Thannatee Boutique Hotel, an excellent port in the storm!

Not that Chiang Mai is a storm, but got your attention! While we were experiencing the culture of Chiang Mai, we stayed at a lovely hotel called the Thannatee Boutique Hotel. Located at Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100 just outside the SE corner of the old city, the location was perfect for what Laura and I wanted to do, which was everything!

Our fantastic experience started with the pickup at the airport. To put it in context, in order to get from Koh Lanta to Krabi, Laura and I were stuffed into the very back of a 1970's minivan with no air conditioning for the 3 hour trip, with luggage around us and two, thankfully tiny, French travellers beside us. Compared to that, the minibus that picked us up at the airport was a dream! Nice and chilly, the inside was all appointed leather, power reclining seats, faux wood accents reminiscent of a modern limousine, and most importantly, LEG ROOM. Craig was so excited he tipped the driver 100 baht, even though it was a free shuttle!

The airport is only 5 km away from the main hub of Chiang Mai (aka old town). We could have technically walked to the hotel, but the pick up was a lovely perk. The hotel style is described as "Lanna style-fusion", made up of dark stained woods, ornate mosaic glass accents, with beautifully sculptured concrete which provided the illusion of a treehouse surrounded by waterfalls in a mountain setting. We were checked in by a lovely Thai lady in traditional dress, with a welcome drink and cool, fragrant towel to refresh us after our long journey. We were pleasantly surprised that we scored the only room with a pool view, sweet! The room size is what you expected, nothing too large like our Krabi experience, but larger than the Singapore room at Hotel 1929.

The free breakfast was excellent. Primarily buffet, you could order from a menu a selection of egg and meat dishes, as well as having hot items, including chinese breakfast or cold items, including lots of fresh fruit. A nice feature of being in a smaller hotel, is that the room is made up by the time we get back from breakfast....kind of reminds us of being on a cruise....

The Good

1. Excellent Location, walking distance to almost everything we wanted.

2. Price was reasonable at $65 CAD per night and included breakfast that filled us up for the day.

3. The vibe from the hotel is cozy - exactly as you would expect from a boutique hotel.

4. Staff was friendly and helpful, providing bug lotion, Tylenol, and bottled water as we needed throughout our stay.

5. Room was in good condition with an excellent bed, bathroom, in-room safe, and AC.

6. The shower was a rain maker! First decent shower since we got to Asia.

7. Good free Wifi throughout the whole hotel, and decent library/computer access area.

8. Beautiful koi fish in the man made river running through to hotel.

9. Room amenities like the shower soap and shampoo smelt AMAZING. The Thai are very clean, and they really know how to make awesome beauty care products.

10. Met some excellent friends there (Hey Flo and Jasmine) from Germany which we hope to visit when we motor through their region.

The Bad

1. The pool was hazy as the pool cleaning filters were not working properly. The pool only cleared up on our last day.

2. The cost of alcohol and food at the hotel was too high, "forcing" us to eat at local restaurants all the time. OK, admittedly, we do love our cheap street food eats in Thailand, so "too high" is relative. A bowl of curry in the hotel is 150 baht (or $6 CDN) vs. 50-60 ($2 - $2.50 CDN) baht in the street. I know in Canada we pay a lot more for the same dish, so the 150 baht option still is like a steal of a deal, but when you know you can get it a few steps out your door for 1/3 the price, it really is worth the while to go for a walk.

3. Because of the water feature and koi pond, there were more mosquitos around than we liked.

4. Doors started to bang at around 7 AM. We weren't sure if this was the cleaning staff banging around, or other guests slamming their doors. Either way, sound carried far and wide there.

The Ugly

Nothing that comes to mind, and all in all we would go back again; it was an excellent experience!