Chiang Rai
Where to lay your head
Where to lay your head
Chiang Rai has some very good choices in all price ranges with a particularly fine selection of budget and flash-packer options. There is a concentration of budget spots on and around Jedyod Road and a great series of mid-range options on Jedyod’s prolongation, Soi Sunpanad. There are also a couple of large hotels – Wiang Inn and Wangcome – down Phaholyothin but otherwise guesthouses and hotels are rather randomly scattered across town so it is useful to have an idea of exactly where you’re going before you arrive. No doubt to encourage visitors to stay longer many places offer bicycle and motorbike hire and provide maps and information and unless you are in a desperate hurry, we would recommend allowing at least two or three nights in the city.
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The simple and unpretentious Baan Bua Guest House is set right at the end of the same alleyway leading off Jetyod as the popular Orchids. A stone’s throw, but world away, from the hustle and bustle of bar street and with a delightful little garden and virtually no traffic noise, at Baan Bua you could be right out in the country rather than a busy city centre. As you emerge into their yard,... Read our full review of Baan Bua Guest House.
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Tucked down Soi Sunpanad, off Phaholyothin Road, but hard to miss with a vivid green paint job, is the cute and homely Baan Baramee. With a convivial atmosphere and friendly staff plus a cosy downstairs seating area, it’s a welcoming little spot. ###19859 Behind the small cafe, where complimentary breakfast is served, and the information and reception desk is a two-storey block with a... Read our full review of Baan Baramee.
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Cute little Baan Jaru on the southern stretch of Jetyod Road is a perfect example of a very popular boutique-style guesthouse that comes with a greater reputation than it does capacity. Smug, albeit friendly, owners turned us away a couple of times during low season before we actually managed to get a look at their rooms. Their success isn’t rocket science and frankly interiors—apart from... Read our full review of Baan Jaru.
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Located on a narrow lane in an extensive residential area to the east of Highway 1, Baan Soontree is a good option for flashpackers and families seeking a small, resort-type place with a pool and willing to forgo a downtown address. The location will be a turn off for some—a solid two kilometres east of the night market and bus station—and if you don’t have your own transport be... Read our full review of Baan Soontree Resort.
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The pseudo-Lanna-style Ben Guesthouse has an impressive exterior and a clean, well-cared for interior and, despite a somewhat eccentric location, represents very good value for money in both the budget and flashpacker ranges. The high point is their splendid garden and spacious pool, giving the place an upmarket resort feel which the backpacker, or lower flashpacker, rates luckily don’t... Read our full review of Ben Guesthouse.
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Chat is a lovely little guesthouse and though with a very tucked away location and not easy to find it is well worth seeking out. When we queried the owner as to why they didn’t put up a sign or two, (after having spent an hour trying to locate it) they replied, well we don’t get any new guests anyway—only old ones who know it already—at least the signs for their in-house restaurant,... Read our full review of Chat House.
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Good organisation, cleanliness, comfort, fine value for money and an excellent location make Mercy Hostel a very popular choice in Chiang Rai’s budget accommodation range. We reckon Mercy is something of a demonstration in how to set up and run a successful guesthouse too. Find a central but quiet location; construct a bunch of neat and tidy dorms, throw in a few tempting flashpacker... Read our full review of Mercy Hostel.
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Small, smart and sharp, the villa-style Kanlaya is a welcome new flashpacker option situated towards the northern end of Chiang Rai’s main bar and cafe drag, Jetyod Road. The house manages to fit in an agreeable communal seating area-cum-cafe plus a small garden out front. On the street side of the garden between the driveway and fenced off smoking area is a white-painted stupa which we... Read our full review of Kanlaya Place.
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Laluna is a great mid-range resort in Chiang Rai and one that would be a good choice for anyone with a few baht to spare though, with its delightful pool and gardens, is a particularly recommended option if you’ve got kids in tow. Set slightly out of the town centre; located down a residential street close to the old airport, you’re a mere 60-baht tuk-tuk ride or 15-minute walk to the... Read our full review of Laluna Hotel and Resort.
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Located in a converted four-storey shop-house—opposite the old Edison shopping mall on the short strip between the Wangcome Hotel and Phaholyothin—Norn Nung Len manages to combine a sometimes lively bar with a restaurant, dormitory accommodation and 3rd-floor campsite. It’s a concept we hadn’t come across before and one that we’re not sure we’d want to try out personally but the... Read our full review of Norn Nung Len Cafe and Hostel.
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