I am considering staying at either the Chiang Mai Plaza or Tamarind Village. Has anyone stayed at either? Or do you have other suggestions?

I want a hotel in the middle of the city. My last trip I stayed at the Regeant (now 4 Seasons) and the one before at the Rincome. I want to be closer in town. Would love to be able to walk to things for once.

Thanks

how about the sheraton, formerly the westin?? it is right on the end of downtown

We will be in Chiang Mai in a few weeks and have booked a suite in the Suriwongse Hotel. Picked it because it's within walking distance of night market and because of great article written by woman, whose husband died, while staying there---great service! We looked at Tamarind Village and Chiang Mai, but not close enough to town---also, many reviews say Westin or Sheraton looks tired. Go to www.asia-hotels.com for lots of reviews and great rates. Feel free to email with additional questions. I'll try to post something after we return.

The Sheraton is at a very bad location on the wrong side of the river. Very un-charming. Forget about it.

The Tamarind Village is right in what I will call the absolute center of Chiang Mai, just 200 meters away from the Thae Pae Gate, the center itself.

And it's the most beautiful romantic hotel you can dream about. Very much a Chiang Mai version of Bangkoks famous Sukhothai Hotel. Low Thai style pavilions in a garden in the middle of the city.

I would not even consider the Suriwongse Hotel. Only one hotel at the night marked has a standard, The Royal Princess under the very professional Thai group, Dusit Thani.

But who would like to stay in the middle of the night marked full of very annoying touts, pims and pollution. Really!

We stayed at the Tamarind Village last year and found it to be in a convenient location. It was about a 20 minute walk from the night market (although you do have to cross some busy streets) but by tuk-tuk it would only be a few minutes. We also walked to several restaurants within about 20-25 mintues, like the Good Earth restaurant. We liked being away from the bustle of the night market but still close enough to get there by foot. We thought the Tamarind Village was a good, solid 3 star - clean, neat and comfy.

I stayed at Tamarind Village end Dec and LOVED it. For US$40/night incl breakfast found it amazing value for what they offer. Clean, neat rooms and bathrooms, convenient location and charm. Ask for a first floor room facing the lawns. Sure u will enjoy.

Had an awful experience at the Westin a few years back. Terrible service, poor upkeep etc. Swarming with conference delegates. It is probably the worst hotel I have stayed in Thailand.

I have stayed at the Empress before and thats quite close to the centre. Its only a 3 star hotel, but I found it lot more pleasant than the Westin (now sheraton).

You need to be careful which hotel you pick because some of the hotels in Chiang Mai sell loads of rooms to single travel companies such as SAGA.

We use the Empress as a decent value for money 3-star, if I have a day or so on business or with family it is fine, but on vacation if you can afford a little extra go for the Tamarind Village.

if the empress is the one with the lovely pool and the beer garden and absolutely right on the corner from the night market, i stayed there, too. the room was quite shabby for western standards but the pool alone made it worth it as temperatures soared to 37 ++. another favorite hotel that is tucked away and very pleasant with gardens and breakfast and its own pool is the river view lodge. i have stayed there twice and each time i liked it. two minutes walk from night market and quiet and private when you are there.

I stayed at the Chiang Mai Plaza a couple weeks ago and loved it because it met most of our needs. The lobby and public area is huge and nicely appointed. The standard room is surprisingly large. The staff is very helpful. I can't imagine any place significantly better for the same money.

The hotel is one block away from the night bazaar and there is a great film processing store across the street. It's a short (50 baht) tuk tuk ride to the nice riverside restaurants.

If you're interested in the disco that is mentioned at the various websites, be aware that it is no longer there.

The main restaurant is adequate but not special. There is a formal Chinese restaurant that never seemed to have any customers but we didn't try it.

The spa appears to be nice but we didn't use it. It was a disappointment that the exercise room doesn't open until about 9:00am. The pool is adequate but not luxurious.