The Opium Chiang Mai

The pool area was fantastic, and the rooms were big and very clean. We spent two weeks here and everything felt just right. The staff were lovely, always smiling and doing their best to help. Definitely recommend it!

We only lasted one night of the five we had booked, then cancelled and found another place. At first the hotel looked nice, but the room was badly run-down, with damaged furniture, torn towels and poor cleanliness. The hot water in room 304 didn't work, and there were insects crawling on our belongings while we packed. The worst part was trying to get clean bedding around 11 p.m. My sheets were dirty, so I went to reception. After nearly two hours I gave up. They kept bringing dirty fitted sheets, despite my asking for proper bedding and going downstairs twice with my blanket to show what I needed. Eventually a “housekeeper” came up but didn't know how to put a duvet cover on. The duvets underneath were so yellow and stained that I felt sick. I slept without a blanket. The night receptionist on February 11th to 12th needs to be looked into. She was unfriendly, rolled her eyes, spoke Thai with the housekeeper, walked away, then came back every few minutes without saying anything. She seemed overwhelmed and didn't know how to deal with it. When I pointed out the stains on the “new” bedding she brought the third time, she just stared. This went on all evening. She should have checked that it was clean before handing it to a guest. The staff when we arrived and checked out were friendly, but that doesn't make up for dirty, outdated rooms, even with a pool. I'd recommend finding another hotel. We found a fantastic place afterward that cost only a little more, and at last we could sleep and shower normally again.

Clean rooms, good air conditioning, and decent soundproofing. It's cheap, spacious, and in a decent location. One pool was closed, and there could've been more towels :)

The lovely staff were probably the biggest thing in this place's favor. The rooms were spacious, the bed and pillows were comfortable, and the pools were very nice. We were cold at night for the time of year, though; a few extra blankets in the room would help. I didn't ask for any, so that's partly on me. Cleaning really let the stay down. On the first day I had to ask for a clean, even though I'd put the sign out. They emptied the toilet bin and pulled up the blankets, but left no towels, fresh coffee cups or sachets. I had to call for towels. There were no clean sheets, hand towels or face cloths, and no fresh soap. Dirty cups sat there for three days until I complained at reception. I'm pretty easygoing, but those small things matter. The sheets didn't seem to be changed during our five days. I know the humidity can cause damp and mould, but all three rooms we booked had mould on the wooden furniture. My son and I both got rashes all over our legs, maybe from a fungal infection or the washing powder, I'm not sure. The location is a bit odd. Grab rides into Chiang Mai are cheap, and there's a wonderful range of inexpensive food and massage nearby, but many of the good cafes are a long walk away. It's in the middle of a Thai neighborhood with busy scooter traffic and no footpaths, so watch where you're walking. Everything is in Thai, which is fine if you use Google Translate and don't mind a mystery meal. I enjoy that, but visitors expecting Chiang Mai to cater to English speakers might get a culture shock. I think that's part of what makes the city great. A few local shop owners weren't very friendly, maybe they're fed up with foreigners passing through their neighborhood, though about 95% were nice and patient. The hotel breakfast was revolting. There were karaoke bars nearby, but they wrapped up early, and city noise was normal. The constant buzz from the old fridge in the room was what bothered me most, so I wore earplugs. I didn't notice much noise from other guests; they seemed to be out and about. Breakfast deserves its own complaint. We tried it for three days and it got worse. Cold eggs and French toast, a popcorn machine for some reason, 7/11 meats and cornflakes. The coffee was hard to describe, just sludge, even the decaf. It's okay and you'll probably manage, especially with the friendly staff. It's about 100 baht to get into Chiang Mai proper. @theopium, I'd come back if the cleaning improved, the old appliances were replaced, the mouldy furniture was treated or replaced, and there were hand towels and face cloths. Until then, no from me, dawg.