Need recommendation for Chiang Mai Hotel

[homeseeker]

I am plannng a one week stay in Chiang Mai from next week, starting about 8th December. Can anyone recommend a centrally located secure gay friendly hotel. Want a nice room: in-room safe and usual facilities etc. Budget is open but not over priced.
Any suggestions?
Many thanks in advance.

I'd recommend Viangbua Mansion: http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/room_rate.htm

Reasonable, very clean, friendly staff used to gay tourists bringing back tricks.

Close to Spirit House for good dinners. Same soi as Adam's Apple & Garden Bar. Reasonably close to Free Guy, New My Way, Circle Pub & Gemini Massage. Not a very long ride to other venues as well.

[BonTong]

This article from a few weeks ago covers the main gay hotel options in Chiang Mai Sun-rising for High Season? (http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/2011/sun-rising-for-high-season/)

Masuri's suggestion of Viangbua Mansion is good if you want to be in the gay area, or there is the more homely but more expensive Gay Lotus Hotel just down the Soi. Another gay area option is The Mecure.

Be aware hotels in CM are quite full now with the start of high season and many Bangkokonians here to escape the floods. I Heard the Lotus Hotel was almost full this week so book soon!

Problem in making recommendations is it depends what area you want to stay. Gay area is in Chang Phuek; not in the tourist part of town which is centered around Thapae Gate. Plenty of cheap guest house and luxury five star hotels and resorts around Thapae so stay there if you want to be near tourist things and get a tuk tuk to the bars in the evenings.

[newalaan]

Can anyone recommend a centrally located secure gay friendly hotel. Want a nice roomProblem is the request for a centrally located hotel. If you stay in the area where there are a few gay venues you will not be 'central' to the rest of the place such as to the centre of Chiang Mai for the night market and the gay beerbars near there. You have to accept to get anywhere in Chiang Mai you will need to use tuk-tuks all the time, and given that's the case then i think its best to choose a good hotel/guesthouse first, since staying for a week a nice place is important and worry about getting around when you settle on that.

My recommendation would be PJ's Place. It's as close to some of the gay venues as anywhere else but the main thing is that it's a great place to stay. A guesthouse with 4 self-contained rooms with own door to outside garden and one larger two-level unit. For a guesthouse the quality of the room is impressive, lovely wooden furniture, crisp white bedding and towels, nice outlook into lush peaceful garden from all rooms. Everything in the room is in excellent condition, the upkeep and maintenance is first rate, good shower etc.. Nice breakfast cooked to order. Owners Peter(English) and Jiab (Thai) on hand if required with tons of great info on the area. Jiab has a side business of tourist guide if you want to see around the area, but they are not overbearing and leave you to yourself if that's what you prefer.

For years the rooms were Bt1500 but i note from the website (pjs-place.com) the high season price is now Bt1650 per night, I personally still find that well worth the price for the quality and ambiance there. I booked with them just last week for a short visit at the start of the year. Check out the website, the pictures there are true and accurate to the real thing. The complex is self contained and therefore very secure, a bit of a tranquil oasis in the middle of Chiang Mai. Soho bar a very short distance and there is a good mall within easy walking distance at the end of the main road where PJ's is just off. Also that same road has eateries, bars and fairly busy with tuk-tuk's so picking up transport is easy.

[colmx]

I'd recommend Viangbua Mansion: http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/room_rate.htm

Thats the second recommendation that i have had this week for Viangbua Mansion... so i think it is where we will stay on my Our CM trip...

PJs place sound great... but its double the price of Viangbua...

And whilst i don't mind playing the "farang price" for things in Thailand... i really object to paying the "gay premium" on a gay establishment....

[newalaan]

PJs place sound great... but its double the price of Viangbua... And whilst i don't mind playing the "farang price" for things in Thailand... i really object to paying the "gay premium" on a gay establishment....Sorry but I think you are mistaken on this occassion about any 'gay premium' Colmx, I would say there is NO extra cost for being gay or gay friendly, it's 'comfort premium' if you like, what you are paying for is a real quality place with superb ambiance and easy, relaxing, more personal environment. Sure it is a gay couple who run it,but they are just down-to-earth nice guys offering a personal and very high standard of accomodation for a reasonable rate, but there is nothing 'particularly' gay about it. Certainly they do market it to a potential gay custom base but it is really gay neutral. There is gay literature available but also alot of other literature, while it's definitely a bonus not having obvious straights there, it wouldn't bother me that much because the lay-out of the place allows you to go about your day without having to mix, meet or engage with other guests if you don't really want to. In fact apart from saying they are 'gay friendly' once on the website there are no other references to gay anything.

The fact that they were mentioned in gay forums, advertised in gay media was probably what attracted me in the first place but once I found it I returned because of the quality of everything there, from the rooms to the care taken to make you feel comfortable and not for any associated 'gayness'. It's a smaller, more personal place than a hotel, very laid back and in a lovely setting.

I dont know, i suppose also its down to the fact that Chaing Mai is such a long way to go, especially as we drive there and it costs to get there, so I like to have as an enjoyable environment and something a bit more personal in nice surroundings as I can for reasonable cost. When you get up in the morning, open the curtains look out of the lovely bay windows onto a lush lovely garden area, stroll to the breakfast room or get a table set up outside, have the breakfast freshly cooked perfectly to order with the trickle of the fountain stream and the birds in the background, it just makes things a little more special. Often there are no other guests around depending on the time you go for breakfast as there are only 3 other rooms and the double level house, and the personal attention and unhurried attitude is a bonus, especially as i'm on holiday.

At the price I still regard it as value for money as it certainly adds to the overall enjoyment of my visit.

[Khor tose]

My recommendation would be PJ's Place.

I second this recommendation. The quality of service, and the ambiance more then make this a bargain place to stay. The hosts are the best, and they have a tremendous first hand knowledge of the whole Chiang Mai area and the gay scene.

[BonTong]

Whilst I don't disagree that PJ's place is an extremely good place for gay visitors to stay and has a deservedly excellent reputation, it isn't the only place in Chiang Mai and that needs to be kept in perspective regarding other options and price ranges. I would say you do pay a premium price for staying there, not least because it only has a few rooms and is frequently fully booked. And if you're always full why charge less?

To benchmark accommodation in Chiang Mai I'd take the many Thai business hotels as a good starting point. A great example is the B2 chain (http://www.b2hotel.com) which have a new branch opened behind Soho guest house (B2 Green). For a clean modern room with basic facilities the going rate in these type places is 350-450 for a fan room and 500-600 for aircon. Work upwards from that as you add amenities and luxury. Compare this type of place with tourist guest houses downtown where you often get a dark damp hole for that price. Sometimes bargains are not what they seem.

Chiang Mai now has so much boutique, luxury and resort style accommodation it is worth spending time shopping around as there are bargains to be had. Here are a few suggestions for places friends like to stay (apart from the gay ones) at various budget levels:

Kantary Hills Hotel - Nimanhemin Road area
The Pub bungalows - Nimanhemin/Huay Kaew area
Manathai Village - Thapae area
Raming Lodge - Loi Kroh Road
Royal Princess - an old favourite at the Night Bazaar
Dome Residence - Huay Kaew Rd near PJs

Or for something extra special try: Ruen Come In (Huen Come Residence) (http://www.ruencomein.com/)


In fact apart from saying they are 'gay friendly' once on the website there are no other references to gay anything.
Guess you overlooked theirlinks page (http://www.pjs-place.com/map_contact_links.htm) :8(

[homeseeker]

May I say many thanks to each of your who have kindly replied to my question. I have taken the advice and am now in Viangbua.

The reason for the delay in my reply is that for about 1 week I could not access this web site not on my PC or from an internet cafe in bkk and only after trying a few internet cafes in CM I now can gain access.

DA Boss you really should investigate this problem!

Again I greatly appreciate u all taking the trouble to advise me.

[colmx]

Hi Homeseeker
How did you find the Viangbua?

I have just tried to reserve there for our trip next month... (Jan 5-8th) but they have advised that they only have twin rooms available (and i seek a double)

I know one ex-Pattaya boy that works in CM and he has recommended Imm hotel (which is unfortunately sold out) and M hotel.... oth located at Thapae gate area

Any of the CM experts have any thoughts on the M hotel?
He recommened there as its near mandalay!

Thanks in Advance!

[Neal]

there was a whole thread on SGF being blocked by what seems to be hotels and cafes that use TRUE. We are investigating and seeing what we can do so that they lift their ban but in the meantime you can easily find a place that does not use TRUE or by using a proxy server. someone last nite also mentioned to me that they go to Nickys Gay Pattaya and go the the LINKS page and click on Sawatdee Gay Forum and are easily sent to this forum.
Let me know from someone who previously needed to do some fancy legwork to get here if it works!

[Khor tose]

Hi Homeseeker
How did you find the Viangbua?

I have just tried to reserve there for our trip next month... (Jan 5-8th) but they have advised that they only have twin rooms available (and i seek a double)

I know one ex-Pattaya boy that works in CM and he has recommended Imm hotel (which is unfortunately sold out) and M hotel.... oth located at Thapae gate area

Any of the CM experts have any thoughts on the M hotel?
He recommened there as its near mandalay!

Thanks in Advance!

Yes, a short walk from Mandalay and a short ride from the bars at the Night Bazaar. This hotel was an old family run Chiang Mai establishment for years, and was sold and remodeled about two years ago. Michael from GayThailand stayed there and he seemed to like it.. The restaurant (The Brix) is okay, and I have been told by others that the hotel is gay friendly. However, it is sort of far from the Chang Puek gay, and huey Kaew gay area.

[homeseeker]

[quote="colmx"]Hi Homeseeker
How did you find the Viangbua?

To be honest with you I found the Viagbua acceptable/ok...... but only just. I did not like the location at all. Off a main road in a dirt track side street soi. Despite me being in a so called delux apartment(living room, kitchen area, and bedroom) what the web site does not say is that only the living room has a window. And that window is far too small and the amount of natural day light coming into the room is very limited. The bedroom has no natural daylight. Its en suite to the bathroom then a small door leading to a tiny balcony. So a guest needs to turn the electric lights on for any bedroom light.
I find the design of the apartment depressing and odd.Seems it was designed by Thais who have no idea about western standards or preferences. The Viagbua Mansion web site in my view fails to give an accurate impression of the place. The furnishings are old and have seen much better days.
The breakfast-included in the price- is a fried egg with processed meat a few slices of ham a hotdog, some fruit and toast etc thrown in.
Incredibly the restaurant shuts down in the afternoon at 3pm. There is no room service thereafter if at all. No mini bar in the room; 2 complimentary bottles of water are provided daily and the maid service is adequate, though I found a mummified insect on the worn bedroom carpet.
Every day I was out and about in Chiang Mai so I could not be bothered to change hotels but otherwise I would have changed hotels; M Hotel(used to be the Montri) is in a far better location and from what I can see of it, it is a proper professional hotel.

There is a slot key card system at the Viagbua used for guest rooms and the lift. I noticed a lot of people were having trouble using the system as it should of been touch screen rather than slot.
The place is, however, gay friendly.
If you have someone come to visit u at the hotel its necessary to go downstairs and bring them up to your room. Surrendering id cards etc is not needed as I get the impression that the staff at Viagbua want to do as little as possible and do not really want to engage with foreigners.
There is a small exercise room in the place; the laundry service took 3 days to return my clothes.
Verdict:
Not so bad that I could not stay there, but clearly somewhere I would not recommend, nor stay there again.
Please note:
I have experience of hotels around Asia and Viagbua is at the bottom of my list.
The above comments are my personal opinion so please respect them.

ps:

The only way I am able to get on this sawatdee gay web site is via the following link as I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum:


http://www.bloodpacket.com/

[colmx]

However, it is sort of far from the Chang Puek gay, and huey Kaew gay area.
Hi Khor Tose
Thanks for the update on Hotel M...

Can you quantify what you mean by "sort of far"?
As in does that mean its not walkable... or even a distance in a taxi or on Motorbike?

I kind of figure that we will do touristy stuff in the day, visit a few bars in the evening and probably mandalay and Tawan Daeng on alternate nights of the trip... So baring in mind that we are there for teh nightlife and not the culture :nud: i really haven't a clue where to stay!

[colmx]

Verdict:
Not so bad that I could not stay there, but clearly somewhere I would not recommend, nor stay there again.
Please note:
I have experience of hotels around Asia and Viagbua is at the bottom of my list.
The above comments are my personal opinion so please respect them.

Hi Homeseeker
Thanks for the report - much appreciated....
Luckily the room availability of Viangbua does not suit us at this time so we will be looking elsewhere!

[Khor tose]

However, it is sort of far from the Chang Puek gay, and huey Kaew gay area.
Hi Khor Tose
Thanks for the update on Hotel M...

Can you quantify what you mean by "sort of far"?
As in does that mean its not walkable... or even a distance in a taxi or on Motorbike?


Mandalay, walking street (Sundays Only), the night market, and the bars at D2 are all walkable or a short 5 minute ride in normal traffic. The bars at Chang Puek and Huey Kaew and places like Tawan Dang are a 15+ minutes away by redbus (20BHT) or tuk tuk (100BHT). Chiang Mai is not that big, but traffic moves in circles and it is the traffic patterns due to the Moat and that makes some places easier to get to then others. Please check you PM box.

[atri1666]

I'd recommend Viangbua Mansion: http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/room_rate.htm

Reasonable, very clean, friendly staff used to gay tourists bringing back tricks.

Close to Spirit House for good dinners. Same soi as Adam's Apple & Garden Bar. Reasonably close to Free Guy, New My Way, Circle Pub & Gemini Massage. Not a very long ride to other venues as well.

Same me. I like this place. Also good is the old Novotel(now Mercure).

Also liked my stay in Lotus Hotel Pang Suan Kaew near House of Male sauna.

[newyorkgeorge]

Hi Homeseeker
How did you find the Viangbua?

To be honest with you I found the Viagbua acceptable/ok...... but only just. I did not like the location at all. Off a main road in a dirt track side street soi. Despite me being in a so called delux apartment(living room, kitchen area, and bedroom) what the web site does not say is that only the living room has a window. And that window is far too small and the amount of natural day light coming into the room is very limited. The bedroom has no natural daylight. Its en suite to the bathroom then a small door leading to a tiny balcony. So a guest needs to turn the electric lights on for any bedroom light.
I find the design of the apartment depressing and odd.Seems it was designed by Thais who have no idea about western standards or preferences. The Viagbua Mansion web site in my view fails to give an accurate impression of the place. The furnishings are old and have seen much better days.
The breakfast-included in the price- is a fried egg with processed meat a few slices of ham a hotdog, some fruit and toast etc thrown in.
Incredibly the restaurant shuts down in the afternoon at 3pm. There is no room service thereafter if at all. No mini bar in the room; 2 complimentary bottles of water are provided daily and the maid service is adequate, though I found a mummified insect on the worn bedroom carpet.
Every day I was out and about in Chiang Mai so I could not be bothered to change hotels but otherwise I would have changed hotels; M Hotel(used to be the Montri) is in a far better location and from what I can see of it, it is a proper professional hotel.

There is a slot key card system at the Viagbua used for guest rooms and the lift. I noticed a lot of people were having trouble using the system as it should of been touch screen rather than slot.
The place is, however, gay friendly.
If you have someone come to visit u at the hotel its necessary to go downstairs and bring them up to your room. Surrendering id cards etc is not needed as I get the impression that the staff at Viagbua want to do as little as possible and do not really want to engage with foreigners.
There is a small exercise room in the place; the laundry service took 3 days to return my clothes.
Verdict:
Not so bad that I could not stay there, but clearly somewhere I would not recommend, nor stay there again.
Please note:
I have experience of hotels around Asia and Viagbua is at the bottom of my list.
The above comments are my personal opinion so please respect them.

ps:

The only way I am able to get on this sawatdee gay web site is via the following link as I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum:


http://www.bloodpacket.com/
Well, my dear, it's the old saying "you get what's you pay for"

[BonTong]

To be honest with you I found the Viagbua acceptable/ok...... but only just. I did not like the location at all. Off a main road in a dirt track side street soi. Despite me being in a so called delux apartment(living room, kitchen area, and bedroom) what the web site does not say is that only the living room has a window. And that window is far too small and the amount of natural day light coming into the room is very limited. The bedroom has no natural daylight. Its en suite to the bathroom then a small door leading to a tiny balcony. So a guest needs to turn the electric lights on for any bedroom light.
I find the design of the apartment depressing and odd.Seems it was designed by Thais who have no idea about western standards or preferences. The Viagbua Mansion web site in my view fails to give an accurate impression of the place. The furnishings are old and have seen much better days.
The breakfast-included in the price- is a fried egg with processed meat a few slices of ham a hotdog, some fruit and toast etc thrown in.
Incredibly the restaurant shuts down in the afternoon at 3pm. There is no room service thereafter if at all. No mini bar in the room; 2 complimentary bottles of water are provided daily and the maid service is adequate, though I found a mummified insect on the worn bedroom carpet.
Every day I was out and about in Chiang Mai so I could not be bothered to change hotels but otherwise I would have changed hotels; M Hotel(used to be the Montri) is in a far better location and from what I can see of it, it is a proper professional hotel.

There is a slot key card system at the Viagbua used for guest rooms and the lift. I noticed a lot of people were having trouble using the system as it should of been touch screen rather than slot.
The place is, however, gay friendly.
If you have someone come to visit u at the hotel its necessary to go downstairs and bring them up to your room. Surrendering id cards etc is not needed as I get the impression that the staff at Viagbua want to do as little as possible and do not really want to engage with foreigners.
There is a small exercise room in the place; the laundry service took 3 days to return my clothes.
Verdict:
Not so bad that I could not stay there, but clearly somewhere I would not recommend, nor stay there again.
Please note:
I have experience of hotels around Asia and Viagbua is at the bottom of my list.
The above comments are my personal opinion so please respect them.

Whilst I don't doubt the accuracy of your observations about Viangbua which seem fair and reasonable, I suggest the context is misleading. You refer to it throughout as a "Hotel". Viangbua Mansion is not a "Hotel" but a "Serviced Apartment"; it does not pretend to be otherwise and is priced accordingly (though IMHO is expensive compared with other local competitors). It's therefore unreasonable to expect amenities such as Mini bars, 24/7 room service, concierge, laundry etc. It is what it is.

It's owned by a wealthy Thai Chinese family and, I get the impression, was designed aiming at Asian rather than European visitors, in particularly the Japanese. This explains the architectural and furniture choices. The website is unchanged since they opened, about 2005 IIRC, and back then the pictures were representative of the place, though would imagine the passage of time has not been kind to the furnishings. However, their website does include floor plans of all the rooms e.g. http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/deluxe_room1.htm so your complaints about it are a little unfair.

The location is what it is too, great for all the go-go bars (Adam's Apple and the Garden bar are 150M down the Soi) and Thai style nightlife, coffee shops, local restaurants etc. But, it sure ain't the pseudo Thailand tourist area around Thapae Gate. If you want somewhere gay friendly close to the Go-go bars, at 900 Bt per night the basic rooms are still good value, and I wouldn't want others who read this to discount them on the basis of your review. Though, if you were paying the nightly rate for a deluxe room you'd have been better off going to the Lotus down the Road which has some real nice suites.

[homeseeker]

Well Bon Tong your entitled to your opinion about Viangbua as I am to mine. That said I do not believe that what I say about the place is misleading or unfair in any way.
In my view serviced apartment can come within the definition of a "hotel" and in any event many of the on bookers refer to the place as a hotel.
You assert that the place:
"was designed aiming at Asian rather than European visitors, in particularly the Japanese"
-Such an assertion if correct explains why there is a distinct lack of natural daylight coming into the apartment and also explains the odd room shape and furniture in the room(s).
I wonder how many potential or actual guests going to the Viangbua would change their minds about going to the place if they knew it was not designed for European tastes?!
Also:
I never said I wanted 24/7 room service: seems to me there is no room service per se and quite frankly it was a shock to discover the restaurant shuts down every day at 3pm.
I am sure people reading these reviews will make up their own minds but I believe the Viagbua web site gives a false impression of the place and I repeat I have no intention of staying there next time I am in Chiang Mai.

Have a nice day.

Viangbua Mansion on tripadvisor.com enjoys a "4 out of 5" rating based on 29 reviews (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review ... g_Mai.html (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293917-d579910-Reviews-Viangbua_Mansion-Chiang_Mai.html)). The most recent review is a "2 out of 5" rating where the reviewer wrote "dirt road side street" (please compare to the OP's 12/20 posting of "a dirt track side street soi"). Dirt? What dirt? There is pavement directly in front of Viangbua Mansion and for the block and a half East to a main road (Chotana). While the latest review on tripadvisor.com has a headline of "Not Recommended" more reviewers wrote headlines such as "Wonderful" or "Good value" or "Loved it!"

The OP's experiences at Viangbua Mansion seem to be worse than other reviewers on tripadvisor.com. While I hope the OP has better things to do with his time than to be contrary without reason, I also find the following points "suspect" in the OP's various post-trip replies:

- "only the living room has a window" -- False. The dining room has a large sliding window (see http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.co ... _room1.htm (http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/deluxe_room1.htm)) which lets in a lot of light and the bathroom has a window over the bathtub as well as some light through a curtained door to the balcony.

- "no room service thereafter if at all" -- False. I've had room service at Viangbua Mansion on multiple stays. With so many great restaurants in town, I don't think the family would make any money hiring a second shift for dinner. In addition to room service from the restaurant, I've had drinks delivered many times from the coffee bar. Front desk staff has also delivered bottled water & other items from the coffee bar (after the regular worker there has put in a full day). Perhaps the OP didn't get the best treatment based on attitude or personality.

- "No mini bar in the room" -- False. I've had minibar service at Viangbua Mansion. Housekeeping would be glad to stock the refrigerator upon request. Guests in the deluxe rooms tend to be long-term and do their own shopping for beverages & snacks.

- "maid service is adequate" -- Quite false. Housekeeping is very good at Viangbua.

- "a lot of people were having trouble using" elevator key card -- It couldn't be an easier system! You insert you room key card and your floor number automatically lights up on the elevator control panel. That is, you do not even have to push the floor button! The elevator then goes up and when the door opens on your floor, you do have to walk out of the elevator... :glasses7:

- "get the impression that the staff at Viagbua want to do as little as possible and do not really want to engage with foreigners" -- Again, quite false. The staff is so friendly and very talkative to guests. I suspect this complaint may have more to do with the OP's personality than with the staff.

- "the laundry service took 3 days to return my clothes" -- Was same day service requested or next day service promised? Please don't reply. I don't really care that much, but the statement gives the impression of 72 hours to get laundry back. Most likely not. Anyway, Viangbua has self-service laundry machines available. They also have a lady (former housekeeper) running a laundry service on-site. Directly across the street from the hotel is a laundry shop (fully paved the entire way). Thirty yards East of the hotel is another laundry shop. Hasn't been tough in my experience to get clean clothes there, but something could have gone wrong with one cranky customer's laundry order.

- "odd room shape" -- Readers can decide for themselves on this! (see http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.co ... _room1.htm (http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/deluxe_room1.htm)) :crybaby:

- "odd room shape and furniture" -- Odd furniture? Hmm. Not that I remember!

- "web site gives a false impression of the place" -- Diagrams of each room type & many full color photos. I understand a picture is worth a thousand words. The website gives a very accurate picture of the hotel.

The OP asked for a recommendation for a place where "budget is open but not over priced." If overpriced was actually OK, I could have easily recommended better and much more expensive places to stay. Bontong has written very well about other options. Other folks like PJ's, but with four rooms and two suites, it can easily be booked up. Wherever you stay in Chiang Mai, you'll still need to get a ride sometimes to other venues, but at Viangbua you can walk back easily on pavement from a number of gay late night haunts. :love4:

[homeseeker]

I do not need to address nor engage any or all the allegations of falsity by masurui.I stand by everything I have said in my review which are mainly factually based. I travel around Asia a lot in particular Thailand and without doubt Viangbua is the worst of the many places I have stayed at in quite a few years. Masarui uses the word "suspect" yet that word can be applied to his slightly nonsensical defence of the place. I never said it was so bad I could not stay at Viangbua, but I certainly won't be going there again.
I usually get on well with most people but I got the distinct impression the staff at Viangbua wanted to avoid westerners(perhaps due to limited English) and that the most of the employees at the place wanted to do as little work as possible.
Furthermore: no reason for me to speak anything other that what I have experienced for myself and giving a a fair and acurate opinion based on those experiences.
Just because some people may have certain limited standards or other agenda's does not mean that the rest of us have such limitations. There seems to be a lot of exaggerations praising the Viangbua which I believe is not merited especially because in my view the web site of the place is misleading.
Incidentally the road/soi running along the outside of Viangbua is dirty and polluted and akin to a dirt track with the way the motor bikes and other vehicles speed both ways along it.
By the way:
I have spent enough of my time on this; I have given my honest view about my stay at Viangbua, so I so not intend any more posts here about it.

[atri1666]

I agree in many points with masurui. Stayed 2 times and had no complaints at all. The dirty surroundings are really not the problem of Viangbua Mansion and i know since 1983 it is possible to see many dirty corners in LOS.

[billyhouston]

I think you will find that Viangbua opened in November 2004. I have been staying at Viangbua since 2005 and spend about four months a year there.

Masurui makes his points very well and I would be bound to agree whole-heartedly with him.

One point in particular: the suggestion that the staff there 'do as little as possible and do not really want to engage with foreigners' is absurd and quite the opposite of reality. The staff in reception, housekeeping and the restaurant are, in my opinion, what really make the place. They go the extra mile time and time again and as for their 'not engaging with foreigners', it's often difficult to get away!

Some reviews say more about the reviewer than the establishment being reviewed.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Based on the OP's responses to Bontong and me, I think we're dealing with some subtle troll behavior here.

My previous post refuted the bogus complaints of the OP in the order given. Not sure what is nonsensical about that.

I am well over a million mile flyer. I have literally spent years of my life in hotel rooms based on very heavy business travel and extensive personal travel. My standards for hotel service and room cleanliness are quite high. I am not only used to room upgrades, I expect upgrades based on my high status in award programs. Nice to know I'm "limited" in the OP's less than reliable opinion, but the reality is that I am a quite spoiled & well traveled person.

I would rate Viangbua as a "4 out of 5" just like their tripadvisor.com average. I have not exaggerated what Viangbua is like. It is basic, a bargain, very clean and has a convenient location for a gay tourist. I've recommended Viangbua before without complaint & have friends already booked there for next year. For the record, I usually stay at another hotel in Chiang Mai with a swimming pool, but it is more than twice as expensive than Viangbua. I have no connection to the family that owns Viangbua and no agenda in promoting their business.

[zinzone]

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Based on the OP's responses to Bontong and me, I think we're dealing with some subtle troll behavior here.

My previous post refuted the bogus complaints of the OP in the order given. Not sure what is nonsensical about that.

I am well over a million mile flyer. I have literally spent years of my life in hotel rooms based on very heavy business travel and extensive personal travel. My standards for hotel service and room cleanliness are quite high. I am not only used to room upgrades, I expect upgrades based on my high status in award programs. Nice to know I'm "limited" in the OP's less than reliable opinion, but the reality is that I am a quite spoiled & well traveled person.

I would rate Viangbua as a "4 out of 5" just like their tripadvisor.com average. I have not exaggerated what Viangbua is like. It is basic, a bargain, very clean and has a convenient location for a gay tourist. I've recommended Viangbua before without complaint & have friends already booked there for next year. For the record, I usually stay at another hotel in Chiang Mai with a swimming pool, but it is more than twice as expensive than Viangbua. I have no connection to the family that owns Viangbua and no agenda in promoting their business.


On reading these various postings, the one who is protesting too much is Masurui.

A disagreement about a hotel descends into accusations about bogus complaints and troll behaviour. Nothing in Home seekers conclusions that are unreasonable. If you cannot properly answer the message then attack the messenger.


I have spoken to some friends who were in Chiang Mai last week and who told me that they checked out viangbuamansion and they said they were not impressed with it and decided to stay at Lotus instead.


Quite laugable that Masurui tells us when he is in Chiang Mai he usually stays at another hotel:
that says it all.

[BonTong]

Pity this thread has already descended into a pissing contest, and now personal insults. The problem with this type of discussion is everything is subjective. Different people judge things against different yardsticks and their own expectations, which may have been wrongly set to start with.

It seems to me homeseeker's main complaint is that Vingbua didnтАЩt meet the expectations HE had assumed for it before he arrived. i.e HeтАЩs booked a quite expensive (for Chiang Mai) suite in a nice тАЬHotelтАЭ, when actually itтАЩs a тАЬserviced apartmentтАЭ in a part of the city thatтАЩs real Thailand, not the sanitised Disney World version around Thapae gate.
M Hotel(used to be the Montri) is in a far better location and from what I can see of it, it is a proper professional hotel. gives us a clear understanding of what he actually wanted i.e. a "proper professional hotel" and not a "serviced apartment". N.B. M Hotel is not somewhere I would recommend at all, it's an out and out tourist trap, but each to his own.

I do have sympathy with some of Homeseekers objections. He is right, the farang food at Viangbua is uninspiring (though I believe they DO have room service), the Thai food is not so bad. The fact the restaurant shuts at 3p.m. I would say is an advantage as you are forced to go out and find something better :8( . Both Spirit House and Lotus Hotel are close by and have good Farang food. Nearby, Thanin market food court has just about anything you can imagine for Thai food and itтАЩs authentic and cheap.

HeтАЩs also right about the traffic, which has increased horrendously since Viangbua opened, and that soi is often gridlocked in rush hour; it is now a definite negative point for the location. However, itтАЩs no more of a тАЬdirt trackтАЭ than any other road or soi in that part of town. To single it out as such is unnecessary exaggeration.

I donтАЩt disagree with HomeseekerтАЩs comments on the room either. Those suite type rooms are designed for long stay visitors (Japanese) and arenтАЩt worth it if youтАЩre staying for a few days (indeed, they are overpriced by the month too when compared with what else is available in Chiang Mai). For the price (according to the website 3000 per night) you could stay in a very nice full service hotel. Even a suite at the Lotus: http://lotus-hotel.com/lotus-hotel-rooms/large-suite-331-gardenia/. I strongly suspect if he had booked a standard room at Viangbua http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/superior_room1.htm, which are quite spacious, have reasonable daylight and are only 900 Bt per night, he would be complaining far less.

About the staff: try searching for Viangbua Mansion on Thai Visa.com тАУ youтАЩll find plenty of discussion there. Seems Homeseeker's views are in a minority of one.


I stand by everything I have said in my review which are mainly factually based. I travel around Asia a lot in particular Thailand and without doubt Viangbua is the worst of the many places I have stayed at in quite a few years. Just curious, so which bit's of your review aren't factually based? :sign5:

I'm sure if you've only ever stayed in four or five star luxury hotels and were expecting a suite in something comparable, Viangbua was a disappointment to you. But, you could hardly call it the worst in Asia. There are many places in Chiang Mai, let alone all of Asia, that are FAR, FAR, FAR worse than Viangbua, including some that claim to be three or four star hotels (think Downtown Inn for a start :evil4: ). Anyone whoтАЩs really travelled around Thailand or Asia would know that.


I never said it was so bad I could not stay at Viangbua, but I certainly won't be going there again. So not really the worst in Asia then?

[homeseeker]

Pity this thread has already descended into a pissing contest, and now personal insults. The problem with this type of discussion is everything is subjective. Different people judge things against different yardsticks and their own expectations, which may have been wrongly set to start with.

It seems to me homeseeker's main complaint is that Vingbua didnтАЩt meet the expectations HE had assumed for it before he arrived. i.e HeтАЩs booked a quite expensive (for Chiang Mai) suite in a nice тАЬHotelтАЭ, when actually itтАЩs a тАЬserviced apartmentтАЭ in a part of the city thatтАЩs real Thailand, not the sanitised Disney World version around Thapae gate.
M Hotel(used to be the Montri) is in a far better location and from what I can see of it, it is a proper professional hotel. gives us a clear understanding of what he actually wanted i.e. a "proper professional hotel" and not a "serviced apartment". N.B. M Hotel is not somewhere I would recommend at all, it's an out and out tourist trap, but each to his own.

I do have sympathy with some of Homeseekers objections. He is right, the farang food at Viangbua is uninspiring (though I believe they DO have room service), the Thai food is not so bad. The fact the restaurant shuts at 3p.m. I would say is an advantage as you are forced to go out and find something better :8( . Both Spirit House and Lotus Hotel are close by and have good Farang food. Nearby, Thanin market food court has just about anything you can imagine for Thai food and itтАЩs authentic and cheap.

HeтАЩs also right about the traffic, which has increased horrendously since Viangbua opened, and that soi is often gridlocked in rush hour; it is now a definite negative point for the location. However, itтАЩs no more of a тАЬdirt trackтАЭ than any other road or soi in that part of town. To single it out as such is unnecessary exaggeration.

I donтАЩt disagree with HomeseekerтАЩs comments on the room either. Those suite type rooms are designed for long stay visitors (Japanese) and arenтАЩt worth it if youтАЩre staying for a few days (indeed, they are overpriced by the month too when compared with what else is available in Chiang Mai). For the price (according to the website 3000 per night) you could stay in a very nice full service hotel. Even a suite at the Lotus: http://lotus-hotel.com/lotus-hotel-rooms/large-suite-331-gardenia/. I strongly suspect if he had booked a standard room at Viangbua http://www.viangbuamansion-chiangmai.com/superior_room1.htm, which are quite spacious, have reasonable daylight and are only 900 Bt per night, he would be complaining far less.

About the staff: try searching for Viangbua Mansion on Thai Visa.com тАУ youтАЩll find plenty of discussion there. Seems Homeseeker's views are in a minority of one.


I stand by everything I have said in my review which are mainly factually based. I travel around Asia a lot in particular Thailand and without doubt Viangbua is the worst of the many places I have stayed at in quite a few years. Just curious, so which bit's of your review aren't factually based? :sign5:

I'm sure if you've only ever stayed in four or five star luxury hotels and were expecting a suite in something comparable, Viangbua was a disappointment to you. But, you could hardly call it the worst in Asia. There are many places in Chiang Mai, let alone all of Asia, that are FAR, FAR, FAR worse than Viangbua, including some that claim to be three or four star hotels (think Downtown Inn for a start :evil4: ). Anyone whoтАЩs really travelled around Thailand or Asia would know that.


I never said it was so bad I could not stay at Viangbua, but I certainly won't be going there again. So not really the worst in Asia then?


Thank you for your interesting post above. Whilst I previously said in effect I had nothing further to say on this matter as you have pitched your latest comments in a polite and pleasant way I am happy to respond albeit briefly.
You know when I first started this thread it reads:
"Need recommendation for Chiang Mai Hotel"
I specifically asked for a Hotel.
And you can see for yourself who replied first and his recommendation.
The reason for me seeking help was I have not been to CM for many year so I needed guidence and thought I could rely on what I was told and what I could research myself on the internet.
To answer your question my review is factually based but of course some things as u recognise are subjective and there can be a blur in some instances between fact and opinion. Certainly no fiction in my review and I do object to the allegations of "falsity" etc which are just used to inflame.
By the way i said:
"Viangbua is the worst of the many places I have stayed at"
The places which I HAVE STAYED AT.
Certainly not the worst in Asia or no doubt CM!
About the staff: well read my words carefully. I have never suggested for instance there was rudeness or gross incompetence by the staff etc., just mentioned they seemed reluctant to engage with westerners and saw some specific incidences of apparent laziness at the place.
It seems to me you at least have a lot of experience in CM and your post in most significant aspects support my assertions:
* re the food(and yes there is no room service at least not after 3pm)
*re the room=
"Those suite type rooms are designed for long stay visitors (Japanese) and arenтАЩt worth it if youтАЩre staying for a few days"
*and you say you do not disagree with my comments about the room
*re the location and the traffic and u go further and mention the grid lock etc.
Now, you opine about the Viagbua not meeting my expectations. Well my expectations were raised by the web recommendations and the Viangbua web site and you know my views about that.

Cheers!

[BonTong]

Thank you for your interesting post above. Whilst I previously said in effect I had nothing further to say on this matter as you have pitched your latest comments in a polite and pleasant way I am happy to respond albeit briefly.

Thank you; I wasn't trying to pick an argument with anyone :) The problem, with Chiang Mai, as exposed early in this thread is what area to stay in. The go-go bars are, for good historical reasons, all in a different part of town from the main tourist attractions. Depending on what you want out of a visit here depends what area to stay in. But for those who want to find a bed partner close to their hotel the choices are very limited. Lotus, Mecure, Santitham Guest House, Viangbua, and now the new Mansfield Place (http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/2012/mansfield-place/) are the obvious choices. For those people the 900Bt standard room at Viangbua is still a good option IMHO.

For many, including myself - way back when, Viangbua has been a good place to stay for a few months whilst establishing a more permanent abode in Chiang Mai. Though when i was there it had some other attractions too: Whatever happened too.... (http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/2011/whatever-happened-to-update1/)