Anoma Boutique House

First off, the Anoma Boutique House is not for effete snobs who pay sixteen dollars a night and expect five star accommodations. It is, instead, the best low-priced hotel in the Old City that I have found in a few dozen nights in twenty or more hotels there. I have returned with my wife, and with my children, and love the place! After four excellent stays, it is time to give the Anoma the credit it deserves. Beginning with what the place does not have, the place has no elevator, so the fourth floor is a haul if you have two bags apiece, but the staff will carry all your luggage, so this is a non-event. The menu is not much, but why would it be anything else when it is within walking distance of twenty restaurants of repute in various cuisines? It is a family run hotel and yes, the family dines at one of the lobby tables and children abound - I have always found that charming, rather than a drawback. The family does not speak much English, true, but much of their reserve comes from this fact and not from any lack of service ethic...a simple, "Sawasdee Khap" and they are all over helping you out with tours, rentals, tips, and service. As for what Anoma House has, there is plenty: lovely soft beds, big clean rooms, fresh linens air dried above the place, interesting architecture. A lovely roof deck with a small Sala (okay, my favorite jacuzzi is gone now), a location that is out of this world convenient, assisted access to every service you could need around town from drivers to tours to dry cleaners, business service centers and money exchange. It also has amazing, huge, quiet rooms at the end of the hall on each floor, with huge bathtubs and showers and beds beyond King -Sized. If you go to a hotel to sleep, be comforted, and gain a little local flavor, all in an inexpensive package, Anoma House is your place! Anoma House is an ideal base-of-operations hotel for long stays and for those more interested in having a cozy place to sleep than a four star experience. It is safe, happy, clean, uplifting, and charming, and my family and I will continue to patronize the place on each trip. Oh, and I forgot to mention they are four doors from the best Thai Massage place I have found in Chiang Mai province!

Pros: - Certainly the location in the heart of Old City. - Close to most good restaurants and bike rental shop. - One male staff is particularly smiley and helpful the whole time. Cons: - The others are just doing their job so not very hospitable. - Not very boutique as the reception is more of a homestay. - The room and facilities are old (but clean). - NO elevator. The hotel could be on another level if the family staffs are trained well and the whole property could be re-innovated again with fresh coat of pain and lighting design.

We arrived at Anoma in the evening. Seen from the outside, it looks fine. But, inside it is completely diferent: the reception is a mess (the owners live there and their private table is just in front of the front desk and they keeep it with used plates all the time; they have a nice baby and his toys are all around there, etc.), the room was dark and the bathroom was very dirty. (My wife even considered buying some desinfectant to pour there).On the top of the building, where they claim there is a wood deck and a jacuzzi, the only thing that we found were clothes hanging from a string to dry. On the "deck" there was a big hole indicating that in a remote past there existed a jacuzzi. The only positive point that we found there was the front desk clerck that was very friendly and always ready to help in tours and instructions. I do not recommend this hotel.