Huern Che Ta One Hotel

Huan Chetawan, (the correct spelling, I believe, for this hotel), is located in a rustic, residential area of Phrae old town which is at its most convenient for travellers with their own set of wheels as it is quite a walk from the sites or restaurants. I had originally come here by mistake when I was looking for the nearby Come Moon Loft Hotel, but having also visited that hotel, Huan Chetawan is preferable as the building and rooms look nicer, the car park is larger and partially covered and the prices are lower. I was shown several different rooms on 3 different floors, all for 500 Baht. Only the view out of the window differed. In the end, I opted for Room 305. It was quite a spacious double room with a comfortable bed, two large windows overlooking the outside and inside corridor respectively together with a balcony looking towards some houses, trees and a quiet road. Inside the room, there was a large wooden wardrobe with some clothes hangers and 3 drawers, a very long wooden desk with a white chair in front of it and a huge TV, a telephone and tissue paper on top of it. Nearby, there was also a hairdryer hanging on the wall next to which there was a large yellow fridge containing 4 beer bottles with 2 bottles of drinking water, a kettle, 2 drinking glasses, 2 mugs with 2 spoons and a container with coffee sachets on top of it. There were four pictures hanging on the wall while the floor was tiled. Both the walls and floor of the bathroom were also tiled and was quite spacious although the water heater had been placed in a rather lobsided, precarious-looking position, but was quite sturdy with no risk of it falling down. The spray was adequate. Shampoo, toothbrush, shower cap and 2 glasses were positioned above the wash basin. The aircon worked very well, but was noisy at times and there is free WiFi which also works well. However, there is no breakfast, but you can have this in town. On the landing of each floor, communal sofas have been located where you could socialise with your fellow guests. You don't need an alarm clock at this hotel as the cockerels will wake you up at the crack of dawn. Otherwise, you can enjoy a quiet night's sleep. I was very satisfied with my stay and wish I could have stayed longer.

Basic accommodation.. No breakfast, no good location, the room had a leak, there was a pillar in the middle of the room and they called it the VIP suite.. Need I say more? Oh yes.. And when you step out to eat or run an errand, they require that you give your hotel key back to them.. What's up with that??

This modern hotel is situated just outside the city walls, on the west side of the old city. It is a safe fifteen minute walk away from the night market and the centre of town. We were given a map at reception, although we were a bit confused at first as we are not Thai speakers and some receptionists have little English. After our first walk it was easy to get to all the places of interest on foot. It takes just over an hour to walk around the old city walls. The hotel is L-shaped, we were in room 209 which looked out onto the neighbours' gardens where there were many chickens. If you don't want to be woken up by loud farmyard noises at 5.30 am, ask for a room facing the car park. Remember to take an eye mask as the rooms do not get dark at night owing to the lights left on in the corridors and the windows onto the corridors having thin curtains which don't block out light. The wifi password seemed to change every day, and communication about this was sometimes confusing. The room came with a kettle, sachets of coffee and a hair dryer. There are snacks and toothpaste etc on sale in reception and a freezer of ready- made meals which reception will microwave for you. We walked to Gingerbread House every night and had a delicious curry and salad. If you a planning to stay a few nights in Phrae make sure you include a Saturday and visit the market on Khamlue Road. Although there is not much to do in Phrae the old city is very quiet and peaceful and the people are very friendly.