Sunshine House Boutique Guesthouse, Chiang Mai: Review

01:00 Amy 2 Comments

I lived in Sunshine House for four months when I first moved to Chiang Mai.

My best pal Rosie recommended this place to my boyfriend Andy and I, and we're glad we listened. It was perfect for us whilst we were settling in to Chiang Mai. Some of the people who were there at the same time are still living there! We stayed in a standard room, so this review refers to standard rooms only.

This clean, modern room in a handy location was perfect for us when we were job hunting all over Chiang Mai.

Why you should stay at Sunshine House

It's inbetween two great areas in Chiang Mai - Nimmanhaemin and the Old City - and only a few minutes to each.
You get way more for your money than you would in the Old City or Nimmanheamin.
It's very new, clean and modern and your room gets cleaned often.
The staff are friendly.
There's super cheap Thai food, healthy vegetarian food, a 7-11 and a shopping centre nearby.
It's not a party house.
It's a quiet location.
It has a 'fantastic' rating on Agoda

The rooms

The open plan rooms are big, clean and modern. Maids clean them often, which is fantastic - nothing beats coming home to a clean and tidy room that you didn't have to do yourself. It was like living with my mum again... ;)

There's a big new TV with some English channels, a desk, a desk chair, a fridge, a glass table with two chairs and a great big bed. There's a small balcony. Some of the rooms have great views, but some look out onto the neighbouring hotel.

There's free WiFi in every room - get your password from reception.

You get free water every day.

The rooms have key card locks and a security man at night time. You have to use your key card to gain access to the hotel beyond reception.

No smoking in the rooms. If you want to smoke there is a kind of patio area at the front of the hotel with a bench. Also a good place to meet other people staying at Sunshine House, even if you don't smoke.

Our only complaints about the room was that the guy next door listened to his TV really loudly and we could hear it, and that there was no kitchen. I like cooking, and didn't always feel like going out for food, so this wasn't ideal for me.

The bathroom

I really liked the bathroom. It had a huge mirror and good lighting - I can't stand dim lighting in bathrooms. The shower always had hot water. It wasn't stark white like most bathrooms in new hotels, which was nice.

The bed

The bed is huge and comfortable, with proper pillows and clean white sheets. Many beds in Thailand are too hard for us Westerners used to mega-softness at home, so we were very lucky to have this comfortable one when we first arrived. It's more comfortable than the one we have in our house now, and way bigger.

The breakfast

Well, 'morning snacks' would be a better description. They have Ritz-style crackers, bananas, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Have as much as you like till 11am when they put it away. They sometimes bring in extra treats, like different fruit and cakes.

The hotel

It's a small, new hotel (built in 2011) with 31 rooms spread over five stories. There is an elevator. You can do laundry in the washing machines for 20 baht per go. The reception staff are friendly and helpful. If you need something arranging, such as a driver for the day, they are happy to help. However, if you're on a budget it's best to do this yourself if you can. The drivers charge more when it's a hotel calling on your behalf. There is room to park your vehicle outside the hotel.

The area

Santitham is a busy area, full of cheap shops and hole-in-the-wall style eateries. There's a tasty vegetarian restaurant almost next door called Immaim - we ate there often. There's a Seven Eleven five minutes away on the main street and a Tesco Lotus Express a little further down. There are beauty salons, toiletry shops, homeware shops, technology shops, DVD rental shops and much more.

The local nightlife spot is a loud seedy place called Santitham Plaza - just off the main road. It's a square full of different bars. It's good for a cheap drunken night out, but definitely not my favourite night-spot.

Sunshine House is really close to Huay Kaew road. Kad Suan Kaew (known as Central to locals) is a big old shopping centre with a Tops supermarket inside, which is great for Western foods like bread, cake and cookies. You can go swimming at the Orchid Hotel next to Central for 100 baht, but it isn't my favourite swimming pool in Chiang Mai and it's overpriced - the location is very convenient though.


Go to the market to buy local food and fruit / vegetables. Known as Thanin Market, it's a pretty long walk away (about 30 minutes) which seems like an age when you're carrying bags full of cheap food, so we always took a red car there and back. To get a red car there, flag one down and say: "Bai Thanin market khaa/khrab."

The YMCA is really close - handing if you want to get yourself a few teaching hours or learn Thai. The roads around the YMCA are really pretty.

I liked the location because it's inbetween Nimmanhaemin and Old City - my two favourite areas in Chiang Mai.

To get a red car, you usually have to walk to Huay Kaew road, 5 minutes away. We tried to get one from Santitham road lots of times and had to wait for ages, but you can get one pretty much straight away on Huay Kaew.

Essential Information about Sunshine House

Room rate

Standard rooms cost 600 - 690 baht per night. They cost 7,000 - 7,400 baht monthly excluding bills.
Deluxe rooms cost 1,200 baht per night. They cost 13,000 baht monthly excluding bills. You get a bigger room, a sofa, a bathtub, a microwave, a sink to wash dishes in and a bigger balcony.

You can add an extra bed for 300 baht per night.

Book with Agoda here.

Address

16 Santidham  Tambol Changpuek Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai Thailand 50300
16 สันติธรรม ต.ช้างเผือก อ.เมือง จ.เชียงใหม่ 50300

Print the following to give to your taxi driver:
Sunshine House, between YMCA and Tracfic Circle Santidham Junction (Ha Yek San Ti Dham) สำหรับบอกแท็กซี : ซันชายน์เฮ้าส์อยู่ระหว่าง วาย เอ็ม ซี เอ กับ ห้าแยกสันติธรรม

MAP

Telephone

English : 0849194999
Thai and maybe English : 053218535, 0853955959

Other info

Check in is at 1pm, check out is at 12pm.

Website