Guesthouse Name: Wa Lai House
Address: 13 Soi 3 Santisuk Road, Huay Kaew, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
[Edit: This guesthouse has now closed. This review remains as an archive.]
I stayed at the Wa Lai House in Chiang Mai. I picked it for its location in the Santitham area. This is one of my favourite areas in Chiang Mai, and a good place to stay for seasoned visitors.
Santitham is the area northwest of the old city and near the hipster area of Nimmanhaemin Road. It’s a more residential area, but it’s becoming trendy now, probably as rents are getting more expensive in the Nimman area. I’ve been coming to this area since 2010 when I was introduced to Akha Ama Cafe.
I was greeted with a friendly welcome at reception, and this dog was pretty cool as well.
I got a double room with private bathroom. The bed was comfortable and it had convenient power outlets.
My room was spacious with plenty of natural light. There is free wifi here, and I had no problems with the connection.
The bathroom was clean and bright with a good hot water system. It did have one problem though.
Like the previous place I stayed at in Chiang Mai, the sink was not in the bathroom. Not only was it not in the bathroom, but it was outside on the balcony. Chiang Mai is in the tropics so it’s not like it’s ever cold, but it was still weird/annoying to shave and brush my teeth outside while I could see people at neighbouring apartments on their balcony.
The lounge/reception area felt like a hostel, so you could hang out there and meet other travellers. They have washing machines here for self-serve washing at 30 THB per load.
Overall this was a great place to stay in the Santitham area (even with the odd sink). I loved that this was a guesthouse that had a hostel vibe, and being in an area with lots of good local eating options is a bonus. It’s a good place to stay if you are apartment hunting in the area as well.
They don’t have a website, so try contacting them on the Facebook page, or search for more hotels in Chiang Mai.
If you’re new to Chiang Mai I would read up on which area to stay. First-time visitors should probably stay in the old city.
