Maninarakorn Hotel, Sri Donchai Road: Review And Photos

I decided to sacrifice a fully sponsored stay at Royal Bella Vista Country Club and stayed in a city hotel instead. The former is about 30km from Chiang Mai city and staying there would mean I have to spend a lot of time (and money) commuting as all the activities I have in mind for this trip centres around the city. 
I decided to choose a very affordable hotel that has all the facilities I needed and where I could just walk to see most of the places I'd wanted to see.
The hotel of my choice is Maninarakorn Hotel. There are a few Maninarakorn Hotels in the Chiang Mai. I chose the one at Sri Donchai Road.

Maninarakorn, Sri Donchai consists of one hotel block sandwiched by two residence blocks. The hotel is quite centrally located on a less happening road. 

Sri Donchai Road at 7am.

This road is not as busy so you do get good quality sleep (no loud honks etc) but it is so near to the happening places that dining, shopping, etc is easy. Tuk-tuks and songthaew pass this road frequently so hailing these public transport is not a problem at all.

The staffs are not very warm but they are quite helpful.

The lounge is simple and tasteful. 

The facilities include an internet and computer lounge but chairs are not provided for computer users.

There is a spa but it is cheaper to get spa and massage services outside.

There is a swimming pool on the 3rd floor, just adjacent to the hotel restaurant.

The hotel restaurant

There is a jacuzzi for hotel guests.

There are sauna/steam rooms.

There is also a gym.

The hotel lounge at night

We stayed at the residence block. There are 3 floors, without a lift. We stayed on the 3rd floor but didn't mind as the climb up was good exercise for us. Not to worry as there is concierge service if your luggage is heavy. The ground floors are all shops (travel agents, laundry, Japanese Restaurant, massage).

the hallway to our "apartment"

Each residence floor has its own private lounge.

We were pleasantly surprised. For 1000baht (approx RM100) per night, we didn't expect to get a fully equiped apartment, with a bedroom, a lounge, a washroom, 2 air-cond., and in-house cleaning service everyday.

We certainly prefer this type of residence to a typical hotel room.

complimentary stuff  replenished every day

The microwave oven and mini fridge came in handy as breakfast was not included in our stay.

With the facilities provided we could come up with a simple meal when we had to leave the hotel very early for our day tour (7am).

The washroom is satisfactorily clean.

The bed is clean, comfortable with white, crisp bed sheet.

Wifi is available in the room and it is free.  It is also very nicely located. From our hotel, we could walk to The Sunday Night Market, Anusarn Market, Art In Pardise, Night Bazaar, Old City etc. It is also near to the airport - only 4 to 5 km away.
This is a value for money place to stay and suited me fine as I was away most of the day and only needed a place to shower and sleep. For quiet retreats, I would have opted for something more expensive and luxurious though.

Click here to view all other attractions I visited in Chiang Mai:
Part 1: Walking Through The Sunday Night Market ( The Walking Street)
Part 2: 3 Hours Of Fun At Art In Paradise
Part 3: A Traditional Thai Dining Experience At Khum Khantoke
Part 4: Elephant Safari - A Popular Day Tour In Chiang Mai
Part 5: Bai Orchid And Butterfly Farm , Chiang Mai
Part 6: A Chance Visit To Elephant Poopoopaper Park
Part 7: Hungry Go Where In Chiang Mai
Part 8: Dining, Shopping And Ladyboys At Anusarn Market
Part 9: Wat Rongkhun - Just Like A Fairytale
Part 10: A Stopover At Chiang Rai (Pha Soet) Hot Spring
Part 11: A Day Tour To Golden Triangle Of Thailand
Part 12: Visiting The Northernmost Town Of Thailand
Part 13: Visiting An Akha Village In Chiang Rai
Part 14: Exploring Wororot Market
Part 16: Where To Stay In Chiang Mai
Part 17: Chiang Mai On A Walking Tour