in search of darn good digs

After reading Arthur Frommer’s blog post about Darn Good Digs, Kathy from Ankara, Turkey decided to nominate her favorite digs in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Kathy spent one month at the Sri Pat Guest House with her daughter, and she could not more highly recommend the Sri Pat or its friendly staff.  We just published Kathy’s review of the Sri Pat as a “Traveler Favorite” on Darn Good Digs.  You can read here review here or visit our Thailand section.

Why is the Sri Pat so darn good? “These digs, in this neighborhood, are luxurious for a relatively small price. Other places were bare-boned, concrete boxes with a shower head in the middle of another box called the bathroom. It is very easy to see that some effort, thought, and love had gone into the Sri Pat. The owners understand what weary travelers need and want, and they go the extra mile to deliver. My daughter and I stayed at Sri Pat for one month and had a great time.”

Location: “The location is close to the famous night bazaar as well as some fabulous restaurants… it’s just a really nice central location close to everything worth seeing in Chiang Mai. The street locale is quiet and peaceful, and we came to know the super friendly restaurant owners, the women who did our laundry, and the folks who ran the internet cafes.”

Rooms: “The rooms are lovely – spacious, beautifully tiled floors, dark wood accents and a beautiful bathroom – VERY clean and luxurious for that particular neighborhood. We checked out about eight other guesthouses on the same long street and came back to the Sri Pat because we felt at peace there. Chairs were strategically placed, allowing tired guests a nice place to rest their weary bones after sightseeing all day. The flowers, lovely pictures, and other details really made us feel at home, and we looked forward to coming ‘home’ each day.”

Food: “The food was great. The guest house even allowed us to buy our own food and bring it back to cook for ourselves, or have the cook make it for us. Room service is offered. We used it many times and were able to take our food and coffees out to the balcony and watch the world go by.”

Vibe: “The vibe is great. The staff and the owners (the family had their own residence in the back of the house) made us feel as though we were part of a big family. The owners’ pets wandered through and made friends with people sitting around. The owners’ children would sit with us and share their world. Very nice!”

Keep In Mind: “While the guesthouse costs a bit more for this neighborhood, it was well worth it to us to pay the eight extra baht to have some place beautiful to come back to at the end of the day. We always knew we would come back to a spotless room and smiling faces ”

Thank you Kathy for your nomination.  If you have an amazing hotel, b&b, or hostel to recommend, please visit our Nomination Form.