Hotel

[alan]

hi, i,m new to this board so be gentle
i return to los 25 september and will be staying for a month, i,m thinking about having a week in chiang mai and have been looking for accomodation.
The three that stick out to me are Raming lodge ( looks great,good location ) but will it be suitable for me with my TGF. Centara Dongtuwan ( again looks ok but seems to get a lot of bad feedback about the condition of the rooms ) and the Amora tapae.
Any feedback about these three or any other would be much appreciated.
Alan

[G4orce]

I have stayed at Raming Lodge and when I eventually get back to CM will stay there again at the drop of a hat. It was a great room, good service, good price and the breakfast there was also great. I stayed in a deluxe room and my GF and I were very impressed. Have a look at this Thread, it has some pics and a little more of a review ---> Raming Lodge

[alan]

from what i have seen on agoda Raming lodge is about 1,500bt__centara about 1,200bt and amora tapae 1,000bt.
ok, raming looks the better of the three but was wondering if it is 500bt better. decisions decisions.

[Quarky]

I really liked Raming Lodge when I stayed there last year. But I haven't stayed at the other hotels you mention.

[Rivo]

I really liked Raming Lodge when I stayed there last year. But I haven't stayed at the other hotels you mention.

Same goes for me, I stayed at the Raming in January this year and it was great, very Girl Friendly and close to everything, the pool is across the road at the rear of the building if you need a pool.

Do the other Hotels prices you mention include Breakfast Alan ?

The Raming has a great Breakfast included in the price.

I am staying again next month in a Superior Room with King Bed(There huge) and its 1530Baht per night.

[Minder]

from what i have seen on agoda Raming lodge is about 1,500bt__centara about 1,200bt and amora tapae 1,000bt.
ok, raming looks the better of the three but was wondering if it is 500bt better. decisions decisions.

[SIZE="3"]You'd risk ending up in a lousy hotel over a miserable 6 to 10 quid difference !!!???!!!![/SIZE]

WTTB Alan.....you are among kindred spirits here......5555

Enjoy

[1080]

WTTB Alan, I have stayed at Raming twice now and will stay there next time I'm in CM, top location and allround good hotel.
Have a look at sawadee.com for a very good rate, 1250 THB per night with breakfast and pick up from airport this is for a superior room inc of tax and charges

[Rivo]

WTTB Alan, I have stayed at Raming twice now and will stay there next time I'm in CM, top location and allround good hotel.
Have a look at sawadee.com for a very good rate, 1250 THB per night with breakfast and pick up from airport this is for a superior room inc of tax and charges

Thats a good price !!!!

I am actually in a Deluxe, not Superior, only difference I can see is you get the Internet and a daily fruit basket for the extra 250 Baht.

[alan]

Thanks for the replies, Raming lodge it is.

[alan]

[QUOTE=Minder;14157][SIZE="3"]You'd risk ending up in a lousy hotel over a miserable 6 to 10 quid difference !!!???!!!![/SIZE]

The more "miserable 10 quids" i can save the better.

[Jaffaman]

You better come and drink with me Alan,300M from the hotel, just a quiet request like.

[Rivo]

You better come and drink with me Alan,300M from the hotel, just a quiet request like.

Down at the 69 Bar & Tourist Information Centre ? 555555

[G4orce]

You better come and drink with me Alan,300M from the hotel, just a quiet request like.

69 Bar is a must visit in Chiang Mai, Just people and good drinks. Watch your head when going to the toilet....5555

[kaptainrob]

Amora is well located but the staff have a real bad attitude toward all guests ... Mercure was excellent, also cheaper via their 850 baht online special. Their nightly free shuttle goes past 69 bar on way to the Night Bazaar. Centara is close to NB but I have not stayed there.

Thapae Gate & Old City area is more interesting by day.

Raming Lodge looked nice although I've only viewed the public areas, but was more expensive.

[jontymate]

Just a thought. When ever I go out of High season i never book. I just go. You would be surprised at the difference in price for stand by rates especially if you send Thai Girl in with cash and no white face hanging off her arm.

I have only ever been caught out once in staying at something a little sub-standard. But it only really added to the adventure in the end.

[alan]

You better come and drink with me Alan,300M from the hotel, just a quiet request like.

Sure will, your place being 300M from the hotel was what i meant by good location

[alan]

Amora is well located but the staff have a real bad attitude toward all guests ... Mercure was excellent, also cheaper via their 850 baht online special. Their nightly free shuttle goes past 69 bar on way to the Night Bazaar. Centara is close to NB but I have not stayed there.

Thapae Gate & Old City area is more interesting by day.

Raming Lodge looked nice although I've only viewed the public areas, but was more expensive.

thanks for info Rob,

[Bob Kelso]

Hi Alan. I stayed at Centara Duangtawan in a superior-room about 1 month ago. All in all a good hotel. Great location, exellent breakie, room okay BUT if you intend to spend time relaxing by the pool, you should know that Centara has some guests from the Middle-east (Kuwait, Qatar etc.) and they are certainly not the quiet type. There´s always 2-3 staff at the pool-area to tell these guests how they have to behave.

Remember to visit Doi Suthep and Tiger Kingdom.

If you decide for Centara, there´s a great restaurant about 5 min walk called Gecko Garden, cheap and topfood !

[vanguy77]

Hi Alan, & WTTB!! I just returned from spending aprox 2 weeks in Chiang Mai, and during that time I stayed at 3 different hotels.

Raming Lodge was the first, and it was great ... awesome location, bars in both directions out the front door, free pickup at the airport or train station, very nice rooms, friendly staff and beautiful surroundings. If you want a massage, you have only to cross the street to have a choice of half a dozen very good establishments (I know, I tried most of them! 555), and as Jaffaman said, its only a short 10 minute walk to the entertainment district, where there is a plethora of bars, Muay Thai Boxing three nights a week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday I believe, but might be a bit off on that). Not an overstocked fridge, but everything in it was free, and I was encouraged to drink all the pop, water, fresh glass of juice, etc, as it is replaced fresh every day. You can stay further away from the center of things, but then, unless you like to walk, you may end up springing for a tuk tuk back and forth to the hotel, which can make up for the difference in the price. I'd not hesitate to book there again.

I stayed at the Lotus PSK (Pang Suan Kaew) on the west side of the city. The room was very nice, but I'd not necessarily recommend it. Its a long way from anywhere, and requires a tuk-tuk at night especially. Very good breakfast buffet tho.

Lastly, I tried the Sakorn Residence, a smaller hotel on the east side of the Ping River, and only minutes from the footbridge that takes you right to the top of the night bazaar area at night, and into the heart of the market district in the daytime. A really nice, smaller hotel, with very friendly staff, ultra-clean rooms, a small balcony to call your own, and a bit further from the maddening crowds. It is also a 5 minute walk to some of the best dining in Chiang Mai, as it is close to the Riverside, Good View and 5 minutes further on, The Duke's Steak House. These eateries would require a tuk-tuk if you were staying at the Raming, as it would be quite a hike to get to them. Good breakfast where you make a choice from 5 set options and a beautiful pool right in front of the hotel. Water was warm when I was there. Downside is that there is no free airport pickup/dropoff offered. Very quiet.

If I were to come back to Chiang Mai in the near future, it would be a close run thing between Raming and Sakorn, with I think Raming winning out largely based on its really great location.

[alan]

wow, this site is great,
nothing beats first hand experience ( cheers vanguy77 ).
Raming allways seems to get good feedback but i am going with my TGF and get the feeling its a bit of a mongerers place ( nothing wrong with that as i used to participate a little myself in the past )