Stay Thapae Hostel

The owner is quite nice and friendly, and I like the place. But checkout at 10 a.m. feels too early. My main problem was the upper bunk, which had no handrail and was difficult to climb up and down. The bathroom also needs more hooks, since there's only one for clothes, and there's nowhere to put soap or shampoo.

The location was really good, right by China Town and other places to eat. I stayed with two friends, who had picked the hostel. The pods gave us a bit of privacy and the beds were fine, but the dorm rooms themselves were tiny. There are eight beds in each dorm, and space is tight. There also aren't enough showers and toilets for the number of rooms, and one day the cleaner left no toilet rolls in the bathrooms. I guess I'd stay again.

The beds were very comfortable, the sheets were new and good quality, and we got two comfy pillows per bed. Overall the hostel seemed clean, despite the serious mold problem. It looks as though they invested in good products when it was built, from the beds to the toilets. But the whole place smelled musty. You noticed it as soon as you entered the lobby, and it was stronger in the first-floor room. There were stains on the walls everywhere. I'm not sure what happened, but I wondered if the property had been closed for a while and reopened recently, since the last reviews were from months earlier. I considered moving after the first day, but the city was full and I had to stay all four nights. Other travelers I met were unhappy with the smell too. By my second night I was having a respiratory allergy, and on the third I developed a skin allergy. Even freshly changed towels had a strange mold smell. My pajamas smelled of mold after I left, and I'm still suffering from this. The room was tiny and the door was very loud. I couldn't sleep properly toward the end of my stay because people kept coming in and out.

Stay Thapae has a quaint feel, with a colorful downstairs common area, natural light, and space to work. The staff were welcoming and smiling. The rooms were quiet and well air-conditioned, though a bit cold for the weather outside. Even with a noisy street nearby, I hardly heard it and slept well. The location is easy to find and navigate, right in the heart of Chaing Mai, within a short walk of Old City night markets, live music, bookstores, and places to eat. You can walk to lots of places or take a cheap Grab moto across town. I booked on Agoda and paid $55 for 7 nights, which felt like a good deal. Cleanliness was the main downside. The downstairs looked immaculate, but the rooms and shared bathrooms didn't. Staff changed the sheets for new guests twice a day, but that seemed to be about all. They said bathrooms were cleaned twice daily, yet when I showered in the morning, afternoon, or evening, they looked just as before. There were no soap dispensers or anything similar for washing hands, and plenty of people didn't wash theirs. I brought my own soap. Check your sheets when you arrive: mine weren't clean, though they changed them quickly when I asked. You get what you pay for. I'd recommend it if it were clean.