Nov 18 2011
Blue House: A great guesthouse in Chiang Mai
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One of our clear budget accommodation favourites in Chiang Mai is the aptly named, to give it its full title, Chiang Mai Blue House. Being a pleasant shade of blue, full of lush plants and attractive wooden and bamboo furniture, it’s also one of the most photogenic.
Excellent garden setting.
Blue House consists of a three-storey, L-shaped building enclosing and insulating a small, though very pleasant and quiet garden which forms the guesthouse’s cafe and sitting area. Breakfasts in the morning and drinks all day (from a well stocked bar) are available all year round and lunches and dinner with all the regular Thai faves are offered during high season. The guesthouse is French/Thai run and the service is efficient and friendly.
As we said -- blue (and uh, orange?) with lots of plants.
Genial host Frederic knows Chiang Mai well and is generally on hand to disperse advice and tips in French and in English.
Traditional-style bamboo hammock.
Rooms are a decent size, clean with en suite bathrooms, hot showers and WiFi, which is more than you could usually expect in this price range. Prices range from 300 to 600 baht depending upon the season and whether you want air-con or not.
The Blue House certainly has a cosy, friendly atmosphere which is undoubtedly why they do very well from repeat customers and word of mouth. The only major drawback we can find with this guesthouse is that it is often full, even in low season.
Yes, we liked the hammock so here's another view of it.
Do book ahead as you can’t count on just walking in. Blue House is located in the popular Moonmuang area on Soi 6, which is an excellent central location but far enough down the soi (alley) to distance itself somewhat from the main mass of guesthouses in the Somphet Market district. (See map.)
More blue paint and plants
Blue House
30/1 Moonmuang Rd Soi 6, Chiang Mai
T: (053) 418 512
www.cmbluehouse.com
reservations@cmbluehouse.com
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Tags: Chiang Mai guesthouses, Somphet
I was actually really disappointed with this place when I stayed there recently. (July 2012) Having read the good reviews on this site and over at the Lonely Planet forum, I booked three nights. However, when I arrived I found the French owner guy was incredibly rude and unhelpful. He acted like I was a huge annoyance and was less than friendly towards me for some reason. I think he has a real attitude problem. I dunno…if he doesn’t like tourists, then why run a guest house?!
Also, my room was pretty shabby for the price and it didn’t feel very secure. The main light was really dim and the bathroom wasn’t great either. The lock was VERY flimsy when it closed, which I wasn’t overly impressed with either. Also, as I was alone, I was hoping to stay somewhere a bit more lively, where I could meet other travellers. This place was very quiet, with only a couple of families around. I know this isn’t the French guy’s fault, maybe it was just a quiet time, but for anyone else travel solo and wanting to meet people, I suggested staying elsewhere.
Luckily I hadn’t paid already so after about an hour and no help form the owner, I decided to go elsewhere. The Thai staff were great and helped me get to another guest house. I ended staying at Julie’s Guesthouse which was a lot better. And cheaper!
For anyone thinking about staying at the Blue House, I’d suggest looking elsewhere first. The French guy’s attitude really put me off, he was just so rude to me for no reason.
It is a real shame you had a bad experience at this place. There are plenty of great houses around Chiang Mai, You should just shop about!!