Hotel & Sightseeing Advice Needed

[Jeff1]

Hello ,

I need some input on good hotels and fun things to see in Chiang mi . Not to pricey on the hotel but not a pit either . Range , 2000 - 3500 a night . Must be children friendly as we have a large ( extended ) family going . Should be close to a few sights that we can walk to .

Thanks in advance for all of your help .

Jeff

[spacebass]

Hello ,

I need some input on good hotels and fun things to see in Chiang mi . Not to pricey on the hotel but not a pit either . Range , 2000 - 3500 a night . Must be children friendly as we have a large (  extended ) family going . Should be close to a few sights that we can walk to .

Thanks in advance for all of your help .

Jeff

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Jeff,

I stayed in Chiang Mai last year for first time for a few nights, stayed in a guest house recommended bya friend based on price, after looking through the internet a lot. Mistake.

My conclusions are, stay in the night market area, then you can just walk out the door at night and be in the thick of things, plenty of hotels say they are near the night market but are not in fact in practical walking distance and tuks tuks etc are the usual pain. Get breakfast in the deal, my cheap guesthouse charged 110bht for decent breakfast that made the room rate 740bht a night as against 950bht night for this decent hotel on night market below, I will stay in next time, purely because of it's location.

http://www.hotels.chiangmai-online.com/roylanna.html

Believe me you don't want to be in some fancy boutique hotel 'within the city walls', sounds good but 2kms to night market is a big pain and the above hotel is in the night market. (Night market is all there is at night!!!)

Good luck

space

Edited December 18, 2005 by spacebass

[rishi]

The Night Bazaar area is Chiang Mai's major tourist district. Here you'll find a quite good selection of local branches of the major highend hotel chains and you'll be within walking distance of McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Swensen's, 7-11, etc. You'll have no problem finding a tailor to make you a new suit. In the nighttime you'll have the option of walking up and down a narrow, super crowded sidewalk and enjoy displays of the most expensive handicraft in town - a few items you might not have seen elsewhere. Book into a hotel in this area, remain within walking distance of this hotel - and you'd hardly notice, that you weren't in Bangkok.

Much depends on what you mean by "fun". Although, things actually can get quite funny around here sometimes, Chiang Mai's major tourist attractions aren't particalurly of the "fun" kind, but rather of the cultural kind. The tourist attractions would be somewhat scattered around town, but I'd say that from some point near the center of the old city, you'll have more cultural highlights within walking distance, than at any other point in city.

Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phrasing, Wat Chiang Mai, Thapae Gate, Chiang Mai Gate, all need to have their photographs taken by every tourist in town.

I can't give you much advice on hotels in the area, but I haven't seen anything I'd call a 'fancy boutique hotel' in the neighborhood. Its mainly a guesthouse area, but there are a few places, I don't think would have any problem in allowing you to pay 2000-3500 a night if you insist.

[Jeff1]

Of course I would like to pay as little as possable and thank you both for your replies .

By fun I mean fun for kids ( and me , a big kid ) Im not all that interested in a smaller version of Bangkok . Cultural Highlights , mountianview tours , temples whatever Chiang Mai has to offer that sets it apart from the rest of Thailand .

[Rinrada]

We have a deal in here now for 1000 bt a night for a double room and its something like (believe) a 4 star hotel.

Any of our members who live in CM and know it will readily confirm how handy it is for everything and everywhere...plus the wife loves it.

I am thinking of going into the property business and am now talking about renting one of the mall offices(just for show).next year..but will see.

They also do a great brekki but gotta admit I dont see many guys with "takaways" .its a little bit formal...maybe not encouraged.but..M.K.jai..

http://www.chiangmai.thaihoteldiscount.com...hs/dgtawan.html

[Jeff1]

We have a deal in here now for 1000 bt a night for a double room and its something like (believe) a 4 star hotel.

Any of our members who live in CM and know it will readily confirm how handy it is for everything and everywhere...plus the wife loves it.

I am thinking of going into the property business and am now talking about renting one of the mall offices(just for show).next year..but will see.

They also do a great brekki but gotta admit I dont see many guys with "takaways" .its a little bit formal...maybe not encouraged.but..M.K.jai..

http://www.chiangmai.thaihoteldiscount.com...hs/dgtawan.html

Thanks , is the hotel Duangtawan the one you recommend ? I tryed to find the location but maybe it's to early in the morning for me .

P.S. whats a takeaway ?

Edited December 18, 2005 by Jeff1

[Jeff1]

Ok , I found it and it looks nice ( coffee helps ) Thanks again .

[spacebass]

The Duangtawan hotel is swings and roundabouts with Royal Lana for position .

Read my lips: "You need to be located in the night market' Chiang Mai is Chiang Mai and Bangkok is Bangkok.

In my limited experience of Chiang Mai I went to the big Wat on the hill a must see, got there via an little tuk tuk driver, who for 250 bht agreed to take us to the craft centres and then to the big Wat on the hill, he actuallydid take us on the very commercial 'industrial estate craft tour' which though was quite enjoyable, was also a typical tourist trap in that in the big Jewellery showrooms you were followed about and almost hounded into buying something, a shame because the showrooms were interesting in their own right. I did feel uncomfortable and aggravated by the sales pressure though.

He then, out of the blue, put us (and paid) in a Songthaw to take up up to the Wat which was pretty awesome the guy hung about for us and took us back to town where we gave him a couple of hundred baht of our own volition. So a pretty good deal, but pretty unpredictable.

With a family perhaps it might be better to enlist the services of a taxi driver for the day, our driver from the airport had a little sales book he hooked out and tried to sell us a day out with him, I reckon you could get a day trip for 1000bht no problem, but make it clear what the deal is and make sure it doesn't change as time goes by.

If you go on the Craft trip there are apparently a couple of Indian carpet shops they try and take you to, but our tuk tuk man said he wouldn't take us if we gave him 100 bht which was his commission from them, all craftily done in a charming way but still basically a rip off.

Contrary to the above I found that goods in the night market and surrounding shops could be reasonably priced in particular I wanted to buy a big Fan from the so called factory that made them-600 bht, no way, got one in the night market for 200bht, couldn't believe the price in the market.

If I were you I would get a list of places you want to visit prepared before you go and tell whoever you end up with when you make the deal exactly where you want to go, because Chiang Mai is very Tourist 'Exploitation' orientated and whatever happens you will end up in some funny places (from your point of view, part of the adventure!) so minimise this by making as good a deal before you start as you are able as an outsider.

Edited December 19, 2005 by spacebass