At Pingnakorn Hotel Chiang Mai

The hotel is inexpensive and convenient for getting around, though breakfast was just so-so, and I'd go out to eat if I had time. You have to climb stairs to reach the elevator, and the shower sprays in both directions. The worst part was the motorcycle rental. The previous night, the front desk said they could help arrange one for just 150 baht. Since we were leaving Chiang Mai that evening and planned to visit an elephant poopoo park in the afternoon, a taxi would have cost over 300 baht, so we asked the hotel to arrange a rental. After waiting 5-10 minutes for the rental person to arrive, we were told it would cost 300 baht per day plus a 3,000 baht deposit, and that they should keep our passport. We were confused about how the price had gone from 150 baht to that in one day. When I went back to ask, the front desk attendant made an excuse and said she must have been wrong the day before. We cancelled, but were charged a 100 baht cancellation fee. Paying 100 baht to cancel a 300 baht rental made no sense. It ruined the good mood we'd had that day.

The friendly, helpful staff were great, and we'd still consider staying here again. The common areas and room have a lovely atmosphere, and we got a welcome drink and dessert. We were surprised by the wide choice at the buffet breakfast, and all the food tasted very good. I thought it was better than most food outside the hotel, and what we paid was great value. The one downside was plane noise over the hotel, though it stopped after 1 am. Everything else was above average. Thai people are mostly friendly, as far as I know.

We stayed one night with family in a nicely decorated family suite. The building is old, but the decor is done well. The food could be improved: the hotel seems geared toward Chinese and Japanese tourists, and there were no Indian breakfast options. My wife did like the latte here, which she thought was one of the best.

The room I'm staying in is really cute and feels homey, which is what I miss in most hotels where they don't put much effort into decorating. Breakfast is great and has plenty of variety, and there's a cute café too. It's right next to all the action.