4 Best Hotels in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand

Hiding in a quiet soi within walking distance of the night bazaar, this budget hotel has small but clean rooms with hot showers, refrigerators, and air-conditioning. The airy open common spaces are decorated with plants and a bubbling fountain, perfect for recharging your batteries before or after a day out. The owner and staff are kind and attentive.

This quiet guesthouse feels like a hotel, with bright clean rooms that have hot showers, refrigerators, work desks, televisions, and fans or air-conditioning. The knowledgeable English-speaking staff can tell you everything about the nearby attractions, as well as wash, iron, and fold your clothes. Free instant coffee and bananas are provided at the communal space near the reception.

Only the tropical vegetation hints that this highly stylish, modern hotel is in Thailand and not a boutique establishment in central Milan or Munich. Rooms are furnished in a sleek Italian style, with retro-looking primary colors, crisp white linens, and claw-footed, stand-alone bathtubs in some of the suites. Most rooms are grouped around a secluded pool and a large wooden sundeck.

Rich hues, warm lighting, and grand Moroccan architectural flourishes set a distinctly exotic tone at this boutique hotel well away from the city center. The North African touches continue in the rooms, which have plush furnishings and heavy velvet drapes.