Chiang Mai: Galare Guest House (Hotel)

Address: 7 chareonprathet rd. Soi 2 , Chiang mai 50100, Thailand
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Lonely Planet review

An alternative to the impersonal corporate hotels in the Night Bazaar Area, Galare has modest but comfortable rooms in two breezy apartment-style buildings set in a back street beside the river.

Built on the site of one of Chiang Mai's first teakwood hotels (now long gone), the Galare is one of the oldest guesthouses in Chiang Mai. It is owned and operated by a retired Chiang Mai University teacher and remains a favourite with visiting families, both Thai and Western. The guesthouse has retained an admirable consistency, even as the surrounding neighbourhood has grown busier. The 35 rooms in the modern two-storey buildings are well maintained and the broad patios and sitting areas provide ample space for relaxing. The rooms sport motel-issue decor, including an overhead fan with a high-setting that could blow your eyebrows off. There's a pleasant riverside cafe that serves Thai, Western and surprisingly solid Japanese fare, prepared by a Thai sushi chef who dons the requisite fish-slicing hachimaki (headband). Plus there's on-site, free parking.