Varada City

I arrived several hours before normal check-in and was accommodated right away. People at the front desk speak English. My room is small, but comfortable, clean and nice. Nice tile floors and bathroom, A/C, wifi, refrigerator and microwave in room. One premium English speaking movie channel on TV. The neighborhood is ideal for backpackers and adventure travelers. Things available within a block incl good Thai food, Western food, laundry, café, convenience store, massage, nail salon, hair cutting salon, gas station, a place to handle Visa issues, and buy simple clothing. It is a combination hotel and dormitory style hostel, which added a nice element of flexibility for me. When I was staying in Chiang Mai, I would stay in the hotel section for privacy and added comfort because I was spending more time in my room. When I would take tours and excursions to other parts of Northern Thailand, I would simply move over to the dormitory section for a few days to save a little money since I would be gone all day or overnight and just needed a place to crash when I got back and store my luggage while gone. For backpackers, a computer with Internet access and printer is available in the common room. The beds are hard by Western standards, but that's common in Thailand and these are at least spring mattresses and not the incredibly hard beds you find in many hostels that are little more than plywood. And the dormitory rooms have a bathroom right in the room with 4 beds.