OPTIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR TEFL CHIANG MAI
There are two main options that we
recommend for staying while you study TEFL with us. Classes will
take place at one of the two following locations, therefore offering
TEFL students affordable urban and rural accommodation choices with
easy access to pursue their studies and enjoy the best of what
Chiang Mai has to offer visitors in the process. Neither of the
options are owned or managed by TEFL Chiang Mai.
Reservations for the A-Nine Guest house should be made directly with the management here.
The Ban Pong Residence is owned by
Khun Pa, an very fit and outgoing elderly lady who works for a
nearby resort as their exterior garden designer which also benefits
the well maintained gardens of her tastefully designed home.
A-Nine Guesthouse is located in the north part of Chiang Mai about 15 minutes from the famous moat of the “old city” of Chiang Mai, near Lanna Hospital not far from Rachapat University. This is within walking or biking distance to both Tesco-Lotus which is western style supermarket and mall and a local Thai market consisting of street vendors and fresh produce for sale. Despite the close proximity to the main “superhighway” or ring road, the guest house sits less than a mile away, but is situated in a quiet and convenient location of town with easy access to top restaurants on near CMU, the public bus and train stations and distant tourist destinations in the mountains.
The
Ban Pong Residence is
located on the Southwestern side of town not far the suburb of Hang
Dong near the CNX International Airport in the beautiful village of
Ban Pong very near the picturesque Wat which sits beneath a small
mountain.
By accessing a 999 step staircase to
the top next door you can visit the Buddhist pilgrimage site with
its own Chedi where a new temple is under construction housing
ancient Buddhist relics and featuring sweeping views of the rice
fields and mountains surrounding the famous Mae Sai Valley.
The house offers three separate
small large rooms each with a single king sized bed, private
bathrooms with hot showers, two large covered outdoor patios with
tables and chairs and a shared common kitchen. The house is gated
and secure. It provides
visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the tranquility of rural Thai
lifestyle, while enjoying the modern amenities and landscaped lawns
and gardens of this comfortable and tasteful
home.
Option One-
A Nine Guest House
OPTION ONE: A Nine Boutique Hotel
(Rooms by the day, week or month)
A-NINE PLACE, CHIANG MAI BOUTIQUE HOUSE
T.Patun, Muang, Chiang Mai 50300 Thailand
Phone: 053 224 288 Fax: 053 224 288 Mobile: 081 611 4576
Email : info@a9place.com
www.a9place.com
Check out a video about A-Nine Guest
house here:
http://www.a9place.com/vdo.html
The rooms are clean and comfortable
with options for either fan or AC rooms depending on your price
preference. There is a quality café serving breakfast, lunch and
dinner located next door to the hotel that offers excellent baked
goods, traditional delicious Thai courses and western fare for very
reasonable prices.
Unlike most guest houses in Thailand, the furnishings, beds and
linens are high quality, which makes your stay all the more
enjoyable and an outstanding value.
Reviews from previous Guests as
posted on Trip Advisors website express a high level of customer
satisfaction.
“This is one of the best places we have stayed, the staff are
very helpful. The A9 cafe next door does fantastic food. The rooms
are lovely and clean and are services daily plus fresh towels. It is
a ten minute drive into the city costing around 80Baht. Access to a
kitchen in lovely grounds. A very friendly atmosphere, would
recommend to everyone we are on our second visit here.”
Beverely & Neil from
England
“We
initially booked 2 nights, but soon added 3 more. The rooms are
extremely clean with efficient air-con, and they provided a fridge
on request. Next door is "Grandma's Kitchen" which is separately
rented but essentially part of the complex. They do good breakfasts,
and general snacky food, and are clean and friendly. The lady who
runs it also has information about a great genuine village stay a
few hours north if you fancied seeing village life from a
comfortable lodge. A9 reception was always helpful, there's free
wi-fi and free use of computer. They have a 24 hour cold cabinet for
drinks, snacks and beer (but cold beer is much cheaper in nearby
loocal shops). A9 has its own DIY laundry, but there are others
nearby too. A9 place is out to the north of Chiang Mai just beyond
the Lanna hospital, so you need an 80-baht tuk-tuk to and from the
centre. We liked being out of the crush and noise, and you can get 4
people in a tuk-tuk, and they were easy to find. Reception can also
call one.
2 bicycles
were available free, good for seeing round the local area, very much
a quiet Thai suburb. About 300 meters along the road toward the
hospital, on the left, is an excellent partly-outdoor but covered
garden restaurant. The café features absolutely excellent food at
bargain prices. There are also a few street stalls doing food, and a
5 star restaurant on the same side as A9 on a corner.
A9 will store your baggage if you decide to take a trek out of Chiang Mai (which we did).
I originally booked through Agoda.com but then realized that direct
booking was cheaper so cancelled the first booking and was happy to
lose my 15 dollars deposit because booking rooms direct meant I got
a decent double for under £8. This place is much recommended, we
would definitely go back. However, if you're a 5-star hotel type
person, stick with the expensive options instead. A9 is fantastic
value for money for those of us on a tight budget. It's safe and
clean and friendly.”
Steve
Riches, Northampton, UK. -Stayed August 2010, traveled with family.
The following information is posted on the A-Nine Web site
ACCORDING TO THE MANAGEMENT AT A-NINE: Our rooms are tastefully
decorated in contemporary youthful Thai style. We have several types
of rooms to choose from to make sure your stay is the most
comfortable. First of all you can choose to have one large, full
size bed or two twin beds, both choices of high quality, new
mattresses to ensure your restful sleep. In addition to that you can
choose to stay in a remote controlled air-conditioned room or a
comfortable fan room. All rooms have windows opening up to the
outside so you are always ensured fresh air and plenty of natural
light. If that is not enough choices you also get to choose your
color scheme, we have 2 different color schemes and beautiful local
artwork in each of the rooms.
Every room has a private hot and cold shower with a Western
toilet, phone (reception line and outside line), color cable TV,
WI-FI wireless internet access on the whole grounds and a small
balcony.
Convenience:
Guestroom Facilities & Amenities:
- 21" Flat Screen color TV and 40 channels cable access
- Complimentary access high speed cable & or WI-FI internet
- Outdoor balcony.
- Toilet amenities
- Electric current: 220 volts
- Fan or Air condition with individual controls (for air conditioned
room)
- Small refrigerator for rent to keep in your room for 300 baht a
month.
Front office Facilities:
- Beautiful reception area with small desk and work area.
- Comfortable, modern style sofas for relaxing or meeting up with
friends.
- Complimentary, high speed WI-FI internet access on whole premises.
- Motorcycle for rent/200-250 Baht a day.
- Tour information desk with brochures and free transportation to
activities.
- If you require anything else you can ask at the front desk, we
will be happy to accommodate you.
Other Amenities to make your stay more comfortable:
- We can even pick you up from the airport or train station at the
lowest price 200-250 Baht.
- Convenience items for sale on premises such as toilet paper, soft
drinks, personal items.
- Outdoor garden area with pond and fountain providing a nice, cool
space for working or relaxing with comfortable seating.
- Garden Terrace with a breathtaking view of the Northern Thai
mountain range and Doi
Suthep.
A lovely place to have your morning coffee, catch some sun or
check your email
www.anineplace.com
TEFL CHIANG MAI RECOMMENDS A-NINE GUEST HOUSEE
We recommend staying at A-Nine because of it is good location to
hold our classes, it has excellent and friendly service and high
value for its budget price. However
you are free to stay anywhere in the city that meets your needs as
we have no formal requirement and receive no additional compensation
from the guesthouse.
OPTION TWO: THE RESIDENCE IN BAN PONG
The “Residence in Ban Pong” is fully
equipped and includes all amenities such as linens, kitchen
utensils, weekly cleaning and internet. The accommodations are
included in the price for
TEFLChiangmai Buddhist Exchange and are available for regular
TEFL certification students for an additional 5,500 THB (about USD)
This includes Air conditioning, some basic food staples and all
utilities. If you would like your room cleaned and laundry washed
and ironed, you can expect to pay 200THB (or about $ 6.25 USD extra
per session) for these services.
To give you an idea what a good
bargain this is, please know that
there are many four and
five star resorts in the Mae Sai Valley that charge about the same
rate of 5000 THB or more for one night, as the price you will pay to
stay for an entire month! (Notably, the Veranda Hotel and
Resort on the other side of the main road, but there are many more
up and down the valley to be sure.)
For students the price includes the
rental of one motorbike per couple or individual at no extra
expense. For those who are taking the basic TEFL course the fee for
the motorbike will depend on which company you chose to rent from,
but you can anticipate a rate of about $5 to $10 a day depending on
the agency and model selected.
Living in Ban Pong is not without
its rural difficulties that are common throughout man y parts of
Thailand. Occasionally, the water or electricity may suffer
temporary outages usually lasting for no more than one day. There is
some noise from the local temple which can be excessive during the
peak Thai and Buddhist holidays due to the typical celebration and
reasons for merriment.
In general however, this is a place
that stays with you and permeates your body, mind and soul… Time
spent in the village is slower… it begs the question of purpose and
the meaning of life. Every morning you can wake to the sound of the
gong, music and birds and monks chanting, every evening it’s the
stars, crickets, frogs and the mountain breeze through the banana
trees lulling you to sleep. This program is truly an amazing
opportunity for those individuals interested not only in obtaining a
TEFL certification with personal assistance in finding a job
afterwards, but perhaps more importantly, it offers English Speaking
students a chance to grow personally, professionally and spiritually
in one of the most beautiful and inspiring locations on the planet.
We recommend staying at the house in
Ban Pong because it is an excellent place to have classes while
taking in the beauty of the famous Mai Sai Valley coveted by
tourists for its natural lifestyle, access to many tourist
attractions like waterfalls, hill-tribe villages, orchid and
butterfly farms, and close proximity to the urban necessities of
Chiang Mai. The additional revenue exists to cover the out of pocket
expenses and is offered as an additional incentive for student
benefit. It is not offered or intended to be an additional source of
income revenue for TEFL Chiang Mai’s ownership or its facilitators.
