Thailand additions forum

Location: Near Chiangmai University
Website: www.therealcentreoftheuniverse.com
Business: Swimming Pool, Accommodation, Bar/Restaurant

We discovered this place by accident riding our bicycles down the country lanes close to our guesthouse - Flora House. The place is best described as a 5 star hotel but without all the rooms! There is a huge swimming pool and two children's pools in a large garden, with loads of sun beds and umbrellas. It has to be one of the best pools in Chiangmai.

There are three Thai style bungalows in a private garden away from the pool. We stayed for three nights and will go back next year for much longer! The bungalows are detached, have aircon, TV, WiFi, fridge, brew your own tea and coffee, and very comfortable beds. It's also very quiet at night and we slept much better than other places we have stayed in Chiangmai. We paid 1,200 Baht (low season) including breakfast and use of the pool - their scrambled eggs were out of this world and we pinched the recipe! The staff were very helpful booking tours and recommending restaurants.

But you don't have to stay there to use the pool. They have Temporary Memberships for tourists - a bit like green fees at a golf course. The entrance charge is more expensive than public pools in Chiangmai, but if you buy multiple entry tickets, the price gets cheaper the more you buy. But at 3 quid a head at their most expensive to stay the whole day, it's less than you would pay for a pint in Blighty!

So if you want a little luxury lazing by the poolside to take a rest from walking around temples and markets, this place is ideal. We also got to know some of the regular members - both Thai and foreigners - who gave us a lot of information about restaurants. We even went on an early morning bird watching tour with one of their members who has spent the last 19 years researching the birds of Thailand. Very interesting chap!

The other thing we liked about the place was that the owners (English and Thai) have some pretty strict rules about what kids can and can't do in - and we saw one family with rude, obnoxious and noisy kids turfed out! Good riddance too! I guess the PC brigade in the UK would have protested about human rights and all that crap, but we applauded!

Take a look at their website and, if you are visiting Chiangmai, look them up. Should you be wondering about the name of the place - ask the owners! I won't spoil the story by repeating it here.