Looking for a guesthouse in Chiang Mai? You won’t have to look far. They’re everywhere and at every price range, with private rooms with bathrooms for as little as 150 baht a night ($5 USD).
Of course, if you want cheap, you’ll get cheap: hard beds, loud music all night, wafer-thin walls. So after two nights in a cheapie, I opted for someplace a bit nicer but still reasonably priced.
I found Rama Guesthouse , right on Thanon Ravithi, close to Tha Pae Gate.
Rama Guesthouse, costing 300 baht ($10 USD) per night in the low season and 400 baht ($13 USD) per night in the high season, was the priciest place where I had stayed so far, and it was absolutely worth the extra splurge.
It’s in a convenient location, near the bars on Thanon Ravithi and the old Western men/young Thai women neighborhood , if you’re into that kind of thing. It’s also about a ten-minute walk from Chiang Mai Gate, where you’ll find great street food every night.
I loved the cool decor, and the shower was actually separate from the toilet (a bit of a rarity in Thai guesthouses).
But what I loved the most was the garden lounge area:
I work from the road, and having a few hours to write each day is ideal. And this zen garden was PERFECT. Excellent WiFi (which also reached the rooms — another good thing!) and an open area where you could feel a breeze and listen to the water falling — it was fantastic.
Rama Guesthouse is owned by a French expat and his Thai wife. Both of them are very nice (and she will CHIDE you for not staying out late — my kind of girl!). Additionally, while lots of Chiang Mai guesthouses pressure you to sign up for tours and activities, I felt no pressure here.
Would I stay here again? Honestly, I loved the Nimmanhaeman neighborhood and would like to try staying there sometime. But when I stay in the old city, Rama Guesthouse is the place for me.
I received a discounted stay at Rama Guesthouse in exchange for a review on wordpress.com.
