Booked in a Pinch Didn’t Know what to Expect

I was becoming distraught after calling all the mid-range hotels in the Taipei Lonely Planet guide and finding all the hotels were booked for Saturday.  As I made call after call to booked hotels I asked for recommendations and I was given the number to Dolamanco Hotel.  I could barely understand the lady over the phone but I called and reserved a room over the phone by solely stating my name:  Michael.  The desk person at Dolamanco Hotel stated 2000 TWD ($62 USD) which was exactly what I paid at First Hotel.

I arrived at Dolamanco hotel’s very small front office and was immediately treated like royalty.  The place seemed really small and was decorated with Latin dancers.  After I checked in I took the tiny elevator to the 7th and top floor to my room 713.  The elevator was literally the smallest elevator I have ever been in which could carry a maximum of 3 people up and down but possibly only two.   The old elevator made it a bigger mystery to what my room was going to be like but I was pleasantly surprised.

Dolamanco Hotel Taipei Room 713 View from Couch

Very Nice Room w/ Amenities

The room was spacious with a large king or queen sized bed and a couch.   A rather large LCD flat panel television and DVD player were cool along with plenty of desk space but I was more interested in the mini bar.  They stocked the room with a few little Asian cracker snacks, tea, coffee and the fridge had a couple of Taiwanese energy drinks in it.  Best thing of all, they included all the food complimentary.  There was a 7-eleven nearby so stocking the small refrigerator was no problem either.

Everything was clean and in order.  The bathroom was nice as well.  The shower was equipped with about 10 shower heads and they stocked the room with all the toiletries you can think of including body lotion, face lotion, hand lotion, shampoo., cotton swabs, tooth brush and paste not to mention a complimentary condom!  Not only was this stuff included but it was pretty good as well.  The following is a view from the Dolamanco Hotel rooftop which had seating from the small restaurant.

Great Service

The service at Dolamanco was a pleasant surprise.   The front desk at Dolamanco Hotel was very small and was worked by a single employee.  All three employees who worked the front desk were very friendly and nice.  They would greet me with a smile each time I came and/or went from the hotel.  Most importantly they were able to write down in Chinese the locations I was interested in going which made it much easier than trying to talk with a taxi driver who speaks maybe 1 or 2 words in English.

I just can’t say enough positive things about the two ladies and one gentleman who ran the front desk at Dolamanco.  The complimentary breakfast served on the top floor which is reached by a set of stairs from the top floor was good as well.  The whole restaurant only had about 5 chairs with a couple chairs on the roof deck.  As I walked in and presented my coupon I grabbed a couple of pieces of toast and coffee and the cook made eggs fresh which was nice.

Location

Finding Taipei 101 is no problem from Dolamanco hotel because they both lie on the same street.  Taipei 101 is a little over 10 long blocks away Dolamanco but I enjoyed walking in the 60-70 degrees weather as I’m now used to the 85-95 common to Bangkok.  Also on Xinyi Street is Da-an park which was described in the Taiwan Lonely Planet guide as, “the closest thing Taipei has to a central park.”   A MRT (subway) station is withing walking distance and there are non-stop buses running to and from Taipei 101 most of the day.

View of Da-an park and Xinyi Street from Dolamanco Hotel Window

Overall Impression

I was so satisfied with the room  I decided to stay my last night in Taipei at Dolamanco Hotel rather than book another hotel Sunday night just to blog about it.  I was pretty much satisfied with all aspects of Dolamanco hotel.  I though the price ($62) was fair compared to the other hotels I looked at in Taipei, the service was excellent and the location was perfect as it was within walking distance from Taipei 101 and the large Da-an Park is directly across the street.  Unfortunately I deleted my video tour of room 713 so I hope the pictures and information suffice.

First Hotel Taipei

After I failed to postpone my weekend trip to Taipei I had a struggle finding a hotel.   All of the hotels I found online were booked as I kind of expected searching 2 days before the day I arrived.  The answer to my hotel problem was closer than I thought.  Instead of searching online for a hotel and contacting all the hotels which most people had probably already booked with I checked in the mid-range hotel section I decided to call hotels that weren’t on the first page of Google directly.

First Hotel was located in the mid-range section of Taipei hotels.  I called them and booking a hotel room for a single day was as easy as giving them my credit card number over the phone.  Even though the front desk staff I spoke with had decent English skills when I asked if First Hotel had an airport pick-up they suddenly spoke no English.  I ended up again reading in the Lonely Planet about the best way into the city from the Airport which meant taking an “Airbus” to one of its drop off points then a taxi for a few kilometers to First Hotel.

Checking in was easy as I simply presented my credit card, showed my passport and signed a couple things.  There was no hassle of filling out a bunch of paperwork as they sent me up my room on floor 10 which was the top floor.  Although small, my room (112) was nice as you can see below.  I have read other reviews that stated First Hotel’s top two floors (9 & 10) are renovated and nice while the others are not so be forewarned.  I was satisfied with room 112 and they even left 2 complimentary bananas and oranges on the desk.

First Hotel Location

As you can see from the photo at the top of the post, First Hotel is located in a well populated area called Zhongshan .  I didn’t read too much about the area before hand so after checking in I got out of the hotel and started walking around.  It seemed like I walked around forever and didn’t find anything that interested me enough to check out.  I ended up taking a taxi back to the hotel after a couple hours and get to bed early (on a Friday night) so I could get an early start on Saturday.  I have read other reviews criticizing the location for being 15 minutes away from the closest MRT station.

The Zhongshan Neighborhood next to First Hotel in Taipei

Overall Impression

I didn’t’ really feel like hotel hunting for the next couple of days so I decided to stick it out at First Hotel for the entire weekend.  My plan failed when I asked them for a room the next morning and they were booked.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the next hotel I found over the phone Delamanco Hotel was nicer and in a much better location.  If you’re looking for a room in Taipei and are looking to spend around 2000 NTD ($60 USD) First Hotel is adequate but unless you’re planning to fly from the small airport which is nearby or have specific nearby plans, you can find better hotels in better locations for around the same price.

Outdoor Bargain Hunting

Since Chiang Mai is not the home of seemingly endless gargantuan shopping centers like Bangkok most of the best shopping opportunities are at various fairs.  Most people I talked to in Chiang Mai recommended shopping at the Sunday walking street fair instead of the night bazaar which was overpriced.

While all three places I stayed at were withing a 5 minute walk to the old moat gate which is where the fair starts, Montri hotel was located right on the corner surrounded by Sunday’s street fair.  I was staying at the nearby Royal Guesthouse when I decided to check out one of Chiang Mai’s biggest tourist attractions.

To say the Chiang Mai walking street fair is a tourist attraction is not doing it justice.  It seemed all of northern Thailand was there.  People from northern Thailand were there selling souvenirs, art, food and more and many people from Chiang Mai were also there.  Much of the goods for sale I have seen everywhere I’ve been in Thailand but I would guess that most of the people that make them live in northern Thailand.

One of the Many Local Tribes People Selling their Sourvenirs

Near the Moat Gate

The square near the remnants of the brick wall and the old gate which used to surround the city is where I started my Sunday night walking market experience.  The big square covered with baby blue and yellow paper lanterns is filled with booth after booth of goods.   There are many people just lounging around along with tourists and Thai people there primarily for the food and being social.

I didn’t know whether the square by the moat gate was the entire Sunday street fair so I decided to walk up Ratchadamnen Road.  Up the street I immediately noticed there was plenty more to the Chiang Mai walking street fair than just the square by the moat gate.  I immediately noticed an alcove with solely food restaurants which I had to stop at.  I ordered this omelet looking thing with noodles.  As I was eating the omelet I started talking to a Thai girl who turned out to have been living in Australia for the last 7 years.  She asked if I would join her and her 3 sisters for a walk through the fair.

Moat at the Beginning of Street Fair in front of Montri Hotel

On and On

I walked up the street with the Thai Aussie girl and her sisters and the streets seemingly got more crowded.    It was very crowded to the point where  I  would get stuck in a bottleneck for a minute at a time in some spots.  We stayed primarily on Ratchadamnen Road which included a couple temples and the fair seemed like it went on endlessly.  After a few blocks we turned around and headed back towards the moat gate.  My new Thai friend had to take her sisters home so I went to business and bought some gifts for my sisters.

View from Top of Apartment Building along Ratchadamnen Road

Overall Impression

While the Sunday walking street fair in Chiang Mai was huge it was nothing I haven’t seen before.  For me the highlight was the delicious food which was easily available almost everywhere I looked.  While it was crowded, there was absolutely no motor traffic which is unusual for Thailand.  People traffic was pretty heavy but no motorcycles, trucks, scooters, etc. made the Chiang Mai walking street fair a pleasurable experience and a must for anyone staying in Chiang Mai over the weekend.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Monkey school was not originally included in the master plan.  After visiting the long neck hill tribe and eating at the Tiger Kingdom buffet my driver recommended the monkey school.  When I say recommended I really mean forcefully insisted as he just drove me there without really asking if I wanted to go.  I’m sure he got some form of commission for taking me there.

I entered the monkey show and paid the admission fee of 200 baht ($6 USD) and was ushered to a small stadium like bleacher seating with the capacity of 50 or so.  There was an announcer over the loud speaker who told everyone to be seated for the show which would start in 5 minutes.

One of the "Students" at Monkey School

The Monkey School Show

The ability of the monkeys to perform human-like mental activities such as recognizing numbers and math were interesting.  The physical abilities of shooting basketballs with rather good accuracy, swimming to retrieve coins from the bottom of the pool and lifting weights was interesting as well.

The monkey school show was short and sweet as a different trainer came out with 3 or 4 different monkeys which they had collars and chains around their neck.  It started with a monkey retrieving these numbered markers when the number was announced.  The monkeys also did some math.  Next they came out with a shopping cart, retrieved coconuts, lifted weights, shot baskets and finally dove under water.

A volunteer from the crowd’s hands were bound and he was sat in front of the audience of around 10-20 people.  The announcer told the volunteer not to look at the monkey while he was untying the rope and when the volunteer did, the monkey gave him a pretty brutal slap across the face.  When he slapped the volunteers face the trainer yanked on the leash pretty hard jerking the monkey’s head.  While this probably wouldn’t be considered animal abuse how the monkeys were housed may have been, read on…

More Accurate Free Throw Shooter than Shaq

Monkey Prison?

While some consider any wild animal taken out of its natural habitat to be animal abuse this monkey school had some signs of less than optimal measures for keeping the monkeys captive.  Before and after viewing the show you can see the non-performing monkeys which were all chained up.  Many of the monkeys were walking around in circles which is all the movement which was allowed as they were chained up to a post.

The monkeys which weren’t walking around in circles looked dejected and many were coughing and seemed sick.  Needless to say I felt pretty bad for all the monkeys chained up so I bought a bunch of little bananas to feed them.  I fed every single monkey (around 20 or so) a banana.  It was pretty interesting that some of the monkeys got ready when they saw me with the bananas and caught them while others let the banana hit them on the head.

I shot the video (below) after I fed all the monkeys a banana so you can’t see how manic and dejected they looked while many were walking around in circles as the  show was on but you can hear the coughing of monkeys which I think were sick from living in bad conditions.

Overall Impression

While I enjoyed the 15 minute monkey school show, the mistreatment of the animals was hard not to notice.  As I mentioned before, having wild animals chained up in captivity is never good but it seemed like these monkeys could have been kept in better conditions which would have not had me leave Monkey School with a sour taste in my mouth.  I would recommend anyone traveling in the area to drop by unless time is of the essence.  If time in northern Thailand is short, monkey school is nothing you should be disappointed for missing.  If anything you can pay the 20 baht (60 cents) and buy a fruit basket to feed the poor chained up talented monkeys.

Monkeys Chained up while Not Performing

History of the Rings and Long Neck

The Karen  Padaung tribe people are not originally from Thailand.  You can watch the National Geographic video (below) for all the history and information about them.

Getting There

Most multiple attraction tours out of Chiang Mai include trips to various “long neck” villages.  The Karen hill tribe village I went to was very close to Chiang Mai.  I hired a driver from a tourism booth in the city center.  I chose a 1/2 day tour which included the drive out to the hill tribe and other attractions in the area.  Within 5-10 minutes from the “long neck” village there were many road signs advertising tourist attractions very close by such as an insect museum, Tiger Kingdom, Monkey School, ATV off road tours, target shooting and much more.

I’m pretty sure I overpaid for the tour which cost me 1000 baht ($30 USD) for the driver who drove an air conditioned pick-up truck.  He took me where ever I wanted so I chose the insect museum and he pretty much automatically drove me to the m0nkey school and a “Asian Arts Museum” which turned out to be an Indian owned, overpriced souvenir peddler which I’m sure he got commission for.

The (refugee camp) Village that the Long Necks Live and Work at

Save your Souvenir Shopping for Long Necks

The long necks let themselves be so visible to tourists for a simple reason.  I would be willing to be the tourism industry supplies the Karen hill tribe outside of Chiang Mai with a large percentage of their income.  Most of the women are sitting there and working on their crafts while the tourists walk by.  They seemed more than happy to pose for pictures with any tourist and I felt obligated to buy some souvenirs from them if I was to ask for a picture.

While I saw a couple men working in a nearby field I wondered where the men of the tribe were.  I would guess they worked somewhere in the nearby area performing agricultural based jobs.  Evidence of the men’s handiwork was all over the village.  I counted 5 babies and/or toddlers in the village.  My driver joked that since the long necks don’t have television cable, the only thing they can do is make the babies which I thought was pretty funny coming from a Thai guy speaking broken English.

Showing off Long Neck-made Bracelets I bought as gifts

Human Zoo?

I have heard many people criticizing the tours and presentation of the long neck people as some sort of human zoo which I completely disagree with.  While the women are on display in plain view of all the visitors, they are working on their crafts.  Anyone who calls this a “human zoo” obviously prefers they be packed in some tiny sweatshop somewhere working on their scarfs, purses, bracelets and other handicrafts 16 hours a day.

Most of the people seemed happy to have foreigners visiting while others seemed burned out from constant photo requests and bartering from the steady flow of tourists.  Overall like most Thai people, although truly Burmese refugees, the long necks seemed to be happy and friendly people.

Beautiful Young Pedaung Woman and her Baby

Long Neck Working Women

Overall Impression

I enjoyed my visit to the Karen long neck hill tribe.  The people were extremely nice and it was interesting to see people with a unique culture  that only exist in small numbers in a small part of the world.  The souveniers were some of the same things you can find all over Thailand but I felt better buying stuff directly from the source which allowed me to authenticate my gifts for my family by sending pictures with the actual items which I bought.

Even if you do not plan to buy any souvenirs or gifts, the visit to the long neck village will make you really appreciate all the handicrafts and Thai art you see sold throughout the country and region.  The stuff doesn’t come from some giant robotic factory or some billionaire businessman, it comes from local tribes like the long necks.

I would recommend the trip to the Karen Hill tribe to anyone who visits Chiang Mai.  There is also a dozen or more other attractions in the same area which is only a 30-45 minute drive outside the Chiang Mai city limits.

Souvenirs I bought as Gifts from the "Long Necks"

For More Photos of the Karen Long Neck Hill Tribe Please Visit tourismPICS.com

Learning about Chiang Mai Night Safari

When I booked Studio 99 Serviced Apartments I noticed a night safari on their list of tours.  No word says, “getting out of the big city” more than safari.  Being the animal lover that I am, it sounded much more appealing than the Chiang Mai zoo although the zoo is home to famous Chinese panda along with its baby panda.

As soon as I arrived to my hotel after the hour flight into Chiang Mai from Bangkok and 10 minute taxi ride to the hotel, I asked the front desk about the night safari.  They told me to arrive there around 7pm and told me a little about it.  They tried to find me a driver as well.

Getting There

Even though I rented a scooter I didn’t think I would be able to find the night safari as it was out of town.  Like I mentioned before, there are no regular taxi or bus services in Chiang Mai so I resorted to tuk tuk.  I asked a driver how much and they asked for 400 baht ($12 USD) for a ride out to the night safari and back 4 hours later.  While I could have probably negotiated I accepted his offer and packed my camera and tripod for the journey to the Chiang Mai night safari.

The tuk tuk ride from Montri Hotel smack dab in the center of Chiang Mai took around 30 minutes.   Upon arrival myself and tuk tuk driver noticed about 100 various types of deer roaming freely before the entrance which was a sign of things to come.

As I got there (picture on very top is entrance) and paid the fee of 500 baht ($15 USD) I was greeted in the lobby by an amazing elephant who could play the harmonica while swinging a hula hoop around its trunk (video below).  It could also play this other instrument which its master put in its mouth.  Banannas and bamboo were available for purchase to feed this talented beast.

Looking across the lake from the lobby I could see a bunch of trees and nothing man made.  I was smart this time, and purchased some mosquito repellent lotion so I wouldn’t get eaten alive while taking photos.

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Walking around Lake

They gave me an itinerary of the night safari experience as I purchased the ticket.  I arrived around 7pm and the tram ride safaris were not until around 9pm which allowed around 2 hours of time which was not idle.  They recommended a walk around the lake which was surrounded with various animal exhibits from tortoises to tapirs.  Most of the exhibits were minimally distracting including the tiger’s in which the fence seemed pretty low to prevent a tiger from escaping.

Towards the end of the walk around the lake I nearly jumped out of my pants as I was passing multiple wild cat exhibits and heard a giant roar/growl from what I thought was a lion and it actually turned out to be coming from a nearby speaker.  Walking in the dark alone surrounded by cats ranging from small house cat sized wildcats to cervals to scary looking black panthers while not scary was kind of uncomfortable.

They recommended returning after an hour to watch the water and laser show but I decided to stay across the lake and take some pictures without anyone in my way.  The water show was a photographers dream with a bunch of cool looking lights and reflections which make some pretty spectacular looking, easy to take photos.  After the water show I made my way back to the main area where I had some Thai food at the restaurant.

Watching the Laser Water Show on the Other Side of Lake

The Safari

At around 9pm they ushered the English speaking guests to one side and the Thai/Japanese speaking people to the other side for each tram safari.  Everyone packed on these tram safari vehicles and they were off.  I would guess there were 25 people on each tram which could have accommodated for 100 so I considered myself lucky because I had the ability to move from side to side to get pictures of animals on either side.

Each safari was separated into sections which included animals of southeast Asia, Africa and Australia.  The tram would slow down and a spotlight would turn on each side which enabled everyone to see the animals 90% of the time.  Trying to photograph the animals was made difficult by the driver who would slow the tram down to a crawl but never really let it come to a complete stop.  Coupled with the low light, movement made it very difficult to get a good picture of one of the animals.

I saw a bunch of animals which I have never seen before including about 10 species of deer/cow like creatures which didn’t excite me too much.  The animals I was really impressed with were the hyenas.  They were almost twice as big as I thought they would be.  You can see some pictures of some of the animals at the bottom of this post.  After returning from the first safari there was a 30 minute break until the next safari which enabled everyone to get a drink or…

Before Boarding Safari Tram on Beautiful Chiang Mai Night

Surprise Surprise

I was presented the opportunity to handle a baby tiger for a picture which cost a couple hundred baht.  While I have no interest in being anywhere near a blood thirsty adult tiger a baby was a lot more appealing.  They had 3 baby tigers in this glass encased room.  Two tigers were very small baby orange tigers which I thought I was going to have my picture taken with and there was this older white tiger which was twice the size of the little orange ones.

After I washed my hands they walked me right in and had me sit down on this wooden step and before I could sit comfortably I see this white tiger come running at me!  The handlers handed me a bottle with Tiger’s milk as the tiger jumped on my lap and I fed it for 30 seconds as they snapped pictures.  I must say the fur on the baby tiger felt EXACTLY like my sister’s dog, a year old male corgi.  They gave me a CD with the pictures on it as well as a print.  After the tiger feeding I went on the second tram ride to see the animals from Australia and more from Africa.

Feeding Adolescent? Tiger Milk for 30 Seconds

Overall Impression

While the Chiang Mai night safari was no replacement for actually visiting the animals in their natural habitat it was a fun experience.  I thought the presentation of the animals at night made it tenfold more interesting than walking around in a crowded zoo looking at caged animals.  The price was a little steep for Chiang Mai standards as total I spent over 1000 baht ($30 USD) but it was well worth it.  You can find more detailed information on the Chiang Mai night safari website.

Some of the Animals Seen on the Night Safari

Exercise at Lumpini Park

Any health minded person who has ever lived or visited Bangkok for an extended period of time has visited Lumpini Park.  Besides being a relaxing oasis from the sometimes hectic Bangkok traffic,  Lumpini park is also a place where thousands of people come to exercise on a daily basis.  Throughout the day there is a nonstop flow of bicyclists and  runners , going around the lakes on the cement paths complete with kilometer markers and the newly rubberized track & field style running paths.

Every single day at 5 and 6pm giant aerobics classes start complete with cheesy Thai aerobics music and a few hundred people (mostly women) performing basic aerobics class steps to the music.  In addition to the swimming pool, tennis court,  basketball court and senior citizen center there are various sometimes odd fitness contraptions spread throughout the park.  Fitness also extends onto the water as a couple dozen pedal boats are available to rent as well.

Outdoor Gym #2

Outdoor Gyms

I knew there was an outdoor gym in Lumpini Park on the Rajadamri Road side (north end) of the park (video & pictures on bottom of page).   I worked out there a couple times before which cost 35 baht ($1 USD) per workout.  The gym has a punching bag and enough equipment for people of most strength levels (myself included) to get a good workout.

Every time swing by the gym there is never more than 5-10 people working out which is a stark contrast to the crowded corporate gym I painstakingly chose to get a membership at California WOW fitness.  The only thing I didn’t like about Lumpini Park’s outdoor gym was when I accidentally touched a tree and the next thing I knew I had a few dozen fire ants stinging my sweaty forearm.

Hardcore Lumpini Park Gym

"Hardcore" guys Posing Outside of Gym

I was looking to explore the rest of the park to find some material for pictures on my Tourism Pics photography site when I came across another gym in Lumpini Park!  When I walked by this gym located on the Rama IV road (south end) of Lumpini park I immediately noticed the people working out were pretty hardcore.  There were a group of around 10 shirtless guys who looked as if they were professional bodybuilders, muay Thai fighters, prison inmates or all the above lifting heavy weights.

I thought it was very cool looking so I decided one day I would head to the “hardcore” Lumpini Park gym and work out.  I planned on going for a long bicycle ride through the busy streets of Bangkok and after I witnessed 2 car accidents I thought better and ride my bike to Lumpini Park.  As I was riding through Lumpini Park I rode over to the “hardcore” Lumpini Park gym and noticed another big group of “hardcore” weight lifters as well as an awesome barbell bench press with 2 tires which I just had to lift.

I brought my bike in the gym and asked the lady how much it cost for “Aw Kam long Kai” which means exercise in Thai and she showed me a card with the prices.  I was rather shocked to see that a workout cost 20 baht (60 cents) and a monthly membership costs 200 baht ($6 USD) which is less than the other gym.

I warmed up a few sets of bench press to work up to the tire barbell which I had no idea how much it weighed.  I even got a spotter to make sure I didn’t kill myself and to my surprise (slight disappointment) the barbell with the tires wasn’t that heavy.  I would estimate the weight which had a bar which was smooth and about twice the diameter of normal Olympic bars weighed between 175-195 pounds.

Even though the “hardcore” patrons of this gym were a bit imposing, as usual the Thai people working out at the gym were very nice and friendly.  They even encouraged me to use heavier weights as well as helped me locate dumbbells that I needed.  I was the only farang (foreigner in Thai) working out but there were many farang passersby in the park who just looked in the gym out of curiosity.   I snapped the pictures inconspicuously with my cell phone camera as I wondered whether the “hardcore” gym patrons were Muay Thai fighters, powerlifters or bodybuilders.

If I knew that this gym existed before I think choosing a gym in Bangkok would have been a lot easier as I would have probably avoided the membership at the California WOW gym I paid 17,000 baht ($511 USD).  The video and equipment below is from the non “hardcore” gym on the north side of Lumpini Park.

Also See:  Things to do in Bangkok:  Lumpini Park:  Part I

Some of the Equipment at the West Side Gym

Also See:  Things to do in Bangkok:  Lumpini Park:  Part I

Don’t forget to Also Cheek Out: Things to do in Bangkok:  Lumpini Park:  Part I

Guest House Fit for Royalty?

After staying in a very nice, albeit excessive serviced apartment and a mid-range hotel for my first couple nights, I decided to stay in an older guesthouse.  Royal Guesthouse offered hostel style shared rooms for as little as 200 baht ($6USD) per night.  For anyone busy visiting temples and touring the local areas, during the day, and partying in a local bar at night, having anything other than a cheap room may be overkill and Royal Guest House definitely caters to this.

At this point in my life, sharing a $6 room is probably not going to happen but luckily for me Royal Guest House offers a few different types of rooms.  They offered a room with private bathroom and fan (no Air Conditioning) for 500 baht ($15USD) which is what I initially booked but I opted for a 750 baht room with a private bathroom, air conditioning and a balcony.

The room was a little bit stuffy at first coming from a giant serviced apartment but I quickly got used to it as I blasted the efficient but loud air conditioning and watched an interview on Larry King with Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel.  The cable offered at Royal Guesthouse is noteworthy as there were tons of English speaking channels.  The bed was not the most comfortable and the bathroom was very basic but I have no major complaints.

View from Each Side of Royal Guest House Room 217

Location

Coincidentally Royal Guest House was located a couple blocks from the main gate (brick wall) just as the places I stayed at the previous two nights were.  It is kind of difficult to find as there is a narrow pathway under a bush covered overhang which leads to the front gate.  If you turn away from the moat road on 5 Kotchasarn Soi 4 pay close attention on the left hand side until you see the pathway which leads to Royal Guesthouse.  You can find more information on the Royal Guest House website.

Overall Impression

Royal Guesthouse is definitely not going to win any awards for luxury travel but it was adequate for the single traveler wants nothing more than a comfortable room to sleep in.  Royal Guest House also has a pool and a cool staff and “chilling out” area where you can meet fellow travelers over a cold beer.  If the circumstances were the same (traveling alone for sight seeing) I will probably choose Royal Guest House again simply because I like the idea of not paying for stuff that you don’t use in higher-end hotels and serviced apartments.

Recommended

I first learned of Studio 99 serviced apartments from an Aussie classmate in my Thai Language class.  He said he had a blast when he stayed there during this year’s Songkran festival which is a very festive week long celebration for Thai new year.  I tried to book a room for the day I arrived a few days before but they were booked.   I exchanged a few emails with the manager named Supattra and managed to get a room for a single Saturday night for 500 baht less than the listed price.  When I finally arrived to Studio 99 I was immediately impressed.

Studio 99 Serviced Apartments

Location

Studio 99 serviced apartments are located very close to Chiang Mai’s old town’s moat in the center of Chiang Mai.  It is a bit tricky to find if you’re not familiar with how the streets are organized in Chiang Mai and especially if you’re driving a motorcycle.  It is located a few blocks from the last remaining section of the former brick wall which surrounded the moat but it’s a little more complicated than that.

There are one way streets on either side of Thae Phae Soi 3, the street which Studio 99 is located on.  It confused me and it will confuse you that each street has numbered sois (streets) so if you’re on any other street and find a soi 3 you will not be on the right street.  To make it simple, think from the gate.  If you walk east (towards the river) from the gate, away from the walking market, past the Starbucks and Air Asia offices you will see Thae Phae Soi 3 on the right.  Once you get to Soi 3 a narrow winding street you will see the sign for Studio 99 rather quickly.

Unlike the Montri Hotel which I stayed at the first night, the location of Studio 99 serviced apartment was very quiet.  I could hear birds chirping and only once in a while did I hear a motorcycle zoom by or a car rev its engine in the neighborhood.  The location is located right in between 2 of Chiang Mai’s most popular shopping attractions, the nightly night bazaar and the Sunday walking street market as you can see on the map below.

The Apartment

The apartment was 65 square meters with 2 balconies 1 which was covered, a fully stocked kitchen, nice bathroom and a walk in closet in the bedroom which was bigger than most hotel’s bathrooms.  Furnishing the brand new hardwood floor apartment was a sectional leather couch, desk, entertainment center, dining room setup and more.

You can read more on the Studio 99 website.  There isn’t much else to say other than Apartment number 4 at Studio 99 serviced apartments met and exceeded all my expectations of a night stay in Chiang Mai Thailand.  You can view the entire layout on the video on the bottom of this post.

On Deck Number 1 Looking Through Bedroom to Living Room

Overall Impression

Studio 99 serviced apartments were very nice and felt like (even better than my) home.   Throughout my travels I would rate Studio 99 serviced apartments in the top 5 places I ever stayed as far as the actual room (apartment) goes.   The location was great, the facilities were brand new, clean, spacious and top notch.  For 1500 baht ($45USD) a night, Studio 99 serviced apartments was a huge bargain.  While spending 1500 baht on a giant, fully furnished apartment was probably overkill while traveling by myself, anyone traveling with a group and/or family would find Studio 99 optimal to feel like home while traveling.

Welcome to Chiang Mai

By browsing hotel websites it is almost impossible to easily find out which is the best location to stay in a city for what you want.  Every hotel seems to claim to be centrally located so I turned to the Thaivisa forum and asked.  The first response I got was Montri hotel so without further ado I immediately booked a room at Montri Hotel and arranged an airport pick-up.

The pickup from the airport cost a ridiculously low 150 baht ($4.50) and included the guy holding the sign for you after baggage claim and a nice air conditioned ride into Chiang Mai.  Once I saw the brick wall, the gate and tons of tourists, I immediately got the impression I chose the right place.

Montri Hotel Location

You really can’t ask for a better location for a hotel in Chaing Mai than the exact spot the Montri sits on.  Montri sits next to the last renaming tiny portion of the ancient wall that used to surround Chiang Mai’s moat.  This happens to be the location of the very beginning of the huge Chaing Mai walking street fair.  For anyone in Chiang Mai on Sunday staying in Montri Hotel is a great shopping base and allows bargain hunters to store their buys in their hotel room while shopping for more.

There is a place which packages and ships off your buys if you don’t want to pack them in your luggage or simply want to ship them to your family and friends overseas.  They charge huge fees but for some (like me) the convenience factor was just too much to pass up to ship off some gifts for my family.

In addition to the Sunday walking market related places there is a HUGE 3 story Starbucks across the street as well as an Air Asia airline office, book store, pharmacy, a bunch of restaurants and bars and more.  There are also numerous places which rent out motorbikes and even cars within 20 meters of the Montri Hotel

Night View from Room 323 in Montri Hotel

Montri Hotel Amenities

Montri Hotel does not have a ton of extras such as swimming pool or fitness center.  The enormous lobby and restaurant are great places to relax in the midst of a day busy with tourism.  Montri Hotel’s convenient location was an amenity in itself but aside from that, a very fast and reliable wireless internet connection was complimentary with a night stay along with free breakfast.

As I mentioned before there were a bunch of bars and restaurants along the streets surrounding the Montri hotel but I never left the restaurant on the bottom floor of Montri Hotel which  is very nice, large and has good service to go along with.  Blix restaurant has a nice air conditioned indoor seating section as well another large mist cooled outdoor seating section.  I had the hamburger on two separate occasions along with the American breakfast which was complimentary with the room.

Blix Restaurant on Ground Floor of Montri Hotel

Overall Impression

For the price of almost 1000 baht per night ($30USD) which is a little higher because November-February is considered the high season Montri Hotel was worth it based on the location and restaurant alone.   Since the room was located right next to busy street surrounding the canal, traffic noise is audible (at least in room 323)  for almost the entire day and night even though the double pane windows help quiet the street noise.  The room was completely 100% adequate, clean, large enough but nothing spectacular.

The service was above average in the hotel and the restaurant.  Overall I would recommend Montri Hotel for anyone looking for a great location in Chiang Mai looking to spend around 1000 baht ($30USD) per night.