About Spicythai Backpackers
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Why Spicythai? It's great social atmosphere that attracts cool people. It's great young traveler, university degree staff who know exactly what backpackers need. It's great facilities that will surprise budget travelers. ... Find out how hard to leave the place!!
PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY BEFORE BOOKING
It seems like we have to get serious about telling people what to expect from our location.
We really love the location of Spicythai. If we had another chance to choose between the tourist trap downtown and the 70 cent taxi to the centre, uptown, we would have no doubt that we would definitely still choose the uptown. This is a great area where you can appreciate the beauty of Chiang Mai. And Spicythai will make sure that you will get the most out of your stay in this city; Guiding is our expertise (University degree in tourism) and creating a sociable and fun atmosphere is our profession (We run a backpackers place, how can we keep our young heart happy without friendliness and fun!). And this is the area we carefully chose to build our home and to raise our family, Spicythai Backpackers.
It is so easy to get to downtown from here if you want to check it out but believe us you don't need to stay there. Keep such a touristy and endless party for somewhere else, there are plenty. Chiang Mai is your best opportunity to experience the true beauty of Thai culture and we offer the best opportunity to show you the country we love. Every hostel can show you the bar and how to get drunk but how many hostels will take you to the temple and tell you about Buddhism …and of course going to the bar and get drunk later.
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"We are not plain but have variety & spice, come and experience many dimensions of Thai with Spicythai Backpackers"
The Staff
Pong, the spicy hostels director. He studied English major, linguistic and minor Tourism in Chiang Mai University and later began work with a major travel agent in Chiang Mai after finishing his study. He is a 9 years experienced (Tourism Authority of Thailand, TAT licensed) tour guide who quit his job to start the hostel and spend his life working, traveling and hanging out with backpackers.
His 3 months working in Brisbane and traveling along the east coast of Australia in 2005 is his first impression about hostel. He really wants to have one his own in Chiang Mai. Here it is! And he put together all the nice things and influences from each hostel & hostel he stayed during his time working and traveling together here in Spicythai Backpackers. Now, he is in Laos for the mission, Spice up the world, running Spicylaos Backpackers.
Noom, the Spicythai director, is Pong's friend and they used to work together in the same tour company. Noom has plenty sense of humor and has a skillful dad who make amazing rice whisky. After being tour guide for 7 years then he decided to join Spicy Crew to run one of the best hostel in the world, Spicythai Backpackers.
Noom will be the one who assist you during your time staying with Spicythai.
Saow, the manager, grew up in this town. Chiang Mai is her beloved home town. She is young, ambitious girl who finished her studies in 2006 from Chiang Mai University, BA in History, minor business administration and tour guide training course (she also has a tour guide license). She finds Spicythai is the ideal place to work and meet nice people. She will be one of friendly little ambassadors (tour guide) and young manager at the same time.
Pong, (pronounce differently from the director name with falling and rising at the end tone, it is hard to use 26 English alphabets to represent 44 consonants, 28 vowels and 5 tones in Thai ), the house maid, has 15 years experience working with a big hostel in Chiang Mai. Finally, she found a small lovely place full of cool people to work with.
Freelance staff, director's friends (They help for no money, our friendship is worth more than that); they are a group of nice, educated and experienced young Thais. Most of them are some of the best tour guides in the country. They really love to meet nice people and help provide free information that normally they will get good pay for it.
We offer more than what you've expected for what you pay.
They are Free!!!
-Free continental breakfast; Kellogg's corn flakes, Musli, fresh milk, bread, jams, quality Thai coffee & jasmine tea and Ovaltine (hot chocolate) (7:30-11am, but if you can't make it in time after a big night out, help yourself they are all in the fridge) (Our coffee, tea and Ovaltine is 24 hrs self-service with small request for donation after breakfast time)
-Free self catering (Western kitchen) & communal fridge; microwave, stove, oven, kitchen utensils and lots of free spices, sauces, salt, sugar, oil… (Occasionally, we will sign in and share pay for Thai, Spanish, or Italian …dinner cooked by our guests. There is an imported shop, 230 m from Spicythai where you can find almost every ingredient)
-Free high speed internet access & WiFi (8 am-Midnight). Our computer also provides a card reader to organize your travel photos or use our cheap (30-50 baht) self-service CD&DVD burning to store them and of course Skype.
-Free fully equipped TV with English channels & DVDs with 6.1 channel home theater with very comfy couch to sit on. We have cable TV with all major channels, ESPN, Star Sport, Super Sport…, Discovery, National Geographic, Animal Planet, BBC, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Star Movie, and more. And our 6.1 channels quality home theater with big screen and great selection of DVDs is very tempting to spend a bit more time to enjoy it. Enjoy the show!! If you want some food delivery, there are Pizza Hut, The Pizza Company & Swensens Ice-cream, KFC, Oishi, Mc Donald and Chester's Grill available.
-Free locked luggage storage with security camera; Keep it safe with us and travel light so you can enjoy your over night trek, peaceful meditation retreat or whatever without having to worry about your stuff. You can leave your big luggage with us as long as you want. It is free!!!
The House & Village
Coming in the village, you will notice lots of big house with low fence, green garden and luxury cars. You are now in the posh area of Chiang Mai, beautiful and peaceful in the middle of the town.
The hostel's building is a large house with 5 bed rooms, 6 bath rooms, big common areas, 2 kitchens, garden and rooftop. It was a home office for an US ambassador for a few years before we rented it and converted it to be Spicythai Backpackers' Hostel. It is a small 23 beds hostel with one double ensuite (The master room in the house with private bath & tub, wardrobe, dresser and balcony) , one 4 beds girl dorm , one 8 beds mixed dorm and one 10 beds mixed dorm.
After check in, you will get fresh sheets (which you can change when you stay longer than 3 nights), a cutlery set (for our free breakfast or occasionally communal dinner) and a key to access the hostel anytime.
This is non smoking hostel but you can smoke in the garden (with under covered wooden bench when it rains or bamboo swings and Mexican hammock under the shade of the tree) or on the rooftop (with bamboo benches). For non smoker, our garden and rooftop is great for chilling out, reading or sun bathing as well. The bedrooms provided with comfy spring beds, lots of windows and great view of our nice neighborhood. Our big bathrooms provided with 24 hrs hot and cold shower. Our dinning and breakfast table is a big comfy teak wood set under beautiful chandelier.
We are very flexible running this hostel to make you feel as comfortable as home. We only request that you will be nice and friendly to the other guests, to us and to our lovely neighbors.
The Location
Spicythai Backpackers is on Nimmanhaemin Rd, The Uptown of Chiang Mai. (Nimmanhaemin Rd. is also connected to Suthep Rd, Huay Kaeo Rd. and Super Highway Rd. where lots of main attractions are in walking range). It is the most popular area where locals and uni students (Chiang Mai is not only city of temples but it is also city of universities and colleges. There are 5 big universities in Chiang Mai and the biggest one is Chiang Mai University on Suthep and Huay Kaeo Rd, 20,000 students) hanging out for its numbers of nice restaurants and uni pubs & bars. But if you want to go to the down town area where the night market, lots of guesthouse and tourist bars are located, it is only 15 minutes in taxi or Tuk Tuk for 20 baht.
Nimmanhaemin Rd has lots of nice places to hang out which are recommended by guide books and locals.Ming Muang Restaurant, The most popular small restaurant with delicious thai food and great smoothies is extremely recommended for whom who like Thai food. The Original Wawee Coffee, the famous local coffee from Chiang Mai which makes StarBucks Coffee work harder to keep their costumers. Warm up Café, the most popular uni pub & restaurant which is busy 7 days a week (esp. Friday and Saturday there will be hundreds of young Thai going out for drink and dance). Red Sun, the biggest Thai country pub & restaurant which is the meeting point for country lovers, live band every night and live concert by famous Thai country singers occasionally. Looking for a green area, Srinakarin Park is a good place to chill, walk or jog with locals. CMU Art Museum is another place to visit on Nimmanhaemin Rd. with free art exhibition. There are heaps more nice places that we can't mention all of them.
Suthep Rd is where Wat Suan Dok (founded 1372), one of the 6 main temples to visit in Chiang Mai is located. This big temple with Buddhist University offers tourists Monk Chat and over night Meditation Retreat in English. This road leads to the back gate of Chiang Mai University. There are numbers of small restaurants and street stalls selling cheap food for students. Ton Payom local market is another place worth visiting with lots of Thai spices, fresh veggies, bugs, local foods, meats (even alive one) and etc.
Super Highway Rd located Wat Jet Yod (founded 1455) is another one of the 6 main temples to visit in Chiang Mai, with beautiful old structure copied from Buddhagaya in India where Buddha enlightened. The National Museum is only a couple minutes walk from Wat Jet Yod.
Huay Kaeo Rd is the main road leading up to the must see temple, Wat Doi Suthep (founded 1385) with the stunning view of the city. The shuttle taxi for 40 baht, 30 minutes, to the temple is at the front gate of Chiang Mai University, 20 minutes walk from Spicythai. This road is also the short way to walk to the old city (15 minutes) via Kad Suan Kaeo , one of the two most popular department stores in Chiang Mai. Kad Suan Kaeo is a good place for discount brand name products, fast foods, cheap cinemas (70-100 baht) with new release movies, English soundtrack, cheap bowling game (3 games for 100 baht) and more…
The Activities
We offer choices of unique tours created and run by experienced TAT licensed guides, our own staff, under TAT licensed 23-1134 as Spicythai Backpackers Company*** and we also offer the most popular activities and tours (Trekking with elephant ride, white water rafting, bamboo rafting and visiting hill tribes or cooking Thai foods) run by best selected companies (There are tons of travel agent running same same but different tour).
Often we organize trips, outings and other activities within the house group. Some of these activities include trips to the local lakes, Thai dinner, night treks and nights out. Pong, the director, also offers an introduction to the history of Chiang Mai for first time visitors.
"We will offer you only the best quality in reasonable price"
*** "Spicythai's activities are some of the best trips I encountered while on the road in South East Asia. From the elephant rides, local treks, trips to natural hot springs and picnics in bamboo huts by the water, they offer a wide range of small, unique trips
which always surprise the eager traveler. The director's combination of local knowledge and fluent English meant that everyone had a great time exploring things that would normally be reserved for the locals. For a fun and friendly Thai experience, I would highly recommend embarking upon an adventure with Spicythai from Chiang Mai..."
Tristan 6/12/2006
(wanna listen to Spicythai's song composed by Tristan contact our staff at Spicythai)
***Our goal is to create a great home for backpackers***
"We promise we will keep this place running best and cheap as long as people love it!"