Where To Stay In Chiang Mai, Thailand – Hostel Lullaby
Looking for the best places to stay in Chiang Mai, Thailand? Look no further than Hostel Lullaby, a charming garden stay in the center of Chiang Mai.
If you’re embarking on a trip to Thailand and looking to head up to the north, you’ll likely look to base yourself out of Chiang Mai for many of your northern adventures.
Chiang Mai, Thailand’s largest city outside of Bangkok and the former capital of the Lanna Kingdom, provides a great central city to base yourself in northern Thailand.
We only stayed 3 days in Chiang Mai before heading back south, but during our time there we stayed at the most wonderful hostel that was exceptionally located in the center of the city, Hostel Lullaby.
Hostel Lullaby in Chiang Mai’s old downtown boasted many features such as short walking distances to major temples, attractions, and restaurants throughout the city. They also provided free breakfast and on-site activities for their guests. And the best part was that it was only $16 a night.
Hostel Lullaby Location, Getting There And How To Book
Hosel Lullaby is really well located in central Chiang Mai, in the city’s old town district. It is in close walking proximity to many major attractions, as well as near the airport. Below are some of the ways you can choose to travel to Chiang Mai, and Hostel Lullaby.
By Air – This is how we arrived in Chiang Mai. Once we arrived, we got an airport taxi to take us to the hostel, which was only about a 10-15 min trip. Air travel is very cheap, quick, and easy in Thailand and I think the best way to travel around if you’re on a tight schedule.
By Train – Sleeper trains from Bangkok are a very popular option for getting around in Thailand, and the option we almost took just for the experience. However, the ride was almost 22 hours, and with our limited time in the country, we elected to fly. However, the nearest train station seems to not be far from the hostel. Maybe only a 20-25 ride without traffic. The train station location and the airport are also tagged below.
Above Are Locations For Hostel Lullaby, Chiang Mai Airport And Chiang Mai Railway Station
To book Hostel Lullaby, there are several options you can choose from. One would be booking directly through the hostel website, but I usually find that is the most expensive option. Below are some sites I would recommend and you can compare the prices between the online locations for your trip dates. All links to booking locations are in bold.
Hostelworld – My go-to spot for most hostel bookings. They usually have great deals on hostels and a very easy app and booking process, plus they have group chats for your location so you can connect with other travelers both before and during your stay. This is what we booked Hostel Lullaby through and it was $16 a night per person.
Booking.com – One of the most major booking platforms and for good reason. I feel like the deals can be fairly hit or miss here compared to Hostelworld or Agoda, but always worth checking. I’ve had great experiences so far booking through them.
Agoda – Agoda has quickly become one of my favorite platforms to book stays on while I’m overseas. Their app is very simple and fun to use, and they have awesome deals on their platform. I have yet to have a bad experience booking through them.
Hostel Lullaby’s Website – You can always book through this hostel’s website, but I found the prices are a tad higher compared to the above options. They do have a great website though so you can definitely book there if you prefer to go straight to the source.
Accommodations
Hostel Lullaby was a very small hostel, with only a few rooms and a select number of dorm beds. There are also private room options with an ensuite, but at the time of our booking, these were already taken, so I think they get booked up quickly. The room options they had are detailed below.
• 6-bed and 4-bed mixed dorm rooms (with shared bathrooms)
• 6-bed female-only room (with shared bathrooms)
• Private room with an ensuite (meaning your own bathroom)
We ended up having a private room because we booked 3 beds in a 4 bedroom dorm and then just decided to book out the fourth bed in our room for the duration of our stay (it was super cheap) so we could have a private room to throw our stuff around, so that is always an option when you’re traveling in a group.
The rooms and beds were really nice, comfortable, and very clean when we got there. Each bed came with a fluffy comforter, pillow, and towel (a deposit of 200 BAHT cash was required at the front desk for a towel, but you of course got that back when you returned the towel at the end of your stay ) for use in the shared bathrooms.
Within each bed cubicle were also privacy drapes, a small lamp, an outlet for charging your devices, and a large locker compartment under the beds to store (and lock) your belongings up. The room also came equipped with AC and a fan.
In my view, the only complaint I had about the room was that there were no windows in the rooms, only in the main areas of the hostel. However, I didn’t find this to be that big of a deal considering we were not in our room most of the time. The hostel was also very transparent about this on their website and before booking.
A note on the bathrooms since many people might be wary of the idea of using a shared bathroom. These were SO nice. The upstairs bathroom had a beautiful wall mural and a totally private shower and toilet room, while dual sinks were out in the main area. Downstairs, there were a few more shower and toilet stalls, with a separate bathroom for men and women. Again, the downstairs also had shared sinks that anyone could use, in addition to private sinks in the respective bathrooms.
The bathrooms were exceptionally clean, with hot water and great pressure, and they provided shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion in the bathrooms for their guests.
Amenities and Nearby Activities
One of the best features of this hostel was the plethora of amenities. Detailed below are some of the many things you get along with your stay.
Breakfast – Free breakfast was provided to guests every morning and included with your stay. The breakfast every day we were there consisted of toast, cereals, and these small pancakes with banana, as well as a selection of coffee, tea and juices. I believe breakfast began at 6 or 7 and ended at 10 AM.
Cooking Classes – Another activity included in your stay was a free Thai cooking class every Tuesday night. While we didn’t end up doing this, taking a Thai cooking class is one of the top activities to do while in Chiang Mai, so it’s amazing this hostel provided this to their guests during their stay.
Thai Boxing Classes – Every Wednesday and Friday, the hostel also provides free Thai Boxing classes to their guests.
Free Bicycles – During your stay, if you wanted to use a bike to explore around Chiang Mai, the hostel offered free bike rentals to their guests. These were available on a first come first serve basis, but there were bikes available every day we had stayed there, so you would likely be able to access one every day.
Tour Booking – Since Chiang Mai is a great base for many day trips in northern Thailand, the hostel provided an entire of wall of brochures and popular tours and the times available to book directly through the hostel. The popular day trip to Chiang Rai to see the White Temple occurred daily, and a tour you can book the night before. Just make sure you let them know before 8 PM so they can arrange everything for your trip.
READ MORE: Visiting Chiang Rai’s White Temple
Walk To Temples, Markets, and More – Since the hostel was so centrally located, it was an easy walking distance to many restaurants, grocery stores, and some major temples and markets. Here are some nearby places to explore while staying at Hostel Lullaby. Links to the locations below are attached to their names.
• Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan
• Tha Pae Sunday Walking Street (a market that only runs on Sundays)
• Chiang Mai Gate and The Market At The Gate
Why You Should (Or Shouldn’t) Stay At Hostel Lullaby
So I’ve laid out most of the reasons why Hostel Lullaby is an incredible stay while you’re in Chiang Mai. This stay was relaxing, comfortable, feature-packed for the price, and had great tour connections and offered a prime location to just walk around the city.
However, if you’re looking for a more social, bustling hostel with parties, this stay might not be for you.
Hostel Lullaby details explicitly on their website that they are NOT a party hostel and that drinking on the premises is not allowed. The area of old town they are in also has noise ordinances, so there will not be music playing until all hours of the night at this hostel either.
When we arrived, to me it seemed that many other travelers were there with friends or a couple. In other words, everyone seemed to already be acquainted with one another and there seemed to be few solo travelers. While many people were still friendly, if you’re solo and looking to meet other travelers here it may be harder to find your group. But my opinion could just be reflective of when I happened to stay here, and perhaps this is not usual for Hostel Lullaby.
Who Hostel Lullaby Is For: Travellers who are looking for a comfortable place to rest, be provided with wellness activities and connect with others looking to do the same. This would also be a great spot for remote workers and digital nomads. There were computers on site if you needed to use them, but they also had great WiFi and excellent common areas for remote working.
Who Hostel Lullaby Is NOT For: Travellers looking to stay up till all hours of the night drinking or even just talking. Everyone seemed to go to bed early at this hostel, so if you’re looking to be a social night owl this might not be the best place to do so.
Here is also a video review and walkthrough of our stay at Hostel Lullaby if you would like to see a few more vantage points.
@kiramautone Looking for where to stay on your trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand? Look no farther than Hostel Lullaby. Listen to the details of our amazing time so you can stay here on your next trip too? #chiangmai #thailand #hostel #hostelworld #hostels #hotels ♬ Walking Around – Instrumental Version – Eldar Kedem
Enjoy your trip to Chiang Mai! And please don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments below with any questions.
Till our next adventure dear friends,
Kira
