There are many hostels in Chiang Mai that you can choose when you’re visiting. I have no idea about which area is good to stay, hence couldn’t choose which hotel or hostel to stay. One of my friends lives in Chiang Mai and he owns and works at a hostel so I decided to stay at his place.
The place is called Box Hostel. They have 2 branches in Chiang Mai which are close to each other. I stayed at the 2nd location which is located at 49/23 Chang Puek rd. T.Sriphum Tambon Si Phum. If you’re looking for it on google map, search for “Just Sleep @Box Hostel”. While the other one on google map is the main branch (under the name Box Hostel).
This hostel has ladies only room, guys only room, and mixed dormitory. I chose ladies only room, and luckily by the time I was there, there were no other people in the room. So I had the room all by myself! Nothing wrong with staying with another person. I just not used to it, so I was a little bit nervous at first.
In my room, there are 5 beds, which are 2 bunk beds and 1 single bed. Each bed has its own reading lamp, an electrical plug, a pillow and a blanket. There is a locker inside the room as well so you don’t have to worry to leave your important stuff. Each locker has a number which related to which bed you’re sleeping in. And each of them has separated keys.
On the other side of the room, there is a small balcony with cloth hanger. They provide washing machine (it’s 20 baht per operation if I’m not mistaken), then you can hang your clothes on the balcony. From my room, I can see the terrace area as well.
In the bathroom, there are soap and shampoo. The shower also has a water heater so you don’t have to worry taking shower in cold weather. Chiang Mai is colder than Ho Chi Minh City. The average temperature when I was there was about 14 degrees Celcius. You have to bring your own toothbrush, toothpaste, hair dryer and towel. I brought all that plus my own soap, shampoo and face cleansing foam.
There is kitchen area with tables and chairs. You can use microwave and coffee machine there. They also provide snacks in a jar. There is a refrigerator as well, in case you bought something that needs to be stored in cold storage. They also provide water for drink and glasses.
The living room also very nice. There is a television but no cable tv, only local show and news. That is why they also provided many DVDs. We actually watched some movies during our stay there. There is a desktop PC which makes it easier to do online check-in or browsing something. There is free wifi as well though, so you can browse at your phone as well. It’s just that I like to do online check-in on a PC, more comfortable to see and confirmed.
I especially like their terrace. Sitting outdoor while enjoying the birds singing (and sometime neighbour’s dog barking, only sometimes). Breakfast on the terrace is really nice!
They also provide cleaning service to tidy up your bed and wash the dishes, just like in a hotel. It was very quiet at night as well which is good. I could get a nice “me time” in my room without any noise. I didn’t turn off my reading lamp though because I can’t sleep in a pitch black room (plus I was thinking about Thai horror movie! Sigh.. me and my imagination..).
The only problem I had after my first night was the bed. The mattress is very hard. I’m not used to a hard mattress, plus I don’t have enough fat to cover my bone so it feels uncomfortable for me at first. I knew from a research that hard bed is actually good for your back. It prevents your lower back from collapsing when you lay on it. But after 2 nights, I got used to it and sleep really well on it. It’s amazing how the body can adjust to different mattresses.
On our check out, it was so early that the staff was not there yet. But they have provided a box to drop off the key. It was convenient and easy. We just dropped the key there and left to the airport.
Location wise, the Box Hostel is quite good. I like it because it near a market in the morning, and also near Chang Phueak food market in the evening. For lunchtime, you can walk about 15 minutes and there is an area with good restaurants. It also near several temples and a monument.
On booking.com, the rating for Box Hostel is really good as well. So, you should consider staying there if you’re visiting Chiang Mai. Thank you for reading!
Ciao!
tastymonial 