Viang Thapae Resort

The location was really, really good, and our room was clean and comfortable. But it didn't feel like a resort to me. There were signs everywhere banning things, both in shared spaces and in the room. It seemed to have more rules than a school. The window was too small to get much fresh air, and the fridge was noisy at night. There were two pools, but no one told us; we only discovered the second one on our last day. The gym was poor. Most of the women at the lobby seemed unfriendly. I don't know if they really like tourists, but their expressions weren't welcoming, so I tried to avoid interacting with them. At checkout they didn't look friendly either, then their expressions changed for the better once they'd confirmed the room was okay and we could leave. There was a lot of pollution while we were there, and the hotel had no air purifiers. I expected a better experience from a resort. We also asked them to wash our clothes, but 100 baht per kilo felt like a criminal price. They said our bag weighed four kilos, which I really doubted, but we paid in the end. It wasn't the resort experience I expected. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't stay again.

The Manager helped us out by upgrading our room after we arrived, and we were very happy with our early December stay at Viang Thapae. We found Mon, the local tuk tuk driver, right outside the hotel. He was fantastic and took us everywhere we couldn't walk. Viang Thapae is a beautiful little oasis just beyond the Old City. It's perfectly placed for exploring the area on foot. Chiang Mai is amazing, and we'll be back.

The location is the only real advantage here. We had four huge suitcases and a baby stroller, yet were put on the third floor with no elevator. The room doors didn't feel like proper doors, and there wasn't even a window, which made the room feel suffocating. The staff could smile more and do a better job of making guests feel welcome. We never used the pool, and never saw anyone else using it either. It was always shady and looked very cold.

We booked all of our trips through the hotel, and everything went smoothly. My wife and I stayed six days to explore Chiang Mai and had no problems at all. We skipped breakfast and ate around the city instead. The hotel is on a quieter street, but only a few minutes' walk from Phae Gate and nearby shops. The night Bazar is about the same distance in the other direction. For us, the location was perfect, and it's a great hotel.