Maylay Guesthouse

The biggest drawback was the terrible internet, though I'm not sure it was their fault. For the price, this would have been five stars otherwise. The guest house is a little old, but the rooms and bathrooms are both large. It's right in the middle of everything, with plenty of good, reasonably priced restaurants nearby, including burgers and banh mi and lots of other choices. We enjoyed our stay, especially since guests can use the sister hotel’s pool, gym and breakfast. The staff were so helpful and couldn't do enough for us.

Sky Hotel, just nearby, serves breakfast. There was a nice buffet selection, plus eggs and noodles you could order. Its rooftop bar was a great place to watch the hot air balloons in the evening, and the beers were cheap. Our room was clean enough for the price, but the bed was very firm and springy, and pretty uncomfortable. The shower head wasn't attached. We fixed it, then understood why it had been left that way, since the spray came out at several angles, but it did the job. The hotel is down a small side street, so it isn't too busy, though there is some noise at night. Nothing wild, and earplugs worked perfectly. We booked at the last minute after our original hotel called to say it had bed bugs, and a staff member helped us check in late.

Breakfast is served at another hotel owned by the owner, a two-minute walk away. It's a small buffet, but very good, with fresh fruit and local dishes you can order. The owner was also really helpful and arranged a cheaper balloon flight that saved us a lot of money.

I had a great stay at Maylay Guesthouse. The rooms were spacious and clean, with a double bed, and laundry was easy to arrange. After my muddy trek, the host even helped wash my shoes and made sure they got sun all day so they could dry properly. They let me check in early without charging extra, and the host always greeted me with Sabaidee when I walked by. Just a personal preference, but the pillows were too hard for me, so I slept on my travel neck pillow.