showers, and lockers are old and tiny. The a/c often doesn't work. there's no "scenery" to look at.

Your best option is to check out the many condos and serviced apartments in the Huay Kaew / Nimman area and choose the one you like the best. then find a gym and pool nearby.

[pete66]

Personally, if I had never been to CM, I would be spreading the Net a bit wider. Why the need to stay in such a tiny area? Its relatively expensive and noisy. But honestly, CM is not a big place. If you want the night-life round Huay Kaew or Niman, you can there be there in 5-10 minutes from most other places in CM. Its not BKK .....

[realthaideal]

Thaivisa has a Chiang Mai portal now with some ideas as to where you might set-up shop. Also try googling key words like 'long-stay Chiang Mai' or maybe 'residence' or 'serviced apartment' and you'll find a bunch of things worth looking into.

Let us know where you end up and how you like it, btw, as we locals are always wanting to know the scoop in case we need to recommend a place to a friend.

Good Luck !

[jonwilly]

Try

therealcentreoftheuniverse.com

A swimming pool with three rooms available.

One couple there for three months now and they plan a return next years.

john

[californiabeachboy]

Thanks to all for the responses. The hang-up seems to be the need for a pool. Empire looked good but no pool. It sounds like I could really expand the choices by looking at nearby health clubs/gyms so I will do that. The only reason a gym is important is that I have spent a lot of time in Bangkok and points South and when I try to go for a run or a bike ride (could be deadly) the heat and humidity kills me. But CM in the winter may be easier to deal with regarding outdoor exercise. I will wander around while I am there and maybe expand the search area as suggested. www.therealcenteroftheuniverse.com sounds interesting (I can check in but can I check out?)- it looked nice.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers.

[KRS1]

There's a YMCA in one of the side sois off of Huay Kaew Road. It's the perfect distance for a small bike ride from Nimanheimin. Alot of hotels and condos allow non residents to use their pool facilities for a small fee.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

As for an area to check out, I would also look at the Santitham area. This is North of Huay Kaew, roughly, you get there by going straight North at the Old City's North-West corner (Hua Lin), then do a left at the traffic lights.

It's mostly students and young migrants from other places, and getting to be a really vibrant area. Most apartment/condo accommodation is of the cheap kind that students would rent, but there are some nicer developments going on too. It's worth checking out, for sure it's not for everyone but well worth a look.

[NancyL]

The pool at Center of the Universe is fantastic -- the best I've seen in Chiang Mai for lap swimming and the owner is a serious swimmer himself, so you don't have to worry about kids getting in your way. However, you'll need a motorbike or other transport to get there from Huey Kaew/Nimmanheiman. If you're an early riser, you can definitely exercise outdoors during the cool season in CM. Hubby takes a walk nearly every morning at daybreak and reports there's a bit of chill in the air now. (I wouldn't know, I'm still asleep when he returns.) Normally he walks around the old city. The sidewalks around the moat are in pretty good shape and you aren't bothered by dogs on the sidewalk on the outer side of the moat. However, he likes to finish his walk by 7:30 am, because he says the traffic begins to pick up and he's concerned about exercising that close to the car exhaust.

There is a good park out by the zoo and one in the SW corner of the old city where you can exercise away from car traffic.

[pete66]

Thanks to all for the responses. The hang-up seems to be the need for a pool. Empire looked good but no pool. It sounds like I could really expand the choices by looking at nearby health clubs/gyms so I will do that. The only reason a gym is important is that I have spent a lot of time in Bangkok and points South and when I try to go for a run or a bike ride (could be deadly) the heat and humidity kills me. But CM in the winter may be easier to deal with regarding outdoor exercise. I will wander around while I am there and maybe expand the search area as suggested. www.therealcenteroftheuniverse.com sounds interesting (I can check in but can I check out?)- it looked nice.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers.

As someone that also spent a long time in BKK and moved to CM, I can assure you the difference is huge. It was hardly possible to walk / run in BKK for more than 15 minutes before feeling the extreme heat / lack of breathable air. CM is much better. I've just been out walking for 2 hours and feel fine. And like you say, winter is coming, and it will get cooler still. Lots of people cycle round here. The only farang cyclists I ever saw in BKK were those crazy "bike tour" people that didn't realize they were putting there lives in their hands ....

You can definitely find a gym / pool wherever you are. Maybe not as convenient as being "on site", but hey, you can cycle there

[NancyL]

There's a YMCA in one of the side sois off of Huay Kaew Road. It's the perfect distance for a small bike ride from Nimanheimin. Alot of hotels and condos allow non residents to use their pool facilities for a small fee.

The rooms at the YMCA are very reasonably priced and people I know who have stayed there like it. It's really, really handy if you're taking Thai language classes at the Y. The restaurant is pretty good and very reasonably priced. However, the pool is small and the water rather nasty-looking and I've never seen any evidence of a fitness center, unlike the Y's in the U.S., which often have rather good exercise facilities.

Edited October 2, 2011 by NancyL

[el jefe]

If you stick to the west side of town in the Nimman/Huay Kaew/Santitam area, you'll have plenty of choices with gyms and pools nearby. The big advantage is that while late afternoon/evening traffic may not be great, you're just minutes from nicer places to ride a bike. That's why many cyclists choose to live on this side of the city.

[Paagai]

Have a look at DD Park, located just to the north of the moat between Huay Kaew and Chang Puek Road, not so far from the Santitham area mentioned above. They have a pool though not sure how big it is, and it seems to meet your other requirements. It's hidden away so should be quiet. Also there is fitness Thailand (Large gym, but no pool) close by at Icon Square, and a nearby public pool just behind there, though it's a little run down.

Santitham plaza also has a public pool, which I believe is still open, though the gym there has now closed As mentioned above, plenty of accommodation options; try Noppakao Place, or maybe View Doi Mansion.

[californiabeachboy]

Thanks for more good info. I am expanding my search to include North of Old Town - from Chang Puak Road and to the West of it (Santitham?). DD Park looks like a possibility.

Cheers