Sheik Istana Hotel Chiangmai

“One of the most attractive hotels I have stayed in.”

Just 20 minutes away from downtown Chiang Mai, this is a beautiful Moroccan style hotel on the banks of the River Ping. Very quiet and much better than staying in the centre of town. It has two swimming pools and a very impressive gym area on two floors. If you live locally you can use the gym an… more

Just 20 minutes away from downtown Chiang Mai, this is a beautiful Moroccan style hotel on the banks of the River Ping. Very quiet and much better than staying in the centre of town. It has two swimming pools and a very impressive gym area on two floors. If you live locally you can use the gym and swimming pool at very modest rates. Sheik Istana Hotel has lovely gardens next to the river, which come alive at night with impressive lighting. We had very good quality Thai dishes at the restaurant in the evening, which were very reasonably priced. The breakfast was a typically unexceptional hotel style buffet. The room was extremely comfortable and attractive with all the normal additions. A nice balcony overlooked the gardens and river, and the impressive Chedi Liam on the opposite side. Sadly, no BBC news channel on the large, flat screen TV. Thoroughly recommended, and I would most happily stay here again.

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“Nice hotel with potential for more...”

A North African/Moroccan style hotel, different from most.Well executed in architecture and interior with a few exceptions.Offered both airport pickup and drop-off.The lobby is a bit different and doesn't quite have the same class..The rooms, however, were spacious and equipped as requested.Then we… more

A North African/Moroccan style hotel, different from most.Well executed in architecture and interior with a few exceptions.Offered both airport pickup and drop-off.The lobby is a bit different and doesn't quite have the same class..The rooms, however, were spacious and equipped as requested.Then we have the pool area which seems to lack supervision, cloudy water, no showers or changing rooms, towels missing, etc. Parts of the hotel seem a bit run down and the breakfast was barely acceptable, few guests and even then it was served lukewarm..Pretty simple things to fix for a better rating. In defense, it should be said that the price was surprisingly low.

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“average”

I booked this hotel six days ago, drawn in by the spacious rooms and beautiful lake views. The owner was very welcoming—he informed us about the current condition of the hotel and even offered us a ride from the bus station, which was greatly appreciated. However, upon arrival, we noticed several … more

I booked this hotel six days ago, drawn in by the spacious rooms and beautiful lake views. The owner was very welcoming—he informed us about the current condition of the hotel and even offered us a ride from the bus station, which was greatly appreciated. However, upon arrival, we noticed several issues that affected our stay. While the hotel clearly has potential, it appears quite aged and in need of maintenance. The swimming pool was unfortunately unusable due to murky green water, and our bathroom had a leak that made it difficult to use comfortably. Additionally, the Wi-Fi didn’t work during the two days we stayed, and when it started to rain, there was a power outage that ultimately led us to cut our stay short. To his credit, the owner was understanding and kind enough to refund us for the two nights we didn’t use, which we really appreciated. It seems this place may have once been a great retreat, possibly before the floating issues began, but it’s clear that some significant renovations and improvements are still needed. Also, it’s worth noting that the hotel is quite far from Chiang Mai city center, so transportation should be planned ahead. If you're considering staying here, I’d recommend checking in with the owner about the current state of amenities before booking. The price is definitely attractive, and with some improvements, this place could become a charming lakeside escape once again.

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“Not the best in Chiang Mai”

Hotel is located by the Ping river and has very nice exterior design in Morrocan style with swimming pool, fountains and lots of greenery, even though the territory of the hotel isn’t very big. The service in the hotel is below average, non of the staff speaks English, housekeeping doesn’t put an … more

Hotel is located by the Ping river and has very nice exterior design in Morrocan style with swimming pool, fountains and lots of greenery, even though the territory of the hotel isn’t very big. The service in the hotel is below average, non of the staff speaks English, housekeeping doesn’t put an effort to clean the room. Breakfast is so so, and I wouldn’t recommend to order food in their restaurant, as after two times having lunch here we had stomach ache. Smell in the room is very bad due to high humidity. Oh yes and location... it’s far from the Old city (about 15-20min drive), so you have to take a Grab (local Uber) for 85Baht per trip, or rent a bike/motorbike.

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