Galare Guest House, Chiang Mai Thailand
For our fourth place to stay on this Thailand holiday we wanted somewhere cheap to stay with markets nearby and the Chiang Mai train station not too far away for our trip back to Bangkok. This place fit the bill just fine.
Address
7 Chareonprathet Rd.. Soi 2 Chiang Mai 50100 Thailand
Date stayed
13th October 2017 for two nights
Check-in/Check-out
- 24 hour front desk
- express check-in/check-out
- luggage storage
Price
1800 Baht ($73 AUD) for two people for two nights. This price was for a standard room and did not include breakfast.
Location
Located in the middle of the city next to the Governor General’s House along the Ping River, Galare Guest House is a convenient location for a number of tourist attractions including the famous Night Bazaar, a number of temples and markets and plenty of restaurants and nightlife.
Parking
Self parking is available and free at Galare Guest House
WiFi
Complimentary WiFi is available both in the rooms and within the grounds of the Guest House
Room
The rooms are decorated in traditional Thai style and contain the following:
- in-room safety deposit box (need your own lock though)
- TV
- small fridge with a jug of drinking water
- airconditioning
As the family run Guest House is around 40 years old now, the rooms are showing their age and are also a bit dark inside. The bathroom is also dated and quite small but the bed is comfortable and the cupboard has a good amount of storage space. We didn’t spend much time in our room so it suited us just fine.
Galare Guesthouse, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Galare Guesthouse, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Galare Guesthouse, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Grounds
The grounds are simple with an attractive tropical garden to sit and relax in or laze beside the Ping River with a refreshing drink. There were stairs going up to our room which shared a good sized verandah with other rooms. The verandah contained seats and tables, fans, drinking water and reading material. There was a large mosquito net but thankfully we didn’t find mosquitoes to be a problem, or to be as big as the net suggested!
stairs leading up to our room at Galare Guest House, Chiang Mai, Thailand
shared verandah provided a place to sit undercover
outside our room at Galare Guest House, Chiang Mai, Thailand
thankfully we didn’t need to use the mosquito net
Hotel Facilities
- an outdoor restaurant alongside the Ping River serving Thai and Western meals
- tour desk
- massage services
- airport transfers (for a fee)
- room service
- laundry services
- business centre
- car hire
- fishing
Open air restaurant alongside the Ping River at Galare Guest House
hubby’s happy they have congee on the breakfast menu
What’s nearby
- Warorot Market (Chiang Mai’s largest central market)
- Tha Pae Walking Street Night market
- Old City – half an hour walk
- Ruenros Restaurant – modern clean restaurant serving cheap and delicious meals
- Central Festival Shopping Centre – 5km
- Street food tours – pick up from your hotel
- Chiang Mai railway station – 1.9km
- Chiang Mai International Airport – 15 minute drive
Cute handcrafted lights at the Tha Pae Walking Street Night market in Chiang Mai
The gates dividing the Old City from the New – there were always lots of pidgeons
Our favourite Ruenros Restaurant just outside Chiang Mai’s Old City
Hubby enjoying his dish at Ruenros Restaurant
The best tasting dish (Kao Soi) on the whole trip at Ruenros Restaurant
And finally time for dessert at Ruenros Restaurant
Central Festival Shopping Centtre in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Check out the funky seats inside Chiang Mai’s Central Festival
This food court doesn’t take cash so you need to purchase vouchers at the nearby counter
Central Festival even has its own ice skating rink where a hockey game was being played
Had a ball at this street food tour with Chiang Mai Street Food Tours
More delicious street food to sample
We walked through this lovely park on our way to the train station
The only time we saw it pour with rain was on our walk to the railway station
Pros
- the price is attractive
- close to markets and other attractions
- the staff are very willing to help with any suggestions of places to go or things to do as well as allow you to book tours through them.
Cons
- rooms are dark, old and dated
- bathroom is very small
Summary
For the price this place offered great value for money. It’s in no way glamorous but will provide a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed with your own bathroom and free Wifi. The food downstairs at the open air restaurant has a limited menu but is tasty and well priced. Can definitely recommend the place for anyone on a budget.