The location of Banthai Village was perfect,...
The location of Banthai Village was perfect, right in the heart of Chiang Mai and close to Thapai road which we used to get most everywhere.
At first, we were a little uneasy as to how open it was to the alley for people to walk in and out, however that did not prove to be an issue. The hotel is very small, but cute. They had a decent breakfast available to us included in our room rate, which was a very nice convenience.
The room itself was nice, pretty simplistic. A few issues we had were 1) The temperature of the room was either too warm or too cold. The air conditioner blew right on our bed and if you had it on, it was hard to control the temperature; 2) There was no hot water in the bathroom sink; 3) The water pipes don't seem to be grounded correctly because we could not be in the shower or bathtub and touch any of the faucets or the showerhead without getting shocked. That was a major concern of us; 4)We were woken each morning to the howling of dogs.
I was impressed that they offered free wireless internet in the room, which is a rarity for hotels these days.
We inquired about tours at the "concierge" and of course prices through them were much higher than prices we found on our own. If you want to see the sights on your own schedule at a lower cost, use a driver (often your taxi from the airport will offer).
