River Ping Palace Chiang Mai

Poor condition + poor service + bad location = bad choice. My deluxe room would not lock from the inside due to broken door/lock. The office is abandoned which gives the appearance the facility is closed. Located on the river (across from the Sheraton), it's out of the way in the wrong way and without the comfort or facilities to make up for the bad location. I did not see any of the charm or hospitality described in earlier reviews. Steer clear of this one.

Upon arriving, we were surprised to find a more rustic setting than we'd anticipated. The hotel is very pretty, the riverside restaurant seemed nice and it is situated in a lovely, quiet location. But, the rooms were a bit cramped; there were a lot of mosquitoes outside our room (I suppose that's to be expected); bathrooms were clean, but had no separate shower/bath stall; and we were met with less favorable hospitality than we'd read about on TripAdvisor.

I have been travelling extensivly throughout the world and I never expierenced such hospitality! The Resort is peaceful and has all the comforts (even high-speed internet access). The old Teak wood builiding is very characteristic and the garden with the orchides and palms is faboulous, real Thai feeling here. The service and the staff (especially Esther) are very helpful and extremely kind. They suggested my trips around Chiang Mai and they gave me useful tips. The Restaurant is excellent, where original Thai food is served. I stayed for 6 nights and I ended up eating at the Resort restaurant every day, by far the best food I had in Thailand. If you ever stay in Chiang Mai I really suggest this place. Price/Quality cannot be beaten!

River Ping Palace is a place we would definitely stay at again. It is a wonderful experience of a traditional Thai teak house (150 years old). The riverside location is beautiful. It is just across the river and down from the Chiang Mai Sheraton. The view from your breakfast table is of a beautiful river and green trees. Very quiet, tropical location, excellent staff. They even hooked me up with a dentist for a teeth cleaning. The owner of the hotel also gives cooking classes so needless to say the menu at the on site restaurant is fantastic. The only drawback (and we found this at all Thai hotels) are the hard/firm beds and tall pillows. River Ping had better beds than many of the hotels we stayed at. The value was the best. We paid $35 per night for a standard room and that included breakfast. Daily laundry service is included. Esther will also act as a tourist agent and recommend and book excursions for you. Breakfast was great, they would always give us some of the left over desserts from the night before. The mango cheesecake is killer! Everyone should stay here, singles, straights, gays, families, couples, everyone! The place is awesome!

Had a brief stay in Chiang Mai on our way to Laos(Which did not happen due to Thai Airlines cancelling route without notice)

Thanks to staying at the wonderful River Ping Palace our thoughts on Chiang Mai were saved from being negative

Esther and staff were so friendly and spoilt us to make our stay very rewarding

All the little extras they provide makes for a very lovely stay and the food is sooooo yummy

Highly recommendable

John & Mary

Sydney

Australia

After glimpses of tropical living/accomodation in some other places so far, the River Ping Palace has topped every place we've ever stayed so far.

The friendly and relaxed atomsphere and hospitality to be felt from Esther and her staff was as comforting and amazing as the old mansion.

Charming and passionately maintained and located by the river-UNFORGETTABLE!!!!

Ellie & Peter (from Jan 2005) recommended us this place and we will definitely also recommend you further. Our children ranked here first too.

(although no pool) and it was very nice of them to put up the children inflatable pool especially for us.

Thank you River Ping Palace.

Exhausted from a night on the train, we arrived at the River Ping Palace, intending to stay for 2 nights. We were pampered in such a wonderful manner that even after 5 nights, it is hard to leave. Thank you Esther, our superwoman...the Queen of River Ping Palace for making our stay, excursions,etc, so perfect....and to the friendly and helpful staff and the delicious food.

Without a doubt, we are going back to River Ping Palace again.

Peggy & Katrin

We have been to manyplaces throughtout the world and have never found a place more hospitable.

Thanks to the friendly staff that work so hard and made each day so enjoyable! Each morning we drank mango mix...so good !!!

Even the puppies spent time walking with me at dawn.

River Ping Palace hospitality is very much appreciated and thanks to them, we have got so many good moments.

Paul and Kathleen Schumann

Chicago, USA

River Ping Palace is friendly. Everything was fabulous. The mango cheesecake is Yum! Yum! The crew are great.

River Ping Palace..above all the amazing hospitality and enthusiasm, have exceeded any expectations we had. The food is the best we have had anywhere in Thailand.

We loved every minute of our stay and will remember it forever. Especially Esther, she is The Palace.