Viangbua Mansion Hotel

The Loft vrs Viangbua

The Loft is a rather new place here in CM. I took a look around and it seems nice enough, tho the furnishings are a bit too plywood for my taste. Prices seem OK, but it sounds as though they do a lot of "add on's" to the price of the flat per week or month. I think a better choice for this type of thing is Viangbua Mansion. I have stayed there and can't say enough about the place. Lovely lobby area with a coffee shop that has the best latte this side of Florence! There is a very nice restaurant that is open until 3pm every day and a wonderful restaurant called the Spirit House diagonally across the street. (Steve the owner will take good care of you and you can get either Thai or farang food...or just hang out in the garden area, have a drink and some nibbles and admire the 700 year old chedi while listening to Steve play the keyboard...if he's not in the kitchen cooking something wonderful) The front porch is a great place to have a cold one in the afternoon and watch the local neighborhood go about their business. I can't say enough about the staff...your wish is their command!

Rooms are nicely furnished in Lanna Thai style and clean! Most rooms have a balcony and all have private baths...some even have a WONDERFUL tub AND an enclosed shower stall! Each flat has TV with about 4 or 5 English speaking channels. WiFi is also available through out the building. There is a small gym on the second floor and a laundry room on the first floor at the back of the lobby area. Even though its a bit away from the moat area you can walk there and there is a great fresh market and some shopping as well as a very old wat within a block or two. A larger Top's Market is a 5 minute walk away as are several of Thailand's larger banks and money exchanges. If you're a woman traveling alone the security is also very good at Viangbua. It's also very easy to get a tuk tuk or a songtaw by walking less than two blocks to the main road. Or, you can have one of the staff at the desk make your transportation arrangements...they all speak English. The only negative about VM is no pool...but I used a tuk tuk and went over to Hillside 4 when I wanted to use a pool. Only paid 40/THB a day for that plus the tuk tuk fare over and took a songtaw back. nannyre

Unique Quality: Family owned...and they pay attention to every detail. Khun "Ea" is the manager and she is just so sweet and caring for all of the family's guests at Viangbua.