Baan Pim

I spent a full week at Baan Pim while checking out Chiang Mai. It's a quiet, affordable place with plenty of space, though it isn't fancy. The room was roomy for the price, the bed was decent, the bathroom was clean, and everything worked. I liked coming back to a calm place and setting my own pace. I arrived well after check-in, but they knew I was coming late and left the key in the letterbox, which made getting in easy. The place is run by a kind local woman. She doesn't speak much English, and reaching them by the number provided may be tricky, so patience helps. Google Translate could come in handy. This isn't a social hostel, so don't expect events or a shared kitchen. It's good if you want a peaceful place to rest and plan your days. The old city is walkable, though a bicycle or scooter makes getting around easier. I'd book ahead if arriving late and send a clear message. It seems a good fit for solo travelers or couples who like a low-key stay. I'd stay again if I wanted a slow week in Chiang Mai without spending much.

Our flight from Bangkok was delayed along with many others after New Year's Eve, so we didn't reach Chiang Mai until 9 pm. I was worried about checking in so late, but there was a note for me on the front desk window when we got to the hotel. Because the house was being maintained, the very welcoming owner took us to another hotel nearby. The room there was great, clean and tidy, and had a convenient place to dry clothes. The owner said he'd run the place for 10 years and hadn't raised prices much because he wanted to keep backpackers' budgets in mind. Thanks for everything he arranged for us.

The little thoughtful touches at Ban Pim are why I'm giving it five stars. The room was quite clean and nicely prepared, with water and towels. The furniture and design aren't new, but they're pleasant and have a traditional Lanna style. The shower was a bit old, but clean and fine. At this price, I wasn't expecting a jacuzzi. When the water heater stopped working, Madame Pim called someone right away and it was fixed an hour later. She was lovely and helpful with everything. This is definitely where we'll stay whenever we spend a few days in Chiang Mai, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere inexpensive and good. I've lived in Thailand for 15 years when I was younger, and now I travel on a low budget. I've stayed in hundreds of cheap hotels and guest houses. Budget places naturally aren't luxurious, and you might find something less than perfectly clean, a bit broken, or noisy. That's why those pleasant details made Ban Pim stand out for me, even with the bad comments I've seen.

The manager was willing to hear us out and refunded the two nights we hadn't used, less a small agency commission. That was a positive end to a stay we had booked for three nights but cut short after the first. We'd chosen the cheapest room and didn't expect much, but it looked worse in person than in the listing photos. The mosquito cover shown there wasn't present, and the small balcony was locked. The room seemed clean only up to about waist height; above that, the wardrobe was dusty and the ceiling had webs with debris hanging from them. In the evening we found a thumb-sized cockroach in the bathroom and a lizard about twice as large. We didn't want to deal with those visitors each night, so we moved to 'the newnormal house', which cost a little more but was at least clean.