Like Home

Nuy made the stay especially fun, always joking around and happy to help. The whole place has a laid-back feel, and it’s easy to meet people and make friends. Meals at the main building were always unreal, and scooter hire was just 150 baht a day. The rooms and dorms are spread around the neighborhood, but none are more than a 15-minute walk from the main hostel. That’s really just where you sleep anyway, since breakfast and dinner are free at the main building, where everyone hangs out. I’d absolutely recommend it, especially to backpackers.

We had to stay in one of the farther buildings on our first night because the town was busy for a festival. They gave us a free ride to the airport to make up for it. The different buildings are around the neighborhood, and it’s a short walk to the old town. You can also rent a bike or moped, roughly B200 to B300 per day depending on the model. The owner, Nuy, is a lovely host and cooks delicious Thai breakfast and dinner, both included. People eat together on the front patio, which is a fun way to meet other travelers and swap ideas for excursions. We’ve stayed in quite a few hostels around Thailand, and this was easily our favorite. It really does feel like home. I’d stay again if I’m back in Chiang Mai.

The meals are such good value here. Breakfast was excellent, especially the avocado toast with eggs I loved, and dinner meant five different dishes plus dessert. The menu changes all the time, with tasty meat and vegetarian choices. Laundry is free, and if you’re in one of the farther buildings, you can use a scooter for free too. Nuy is one of a kind, a generous host, great cook, and a little Thai auntie to everyone. She hugs you like family, gossips like a friend, and will tell you which Mui Thai fighter to bet on. I felt more like I was at my mom’s house than at a hostel. I miss her and that wild cackling laugh already. Family-style meals bring everyone together, and the place seems to attract lovely, interesting people. It can be chaotic, but it has the character of a real home, just like the name Like Home promises. It’s one of the best places I’ve stayed anywhere, a hidden gem, and such good value. Be patient with Nuy. She’s one person running a hostel across 6 buildings, a scooter rental business, a laundromat, and feeding 30 hungry backpackers twice a day. I love her, miss her, and want to be like her when I grow up. I’ll be back, Nuy.

Our room was in a separate street, and when we went to collect the laundry, our clothes were mixed up with other people’s belongings and scattered around. We had to sort through other guests’ clothes to find ours. Nothing was neatly folded or organized, and a lot of my clothes had shrunk. Nuy had put our laundry bags on some random guy’s motorbike without asking me. Cleaning also kept arriving hours after the agreed time. The service felt chaotic throughout. Nuy never answered messages, so whenever we had a question one of us had to walk the 15 minutes to the main hostel. A volunteer named Amen gave me his number and said I could contact him if we needed anything, then a couple of days later claimed he didn’t work there. He was busy playing chess and didn’t want to help. He also deliberately spoke Portuguese to my partner, knowing I couldn’t understand, and said negative things about me, apparently thinking my partner wouldn’t tell me. We arrived at 10pm and were told, not asked, that we’d be staying 10 minutes away because our booked room wasn’t available. A volunteer wanted to take our bags and drive there separately on a bike, which we obviously refused. We arranged our own transport and waited outside for ages until my partner went back to complain and someone brought the key. The room was far away, smelly, run down, and too far to walk for the included meals. The food was left out buffet-style for hours, with lots of flies around. After years of traveling, this was the worst experience either my partner or I have had. I’ve never encountered service like this in Thailand. Please take the negative reviews seriously. This place feels like a scam, with liars and no communication. I’ve attached a video of the laundry and the shrunken clothes, including trousers that should be the same.