What is a good guesthouse in Chiang Mai?

Of all the holiday destinations in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is one that has seen the emergance of some truly outstanding guesthouses and hotels. Regardless of if you want to spend 200B or 10,000B, chances are you'll be able to find a guesthouse or hotel that not only represents excellent value, but that is also comfortable, charming, friendly and quiet -- yes it is true -- cheap places like that really do exist in Chiang Mai.

In the past, Chiang Mai was popularised as a temple town that doubled as a launching point for hilltribe treks into the hinter hand, but over the years, it has developed into a destination all of its own, with some outstanding bars and restaurants, shopping, sightseeing and spa-ing to keep even the most industrious busy for at least a couple of days. While a small city when compared to big-sister Bangkok, it still pays to pick the right part of town to stay in, if, for no other reason than to save you the dizzying experience of going around and around and around Chiang Mai's legion of one-way streets and sois.

For the eaters and drinkers, you'll never go hungry, nor thirsty in this town. There are three main areas for bars and restaurants in Chiang Mai, though there are loads of other spots spread across town. The Tha Phae Gate and Loi Kroh area contain some of the longest running tourist haunts, with the former catering to budget tourists and backpackers, the latter to a predominantly male trade looking for company with their beer. Going east of here you'll reach the Ping River with its famous collection of riverside restaurants and bars -- don't forget the further north or south you go along the Ping River, the better the offerings get. On the other side of town around the Nimmanhaemin Road area is a bunch of Thai-focussed bars and restaurants -- some of which are outstanding -- don't be intimidated by the lack of foreigners, these are well worth exploring.

For shoppers, the Night Bazaar in eastern Chiang Mai has long been the epicentre of the Northern Thailand shopping experience and while there is loads of good stuff there, there are two other strips -- the Sunday Walking Market which offers a mind-boggling range of products (whose range continues to grow), running through the centre of the old city, and Nimmanhaemin Road, known for its chic and stylish (and expensive) Thai furnishing, running north to south along the western edge of Chiang Mai. So the moral of the shopping story is threefold -- it doesn't matter where you stay as you'll be within walking distance of shopping; you will need to travel to get to the other shopping areas, and don't make the mistake of choosing a place near the Night Bazaar solely on its proximity to that market. If you're a shopper -- stay anywhere!

Likewise spas are growing in Chiang Mai like mushrooms in the wet-season, with seemingly new spas popping up on every corner. These range from pretty dubious affairs to fully featured flash and funky semi-resorts where your money will slide out of your wallet as smoothly as the masseuses hands glide over your back. As these places are all over the city and many will arrange free pickup, you can again stay pretty much anywhere in town and still be pampered daily.

So all in all, there is some of everything for everyone in just about all the main areas of Chiang Mai, so keeping that in mind, here's some suggestions on some of our favourite guesthouses and hotels in the city.

The Old City
Tha main advantage of staying within the moated area of the old city is that you are in the middle of everything, the traffic is lighter (excepting the nightmare moat roads) and in the evenings it is pretty quiet. There are loads of sleepy lane ways you can explore and, for the sightseeing amongst you over a dozen temples, including some of Chiang Mai's most revered. For those on a top-end budget, there are two outstanding options, Ratchamanka and Tamarind Village -- the latter was built as a practice run of sorts for the former, and they are both Thai styled, charming, well designed and exceeding comfortable. In the mid range, there isn't too much that really excels -- you're better off looking in the east of the city, but in the backpacker range, CM Blue House, Julie Guesthouse, Pha Thai Guesthouse and Jonadda Guesthouse are all pretty good.

Eastern Chiang Mai
This stretch between the eastern moat and the far bank of the Ping River has a terrific range of backpacker and mid-range options. For an outstanding mid range option in a charming Thai style, try Baan Orapin on the east bank of the Ping River. Closer to town, the brand new Chiang Mai Thai House, the Raming Lodge on Loi Kroh Road, Galare Guesthouse by the river and the Pagoda Inn all represent excellent flashpacker value, while for those on a real budget, it is difficult to go past long-running Sarah Guesthouse, and relatively new-arrival Tawan Guesthouse.

The above is just a smattering of the places to stay -- see our full guesthouse and hotel listing to get a comprehensive look at the majority of places in town, and remember, in Chiang Mai, there are new places going up all the time.