San Sai hotels & places to stay

Noon?!? Noon is one of the afternoon receptionists, and was on duty when I arrived at check in to find I'd left my iPad in the taxi. Her immediate response was to call the airport taxi service, the the taxi company, then the police. I was awoken at 7am the first morning with a phone call to say my iPad had just been dropped off at reception - thank you Noon, you're the sixth star at the resort and it just got better. I booked a suite: spacious, clean, magnificent. The restaurant was superb for breakfast, and lunch, dinner or a snack. The pool is beautiful and my suite included my own private massage area with a steam room and separate spa in the garden, as well as a sauna in the bathroom. I don't normally stay in resorts, preferring to mingle and eat with the locals, however, this place was totally captivating for the three nights I stayed. Thanks everyone, thanks Noon.

This is my second time came Chiang Mai, but not for holiday this time. I came to see my girlfriend who is studying at Payap University and we got some trouble recently. So I just picked a hotel which is close to Payap and the hotel is good for me cause it only took me less than 10 mins to Payap. Actually, unfortunately, she didn't want to see me even I waited for her quite a long time at the school gate so I merely spent two days in the hotel. But I have to say, the staffs of the hotel are warm-hearted, and I feel mentally healing by them. In the end, my girlfriend said, not face to face but Facebook, the people in Chiang Mai are warm as well as the temperature, and I realized so many things including myself and the relationship with my girl. I wish I could back to Chiang Mai in the future, maybe very soon, maybe quite a long time, but anyway, I will come back, drink Conora beer in the bar with the setting sun. See u. Jintao

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Fern Paradise for 4 days and it was bliss from the beginning until the end. It is definitely the most peaceful (and probably greenest) resort I ever stayed. Resort is a bit of a misnomer I believe and i mean this in a good way. The quality of the room, service and location are definitely what one expects in a resort, but Fern Paradise is more than that. Mr. Niwat and his family are receiving you as a special guest that they will personally take care of. During the complimentary ‘fern tour’ at the resort by Mr. Niwat, you will learn about Thai village life in the North of Thailand, the importance of rice, and of course about ferns. A fern will never be just a fern after staying here. The concept of the resort is fantastic; you will stay in an authentic rice barn (a wooden barn on stilts), where farmers keep rice after the harvest, and amidst 300 species of ferns and the sound of running water and birds. Since there are only 9 barns (all individually decorated) on the grounds, it is very private. The resort is especially like a fairy-tale at night with the lighting, the sounds of geckoes and crickets. Breakfast is taken next to a little stream in front of a watermill. You can order what you like to have for breakfast the evening before. One of the great things to do is grab the bike and cycle in the rural area around the resort. You will pass villages, cows, paddy fields, temples and pagodas in complete silence. Chiang Mai is only 10 minutes away by taxi! Mr. Niwat, his family and the rest of the staff go out of their way to make you feel at home and help you with whatever you need. You will be treated as a friend instead of a guest at Fern Paradise. If you want a luxurious hotel close to the Night Bazaar with spa, room service and correct but impersonal service, this place is not for you. If you would like to stay in an oasis of peace and tranquility, in an authentic rice barn (with all the comfort of a hotel room), learn a bit mor

Nature lovers who want to stay in pleasant, quality accommodation - you will be delighted by the immaculate, creative, spacious gardens, and the peace and quiet. It is a huge park, a source for endless hours of enjoyment. I can't say enough about it - you just have to experience it, especially if you live and work out in the community in Asia. A wonderful get-away. The staff were very attentive and accommodating at meals with my food allergy issue, going above and beyond anywhere else I have experienced in Asia. Be aware that it is a distance from the city center. There is a yellow songtheaw truck that runs on the highway right in front of the resort. The Central Festival shopping mall is an easy 30 minute trip. The couple of minor faults were, 1. the air conditioner in the room seems dated and there was a musty smell in the room, likely from the air conditioner. 2. The pool is heavily chlorinated at Horizon 2, I really noticed when I tried to wash my hair after swimming. The chlorine smell lingered on my skin long after showering. Thankfully after speaking with the managing staff, I was allowed to use one of the other swimming pools. 3. The bed design is unique, but impractical. Watch your shins because there is a wood rail around the outside of the bed.

Ban Chun song sang is a family run Home Stay. We “husband, wife and 3 year old kid” stayed here many times during the last year and a half exploring Chiang Mai and its surroundings. We lived in the south east of Thailand and would like to move to the north so we have been here several times. Away from the crowded city center, this is the perfect place to relax and plenty of room for your kids. There are 3 choices where you can stay, the bamboo hut, the wooden hut and a larger wooden house which is called the 2 bedroom home. The views from each accommodation is great and make you feel relaxed and away from the crowd. They are all kept very clean and each accommodation has it’s own character, we really liked the shower from the 2 bedroom home which is just awesome. The owners, which speak very good English are very friendly, helpful and you always feel welcome. You can have some interaction with the other guests in the common area where there is the possibility to enjoy some complimentary coffee and tea. There are free bikes available and if there is anything else you may need the hosts are more than happy to help you out. In today hotel environment this is truly unusual and is certainly welcome. You can choose your complimentary breakfast, try their french toast, just delicious. Every hut and house has it’s own fridge and complimentary bottled water. In the common area you can also order great Thai and western food, as i say, the perfect area to chill out. The Home Stay has it’s own laundry and shuttle service and you can book all your tours over here. It’s also worth to check out the local village markets.

For the location of this hotel, you need a car to access. The room comes with proper size. It provides the comfort mattress, large closet, a small dinner table and well designed toilet with a monsoon shower. The parking area is small, so sometimes I have to park my car in front of the hotel entrance . The hotel also provide daily breakfast but it started at 7:30am and that’s too late for me.

This lodge is located outside of the city center, but not out of the city. It is a short ride from the train station. A short walk or taxi ride will get you to a nearby mini-mall or other shopping. However, once you enter the gates to the lodge you can easily believe you have been transported to a lush tropical jungle. The grounds and landscaping are fantastic, and the natural pools are inviting. The brick made cabins are cozy and the wooden villas are of native construction. But the highlight of our visit was Smiley who seemed to be in charge of everything from picking us up at the train station, to making sure we had enough drinking water in our room. The only downside to our stay was the intense heat wave that was gripping the entire region. We had booked one of the brick cabins with just a fan since we believed the Chiang Mai area to be substantially cooler than Bangkok. Unfortunately it was just as hot in Chiang Mai as anywhere else in the country and this made the room unbearable. We had to move up to one of the villas with A/C at a much higher rate. The small split unit A/C was just barely up to the task of cooling the huge room that was not designed with A/C in mind. Under normal weather conditions it would probably be more than sufficient. We met the owner of the lodge, a well traveled Thai lady, who was most entertaining and more than helpful in helping us arrange our transportation back to Bangkok. We would certainly go back to Vivacity Home!

The staff are very professional and go out of their way to help guests. Tim (the owner) is like a best friend that cooks you dinner every night. Her cooking is exceptional and are in the northern Thailand Chiang Mai style. The best 4 meals I have had in Thailand were cooked over 4 nights at Romyen. Seriously fabulous! So grateful for that food and the Romyen experience! If you want solitude and an escape from busy Chiang Mai (or busy anywhere) ... this is the place! The bungalows are set in a lovely garden and its good for solo travelers, groups and families. There is a large pool about 15 minutes walk away. You can check around for photos of the property and accomoodation. The property has a couple of bungalows throughout a garden. It offers solitude and peace! There is a pyramid for meditation. Apparently, one of the regular annual guests spent 3 weeks building it on one of his annual trips. It is made of wood, but he now wishes he made it from an aluminium frame which delivers the same effect. The pyramid is amazing! Getting there is difficult and expensive by taxi. Getting there and being confident of getting there is the primary problem. However, the expense of getting there is easily solved by getting a yellow songthaew (yellow 'mini-bus') from Warrot Market for 20 baht from Chiang Mai 9 (about 20 minute trip) and Romyen is 500m walk from the highway where they drop you off. Be brave! Google Maps can also show you where it is and guide you there! It's a 30 minute trip to get there. Google Maps is your friend on this one. The owner is about to provide some detailed "How to get there?" which includes Warowot Market maps, and a map showing where you can be dropped off and where to walk? That should reduce the risk. Will defintely be back again. The food and sense of family are priceless. The hut where the people gather can be a great social experience. I met some amazing people and had some very interesting conversations.

Hospitality at this resort is truly beyond what you can imagine. We stayed here for 3 nights and I could say this had been the best weekend getaway ever. The location was away from city center which was perfect for us to escape from the city life. The place is small yet well maintained with a lot of green and everything you need. The owner's sister & her friends/family (owner is away for holiday) treated us like family and made our experience there unique and personal yet with great privacy. They drove us to local BBQ place in heavy rain, cooked us breakfast/dinner, sent us to Thai massage and picked us up right after, and strategically took another route so we could see the sunset at the dam on the way back. Our return flight was early at 6am and they sent us to the airport at 4am with breakfast packed! I certainly would recommend this place to my friends and revisit. I hope this place will never get commercial! The owner also helped us book a cooking class by a lovely Thai lady, who brought us to the local market for ingredients and taught us the most delicious Thai classic recipes, another unforgettable experience.

This isn't about bad services, but merely comparing what else you get from other accommodations for the same amount of money. Location not convenient, given you are choosing this place for the a villa/lodge type of experience. Maybe the pictures and other reviews gave me too high of an expectations, because it did not live up to the hype and disappointment may be an understatement. Nothing really stands out, don't really expect services because it is pretty much here is your keys for the house, enjoy. Breakfast is not cooked in the morning as some reviewers stated previously. They are bought from outside and you can only choose one or the other of what you want to eat. I.e. if you want noodles then everyone in your group is having noodles. There is also two rooms without bathrooms so you have to go outside to another room with washroom. So ultimately, there isn't major drawbacks, but merely not meeting my expectation for the pricetag.

My girlfriend and I had showed up really late here for our first night, but we wouldn't have even made it if it wasn't for them coming to find us in their van! We were welcomed into our room quickly after getting to this perfectly secluded place (about 25-30 min from the square/Tapae Gate. You can see in the pictures are that there are some very nice rooms they are renting out. What you don't know is that- they are inspired to create a community here that you can trust, share with, be open with, etc! For those who are looking for an immersive experience (similar to a hostel or other warm types of communities like work trades) THIS is the spot to be! It was unfortunate that I could only stay here for a few hours each day and night because the couple that runs this are very sweet with high aspirations to connect with others. Only one of them is fluent in English, but they both have mandarin down I believe and sh also has Thai down (I think. Lovely lovely space, great dogs to play with, computer available to research some things, wifi, clean rooms, use of kitchen and refrigerator. I didnt hop into the pool because it was being cleaned out completely but, they say there is another wry close by which I believe you can walk to. I'll likely be back here. I can't wait to see the community here grow, all of the travelers and some longer term people in Thailand that want to be around fun and interesting people! I'm sure this place will be a big success! Thank you guys very much! I hope to stop by again soon!