I really like this place, why the bad reviews???”

First up I don't get why the Top North is rated on places like Agoda lowly. I don't get it. OK, so it's a little bit on the high side on the cheap side of Chiang Mai. But here's only what I can guess reading the reviews: people do the Top North expecting a resort style deal and are naturally disappointed. This is Chiang Mail Thailand, you're paying $19-$23 dollars (US and AUD) a night and yet you expect a $100 a night service??? The reality is that the Top North will never be 5 stars, 4 stars, 3 starts although we're getting close. You are given a separate shower, balcony, decent TV channel spread, comfortable bed... they are things that are not always offered in Thailand. There's a pool you can swim in with bar near by.. it's nice. Is the place perfect: no, but is any place?? The roof in my bathroom needed work, and the fact I had to take my luaggage up two flights sucked.... But that's it. Again, it's not an amazing resort (really rare at this price range), but for the money it's great value. When I next head back to Chiang Mai I'll book there month on month (note they have a good rate for that.)

Great hotel in a great city”

during my first visit to thailand and chiang mai, i found top north to be a great value for the money. it was recommended by a friend who has lived in chiang mai for a number of years. the room had a queen bed. a few (but not all) of the table surfaces did have ants, but that is probably less from lack of cleanliness than from the hot and humid weather. it is pretty quiet at night except for occasional noise from the nearby boxing stadium, but that usually ends by 11 or so. the staff are great and the location is quite good. there is a nice hotel bar by the pool with cheap drinks. the pool is medium-sized and good for a dip in the hot weather. the breakfast is baht if you don't get a room with breakfast included and is a good value. i went for it several days and it was a nice way to get filled up before a full day out. the tour company in the lobby is very friendly and offers tours at a reasonable price. i decided to do two and both were excellent.

Getting Better All The Time”

This is about the 8th time we have stayed at Top North, why? Because it is inexpensive, central to everything, clean and generally quiet. The staff are friendly and helpful and the breakfast whilst not lavish is suitable and sufficient for the general traveller. One not of caution, this time we were allocated room 407, which was roomy, clean and comfortable and provided a quiet nights rest. However for the infirm or elderly the shower/bath may be an issue as it stands approximately 70 cm - 2'4" inches high making access difficult for the elderly or anyone with hip or back problems. Our friend was allocated room 400, which had a lower shower/bath access. The owners have over the years slowly improved all the facilities in the hotel and it is now (for me) one of the best 'value for money', location wise hotels in Chiang Mai, with its large pool, pool bar and in-house massage facilities.

Nice Hotel in Great Location”

Chiang Mai was the highlight of our trip around Thailand. Top North is located within the old city walls right next to where the Sunday market is. Its also a short walk or cheap TukTuk ride to the Night Bazaar. The hotel staff are willing to help with arranging tours and taxis and were always smiling. Great hotel in a great city, am hoping to go back soon.

I love Top North Hotel”

really a double review because i checked out/in. top north is a great location, make sure you don't rent a motorcycle from the closest guy, they give bike with expired plates, it is your responsibility, you can walk across the moat or on a sidestreet (pop close to anodard hotel is very good) and save a lot of pain...not to mention 30 or so baht/day. some are and others day all have same bike selection depends on what you find where. top north great location, has pool, room is large if old rooms, and real wood furniture.

Good Budget Hotel”

My boyfriend and I stayed at this hotel for a weekend in Chiang Mai and enjoyed it. The location was perfect for us as it was close to many restaurants and the Sunday Night Walking Street. The room was an average hotel room in Asia, decently sized with a large bathroom and storage. The facilities were mostly clean although some areas looked like they could use a little more of a scrub. The pool is very old and the lining is cracked and bubbling if that is a thing that bothers you, for us it wasn't an issue. I would not recommend buying the room package with breakfast as to me it wasn't worth it. You could get a much better breakfast from a nearby restaurant for almost the same price. The hotel staff was very helpful though, we checked in at midnight and they kept our bag for us the day we left so we could go out and do some activities. Overall if you are looking for a budget hotel in the city I would recommend this place.

Great location”

We stay at Top north many time. The location is perfect. It s in the heart of the old city. We stay at superior room on the 4th or sometime 5th floor. It has an amazing view of chiangmai from our room. We can see Doi Suthep and beautiful sunset from our room! Sunday night market just 2 mins walk from the hotel. There are so many restaurants, money exchange,shop,massage place almost everything's near by. You come out of the hotel and The famous Tha Prae Gate is just right in front . And the pool area is very useful and peaceful to chill out , cool off the heat in summer and relax after an excursion. Great value for your money.

Affordable hotel in the heart of the tourist area”

top north hotel sits right across from the thai pae gate in chiang mai. if you stay there, make sure your stay includes a sunday night, as the sunday night bazaar is right outside your door here. there are a number of room options available, with the standard rooms being in an older building and the nicer rooms in a newer building, but all enjoy the pool and the legendary thai friendliness. you can find cheaper hostels/backpackers' residences, but for a hotel, this is an excellent value for the money.

Lovely Hotel Great location, Food not so good”

Our stay at Top North Hotel was very pleasant, although short. The Hotel was easy to find in a city that can be quite difficult to get orientated in due to being flat and having a majore one way system. The location was excelent, very close to Walking st. Market and many good eating places. Songkran Water Festival was on at the time witch sometimes made driving back to the Hotel very slow, but also very interesting,having never experienced a water fight quite like that before.If you are there at this time of year be prepaired to Get Wet!! It's great fun for young and old.

Perfect Location”

First timers to Chiangmai we quickly realised we had chosen the right place. Top North Hotel is premier location just inside the wall next to the moat. The bed was very comfortable, always a priority for me personally. Both my husband and I were impressed with the overall experience. We were in the new building on the fourth floor. The room was well equipped and immaculate. Smiles all round from friendly staff impressed us. Breakfast was ample and located poolside. As it was the flower festival we were treated to free entertainment just outside near the wall with traditional dancing and orchestra. Little markets outside offered a range of products to tempt our wallets. Overall a worthy choice, would certainly love to return again one day soon.

Very large but decent hotel, great location”

This hotel was much larger than I thought it would be...much larger than the kinds of places I usually stay in. It seemed fairly well-run, though (with a caveat, see below). Didn't use the pool, but it seemed decent enough, and you can sit at the poolside bar and have drinks in the evening (that's also where they serve breakfast, which we didn't try). The location of Top North is great, just inside the Ta Phae gate of the old walled city of Chiang Mai, a perfect place to take off on walking tours of the temples of the old city, as well as heading the other direction to the famous night market (which was all but deserted on our visit). One somewhat bad experience we had here was arranging for hotel transport to the airport at the end of our stay; even though we booked transport the day before, the staff was very disorganized the day we were leaving and seemed to have forgotten to arrange our transport! After some complaining on our part (we speak Thai and the local Lanna language), they hastily arranged for a staff member to drive us to the airport, which thankfully is not far away.

Location does not get any better. ”

Out of the entrance, turn left for about 50 meters and you can step through Tha Phae Gate. Walk straight through, walk another direction and there is the old city, with a lot of beautiful temples. Less than 10 kilometers from Chiang Mai Zoo, where you easily can use a day. And, because the road is a mountain road, about 20 kilometers to reach one of Thailands greatest viewpoints at Doi Suthep temple. The hotel has an OK restaurant, breakfast (included in the price) is not really anything to write about, but then there are great small restaurants all around the hotel. The hotel has a large swimming pool, great fun for our daughter. We will keep coming back, when we plan for Chiang Mai.

lovely hotel and great location :-)”

We liked to stay in Top North Hotel, we were pleased with our room and open areas, other guests seamed to be nice and quiet people. As we have different people in our travelling company, hotel suits for all of us - nice pool, location nearby to the old city, wifi in our room, travel agency services...

Hotel and Lovely Town”

This was an excellent hotel for the price, we were on a budget but really wanted a pool, at $16 a night (late July) we couldn't go wrong. The hotel rooms were large and clean. The hotel itself is well worn but still running strong. It's a quick walk (10 min) to the Night Bazaar, adjacent to lots of restaurants, and the on site spa although we didn't use was a very good price. It's a great hotel for couples and families. The only area for improvement would be for the staff at the check in desk, they seemed a curt when we asked to store our bags for a few hours they just wanted us to store them in the front lobby with no tags or security and they didn't even notice that we came back and grabbed them, however this was a very minor detail and would still recommend this hotel to everyone visiting Chiang Mai.

standard hotel but great service”

Top North is located in the old city of Chiang Mai so it is a great location for sightseeing. The standard room is basic but it has everything you need (shower with hot water, air conditioning, fridge). The hotel also has a swimming pool and a travel agent located in the lobby who can advise you about activities in the area.

Ideal Location, great hotel!”

Booked a standard double and the room was fine, nothing special but clean and functional. The facilities actually looked nicer than the photos showed and the staff were great, very friendly and helpful when we were booking tours and rentals. Location is ideal, it is in the best area of the city on a main road but is set far enough back from the street that you cant hear the traffic. There is a muay-tai boxing stadium nearby that can make some noise but it does not go very late. Tons of services to book day-trips, rent moterbikes, get massages, and even do laundry in the hotel. Overall a great stay and we loved Chiang Mai.

I keep coming back”

As per my last review I keep coming back here for a reason. For the price it's great value for money, but if you come here expecting a luxury resort style hotel you're not going to like it. Having stayed at around 9 different places in Chiang Mai, all at the budget end, the Top North remains my favourite.

Great, cheap hotel”

My cousin and I travelled to chiang Mai together (both female) and we had a thoroughly good stay at Top North Hotel. The hotel is in walking distance to night bazaar, walking street markets (on weekends), restaurants, massage spas etc. the staff working in the tour booking area of the reception were very helpful. The pool and poolside bar were great. I had the best massage I've had in Thailand at the massage/beauty spa located within the hotel. The rooms were clean and secure and if there were any problems the staff were quick to resolve them. I would definitely recommend this hotel to friends, it is very fairly priced.

Good hotel, good price, centrally located”

We spent one week at the Top North. We had a standard room which is large and had all the commodities we needed, but is a little old. In the new section, the rooms are much better, but more expensive. They have a large swimming pool with many chairs around. The international breakfast buffet is good. It is right in the center of Chiang Mai, close to the Tapae Gate where there are often cultural activities. It is close to the Sunday market and many restaurants. We have been many times at this hotel and have always been satisfied.

Under rated”

I've never understood the negative reviews for the Top North, having stayed here several times. If you're visiting thinking it's a luxury resort you are going to be disappointed. If you accept that you're paying a cheap rate for a place that has a pool, nice bar, and decent rooms you'll be fine. Are there things you can pick at: sure, the roof in the bathroom I was staying in last time had some mold. But the room itself was decent sized, TV, reasonable internet, and a great location with facilities that lets face it: you can't get anywhere else in Chiang Mai for anywhere close to the price. If you're looking for somewhere to stay with a few luxury extras at a low price, I'm happy to recommend it, but don't expect the earth from it and don't judge it by typical Western standards; it's brilliant value for what you pay for it.