Quiet, centrally located hotel in Chiang Rai for B1000 or less for single rooms?

[brenthom]

I'll be in Chiang Rai for a week or so at the end of February 2015 and am looking for a quiet, centrally located hotel with single rooms that are B1000/night or less.

Quiet is the most important thing for me.

And I need it to relatively be quiet during the day as well since I like to get up at 5-6 AM, tour temples and other sites, have lunch and come back for a nap around noon. So rooms overlooking swimming pools are pretty much out, as are rooms overlooking courtyards or gardens since travelers tend to congregate/talk in places like that around the time I'd be napping. I don't mind places with swimming pools, courtyards, and gardens as long as my room isn't overlooking them.

Reliable wifi in room is also a must. I don't think I need aircon since Chiang Rai is not that hot at this time of year. I don't need the place to include breakfast, though that would be ok.

I tend to like more "hotel-type" places over hostels, guest houses, homestays, B&Bs and the like. But any place that is quiet, centrally located, and doesn't have a shared bathroom is fine with me.

My definition of centrally located is a 5-10 minute walk from the central area (clock tower, etc.) along streets that are well-lit at night.

I'll be there for a week or so, so any place that offers weekly rates would be good, too.

Examples of places I've stayed at in Thailand that have been good for me are the Sun Hotel in Petchaburi, the Chonatee Residence in Chumphae, the Deema (D'ma) Hotel in Khon Kaen, My Hotel Ratchada in Bangkok (a little more that B1000/night, but that's Bangkok), and other similar places around the country.

Thanks for your help.

[villagefarang]

It sounds like you may know more about finding hotels than those of us who live here full-time and only stay in hotels when we travel and don't stay with friends. Sorry but I am not familiar with any of the hotels you listed, nor have I stayed in any hotels in Chiang Rai. I am truly impressed with the detail of your request, however, something we don’t often encounter.

If you go to the HOTELS link at the top of the page and look at the list of hotels, and the map of their locations, you will find there is not much on offer near the clocktower. I am not sure if they would meet your requirements or not.

My recommendation to friends is always to choose one of the riverside hotels, like the Dusit, Legend, or Meridien, if they are not staying with us, but those hotels would be out of your price range and may already be booked for the end of the month.

There are never any guarantees as to quiet, so it is always a good idea to travel with earplugs and an eye cover. While air-conditioning may not be required, it can provide white-noise to help dampen other background noises, as well as keep out some of the smoke which is already beginning to bless Chiang Rai.

Hopefully someone will come along soon and tell you exactly where you must stay and for how much. I hope you enjoy your stay in Chiang Rai.

Edited February 14, 2015 by villagefarang

[kevvy]

The voice of reason has friends????

Edited February 14, 2015 by kevvy

[kevvy]

Have a look at this site .

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297920-d3253098-Reviews-Moon_House_Clock_Tower-Chiang_Rai_Chiang_Rai_Province.html

[brenthom]

Thanks, villagefarang, for the general information and for pointing out that “While air-conditioning may not be required, it can provide white-noise to help dampen other background noises, as well as keep out some of the smoke which is already beginning to bless Chiang Rai.” Definitely helpful. I also definitely travel with ear plugs. The Sleep Machine app for the iPhone with its white noise function is a lifesaver as well. I’ve looked at places on the riverside, but, like you correctly said, they’re not really right for my proximity to downtown desires or price range.

And thanks, kevvy, for the recommendation of the Moon Hotel @ Clock Tower. Sounds like it might good for me. It’s a little worrying that a couple of comments on the trip advisor reviews of place were, “My room was noisy for a few hours because of the night market. It quiets down around 1 am. Not sure if that can be avoided,” and “The location is very good but there is noise from the restaurants around.” But, another poster said, “Unlike previous reviews, we were not bothered by street noise at all.” So who knows? It may be just what I’m looking for. Thanks!

A few posters commenting on that place said get a room with a balcony with a view of the clock tower. But I was wondering, is the clock tower noisy?

[Zephyr750C]

I've stayed at the Wiang Inn hotel a couple of times. It's very centraly located in Chiang Rai. My experience is that it's a quiet and nice place to stay at and with friendly staff.

And it's a five minute walk to the Night Bazar. But as I remeber it a single room cost from B2300. Try to search for hotels at www.trivago.com or some other hotel search site, there are plenty. You can search for hotels in Chiang Rai and filter by cost.

I also stayed at the Diamond Park Inn and it was OK, no luxury. It was quiet most of the times except for when 15 Israeli tourists gather in a nearby room to have a party.

I hope you will find a nice hotel and enjoy your visit in Chaing Rai. It's my personal favourite place in Thailand and I love to spend time there. Cheers .

[Zephyr750C]

I've stayed at the Wiang Inn hotel a couple of times. It's very centraly located in Chiang Rai. My experience is that it's a quiet and nice place to stay at and with friendly staff.

And it's a five minute walk to the Night Bazar. But as I remeber it a single room cost from B2300. Try to search for hotels at www.trivago.com or some other hotel search site, there are plenty. You can search for hotels in Chiang Rai and filter by cost.

I also stayed at the Diamond Park Inn and it was OK, no luxury. It was quiet most of the times except for when 15 Israeli tourists gather in a nearby room to have a party.

I hope you will find a nice hotel and enjoy your visit in Chaing Rai. It's my personal favourite place in Thailand and I love to spend time there. Cheers .

I forgot to mention that the cost for a single room at Diamod Park Inn is about B1000 and it's located on the Phahonyothin Road (and so is Wiang Inn too) about a 6 minutes walk away form the Night Bazar so it's near the city center and the clock tower. I must correct my previous post; the Wiang Inn is in about a 3 minute walk away from the Night Bazar and maybe 10 minutes to the clock tower. Please correct me anyone if my memory and my time estimates are wrong.

[brianmarinus]

If anyone has friends/family visiting Chiang Rai perhaps you could recommend Natnalin hotel.
It is a new, modern and comfortable hotel about 5mins drive from CR main town. The airport and super-highway are very accessible and the very popular Chivitthammada is quite close, an easy ride on our complimentary bicycles.

The hotel is located down a small soi off the main road so is very quiet and a peaceful night's sleep guaranteed. More info on the hotel in the link in the comments below or you can message me with any questions or a very reasonable quote.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153034202250631&set=p.10153034202250631&type=1

[brenthom]

Thanks, Zephyr750C, for the recommendation of the Diamond Park. It looks like a possibility for me. I’ll check it out.

--------------------

About the Natnalin hotel, it’s probably a little far out of town for me.

There is a bigger problem than that, though. There has been a disturbing trend lately of places having only Facebook pages rather than real websites. Having a real website is a big help for people trying to get info about a place and I consider it mandatory for a reputable establishment. A Facebook page is not a substitute for an actual website and I try to boycott places that only have Facebook pages. This problem is second to my long-running gripe with establishments that don’t post room rates on their website but require you to contact them for rates. If choosing between places, I always give priority to ones that publish rates right on their website.

[brianmarinus]

I will suggest you take a loooong walk around town and see what fit your needs,bringing your phone or tablet to be sure they have a website you like.

[villagefarang]

It may not bother you but when I see a bathroom like the one shown on the Moon Hotel link, I am out the door and looking for a new place.

Thirty or forty years ago one had little choice but to scoop or use a nasty plastic hose hanging on the wall in the middle of the bathroom. In either case the entire bathroom was wet all the time. Separate wet and dry areas in a bathroom are an absolute must for us when staying in a hotel these days.

[toybits]

Moon and Sun Hotel, B2 Hotel (in front of Samaki School), Diamond Park Inn Resort (the one with the pool). My choice would be Moon and Sun Hotel near the Meng Rai Monument and almost directly across the Forestry Department Office.

[brenthom]

It may not bother you but when I see a bathroom like the one shown on the Moon Hotel link, I am out the door and looking for a new place.

Thirty or forty years ago one had little choice but to scoop or use a nasty plastic hose hanging on the wall in the middle of the bathroom. In either case the entire bathroom was wet all the time. Separate wet and dry areas in a bathroom are an absolute must for us when staying in a hotel these days.

I'm with you on that!

Back in the 90's I stayed at plenty of crash pads with scoop flush toilets and scoop "showers" where there was just a plastic scoop in a pool of (cold) water that you used both to pour water over yourself when bathing and also to pour down the toilet to flush—same scoop for both... I'm not nostalgic for those days at all !!

But the good thing about those experiences is that bathroom setups like the one at the Moon House @ Clock Tower now seem like the lap of luxury and I have no problem dealing with them--although I have to say that I totally agree with you and of course prefer more upscale setups with separate wet/dry areas.

[brenthom]

Moon and Sun Hotel, B2 Hotel (in front of Samaki School), Diamond Park Inn Resort (the one with the pool). My choice would be Moon and Sun Hotel near the Meng Rai Monument and almost directly across the Forestry Department Office.

Thanks so much for those recommendations.

The Moon and Sun, as you said, sounds like it’s just about what I’m looking for. A little far from the center of town at a 20-minute walk, but that may be a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep at a reasonable price. Also, I don’t know if they have motorbike taxis in Chiang Rai, but if they do and they’re like in other places, it’s a mere 10-20 baht ride for destinations within about a kilometer of where you leave from, again a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep.

The B2 and Diamond Park also seem worth looking into. The suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you!

[kevvy]

Brenthom

If you like temples there is one about 20 minutes from my house and it does not have many tourists arond. It is off the main road and is spectacular site to see . Post me and I will talk to you about it.

[kevvy]

If anyone has friends/family visiting Chiang Rai perhaps you could recommend Natnalin hotel.

It is a new, modern and comfortable hotel about 5mins drive from CR main town. The airport and super-highway are very accessible and the very popular Chivitthammada is quite close, an easy ride on our complimentary bicycles.

The hotel is located down a small soi off the main road so is very quiet and a peaceful night's sleep guaranteed. More info on the hotel in the link in the comments below or you can message me with any questions or a very reasonable quote.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153034202250631&set=p.10153034202250631&type=1

BM

I have some people coming up from Chon Buri I will send the link on to him about the hotel . They were here in January looking around and coming back in April

[kevvy]

HEH HARD ROAD , I asked you to pm me as I dont know name of the area where the temple is , only know how to get there , and brian just told you to have a look around , some of the posters here just tried to help you and you tell other people we are a bunch of time wasters ... that is your other name right ,....hard road . I was actually going to take you there but I wont waste my time now.

[brenthom]

I am truly grateful for all the help and advice.

Thank you so much everyone.