Over the past 6 months I’ve repeatedly come across adoring articles about this exclusive property in Northern Thailand. Located just outside Chiang Mai, this place is not without serious competition when it comes to exclusive luxury properties, some of them located just 15 minutes down the road. So naturally I was curious to find out what makes Howie’s stand apart from some of Thailand’s most fashionable hotels.
On arrival I was immediately met by the owner Howard and his wife Jerri. Boston-born, Howard moved out to Thailand 20 years ago and has since dedicated his life to making Chiang Mai his home. Howie’s Homestay is exactly as the name implies – you are staying at Howard’s home, as Howard’s guest. Originally the land was bought for the purpose of building a private home, with maybe one or two rooms for visiting guests. However the idea of an all inclusive experience soon developed, and with the help of the highly talented Bill Bensley, Howard designed the ultimate, highly exclusive ‘’homestay’’. The private property can only be booked by one group at a time, so whether you are a couple or a group of 10, the place is yours. But it is clearly built for a group, with a huge al fresco dining area and numerous other outdoor spaces that are perfect for drinks and other gatherings.
As soon as you walk in you are greeted by some of the most stunning views in the area. The open-plan living area and pool look out over beautiful gardens decorated with colourful flowers and bamboo trees, stretching out for miles into the bamboo forests and mountains in the distance. And all inclusive apparently really does mean all inclusive, from the airport transfers to breakfast, lunch and dinner, to those added extras we always seem to find added to our bill at the end of the stay. Alcohol, he told me, is the only one he keeps an eye on!
From first impressions, I would definitely recommend this for a family or group of friends who really want that exclusive experience in their own tropical ‘’home away from home’’. Whether it will hold up against such properties as the nearby Four Seasons, only time will tell.
By: April Cole- US Director of Operations and Tours
I know it may seem silly to post a hotel review of our hotel on here, but I actually do think it’s fitting. The reason why is because Andrea was putting together an itinerary for someone and she said she wanted a “really nice hotel” and I asked her why she wasn’t including Journeys Within? I think sometimes we feel like we’re including the hotel just because it’s ours and not because of the hotel itself and sometimes we actually sell the hotel short. Sooooo, if I want to treat the hotel like any other hotel then I need to review it! Whew! That felt like a ridiculously long explanation!
Journeys Within Boutique Hotel- EntranceEvery room is poolside
The rooms:
I’ve been lucky enough to stay in almost every room at JWBH and I’ve really liked them all. All JW rooms have:
Wireless internet throughout the property
Netbook computers to use in your room
Mobile phone, preloaded with minutes
Complimentary laundry service
Sodas in the minibar
Unlimited filtered water
Breakfast each morning, made to order
Free tuk-tuk rides to and from town each night
Flat Screen TVs
JWBH has a few different room types which are fitting for different travelers.
The original rooms:
I stayed in these rooms on my first trip to Cambodia four years ago. I loved them then and I love the upgrades they’ve made to them now. Like all JW rooms they are styled with a touch of Khmer design but not overdone. When you step into your room you really feel like you can relax as the rooms are spacious and well appointed. We stayed in a room with a king sized bed and had a baby cot and still had plenty of room for our luggage and for our little one to play. The upstairs rooms each have a balcony overlooking the pool and the bay window looks out on the village area behind the hotel. The down stairs rooms have a patio with pool access. The original rooms are perfect for couples as they are quiet since the bungalows built as separate units.
Room 1- Buddha Bungalow
Room 2- Bamboo Bungalow
Room 3- Discovery DenRoom 4- Rattan Room
The Ramayana Retreat:
The original family suite that was designed for longer stays as it has a relaxing resting area upstairs and a usable living area downstairs complete with a full kitchen, bathroom with shower, and a pull out couch for extra sleeping space. The upstairs living area is an absolute oasis. The king sized platform bed is like sleeping on a cloud. The upstairs room has a sitting area with a bay window overlooking the village area behind the hotel and, of course, the room has the classic JW spa rain shower. I love this room for a couple who is looking for a large suite with extra space, those who are staying for a longer time, or families with tweens or teens. The pull out couch is usable, but isn’t ideal for extra adults as it’s on the smaller side. This room would have been wonderful for my husband, me and our son as our son would have hung out in the downstairs living area, but my wild 18 month old daughter would be climbing those stairs non-stop, so I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who is traveling with a little one who isn’t sturdy on their feet on stairs.
We recently stayed in the new family suites and I couldn’t have been happier with the room. After having kids and traveling as a family, my husband and I always book a suite, preferably a two bedroom suite, so the kids can go to sleep and we don’t have to sit in the dark and be quiet at 7pm ; ) ! I am not being biased when I say these were the best family suites we’ve ever stayed in. You have two full rooms which sit side by side and have a connecting door. The “kids” rooms are set up with two full sized beds, lots of play space, a bay window and a desk area. The connecting “parent” rooms have a king sized bed, bay window and desk area as well. The rooms are the same layout as the original rooms with the exception of being built next to each other so they could be connecting rooms instead of only separate bungalows. I was very pleased at how quiet the rooms were. We had a family with two young kids staying in the units above us and we only heard them when they went up and down the outside stairs. I also liked that the rooms got really dark when you closed all the curtains – if you’ve ever tried to get a little one to take a mid-day nap while on vacation I’m sure you’d appreciate this fact too! It was a great set up for us traveling with two little ones and I would highly recommend the family suites to those traveling with kids or teens.
The Kids Klub is a great space for the younger ones to have supervised play while you enjoy a quiet meal on your own or while you head out to the temples. The staff is friendly and I felt like my children were not only having fun but that they were really safe. My kids read books, colored, played with blocks and even played Wii – while we had time to have breakfast, while I attended work meetings, and while my husband and I went out on a date!
My little one loving Kids Klub.
Sabai Sabai Restaurant:
First of all I love the name- Sabai Sabai means ‘Happy Happy’ in Khmer, and Sabai is the name of one of the staff’s daughter – and she is just about the sweetest, happiest little girl you’ve ever met. Understandably, I instantly loved the name just as I love baby Sabai. The restaurant is gorgeous. It was originally designed to be open air but it just didn’t work out as Cambodia can get really hot and really rainy – so they ended up building it with glass walls so you felt like you were outside, but had the creature comfort of AC (a must in Cambodia!). I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though a full sized restaurant was being built, the quality of the food is as good as it’s always been at JW. I highly recommend the Pumpkin Curry Soup and the Mango Salad. If you’re feeling adventurous, take a look at the pool menu. From the pool menu you can order crickets and frogs, true Cambodian delicacies. I will admit, I wasn’t feeling adventurous and kept to the main restaurant menu during my stay. Also, if you’re traveling with kids, they do have a kid friendly menu!
Just another delicious meal at Sabai Sabai RestaurantGreat food only comes from great staff
The Rex, Majestic and Grand hotels are moving with the times… So this week I met with each hotel to hear and see what is being planned and what it means for you as our guests.
Rex Hotel
Today, following a 3 year development phase, the Rex is a historic landmark 5 star hotel with its perimeter walls now bordering 4 streets: Nguyen Hue, Le Thanh Ton, Pasteur and Le Loi. Guests will find the main entrance at 141 Nguyen Hue Boulevard. Facilities have now expanded to include: designer shops, 2 swimming pools, tennis court, spa, gym, a variety of courtyard cafes, piano bars and restaurants.In February next year, after Tet (New Year), a new phase of development is planned expecting to last 18 months. In part of the Old Wing you will see the carpets replaced by wooden flooring, with renovations to change the rooms to the more modern characteristics seen in the New Wing. Some welcome news is that whilst there are no connecting rooms in the Rex Hotel at the moment, these will be on offer following this development phase. The precise number of connecting rooms is not confirmed as yet as planning is still in progress.
The Rex Hotel
Majestic Hotel
The Majestic Hotel is located at 1 Dong Khoi Street in District 1 and is a guest favourite. I was relieved to learn that the charm and history of this hotel is to be retained.A 3 year development phase is to start from January 2012. The land next door to the Majestic will become a new more modern hotel wing, with the existing hotel as the old wing. In fact, you can consider them as two hotels as they will each have their own entrance and reception area. Both will fall under the Majestic umbrella.In the new more modern wing there will be 24 floors. The first 4 floors will be meeting and dining areas and the top floor will be an inside coffee/lounge area giving fantastic views over the river. Floors 5 to 23 will be allocated for guest rooms. The new wing will also have its own swimming pool. 4 floors underground are planned for parking and shopping. All rooms will be double glazed and there will be a connecting corridor between the two wings. Guests will have use of the facilities in both wings.Grand Hotel
The Grand Hotel is located at 8 Dong Khoi Street in District 1. Development is well underway at this hotel and due to complete on 15th November 2011.The exisiting hotel is being referred to as the Ancient Wing with its old French colonial style. The new Luxury Wing has 20 new floors and is designed to be inkeeping with the similar style and high ceilings of the Ancient Wing. Floors 6 to 19 are allocated to guest rooms, whilst floors 1 to 6 are for function rooms, meeting areas, a casino… The swimming pool will remain in the Ancient Wing post development.Today there are no connecting rooms in this hotel. After development this will still be the case. An important change to mention is that we will see a new room type on offer in the New Wing. For families who are travelling you may be interested to learn that the new Family Suite will be on offer with maximum occupancy for 4 adults and an extra bed in the lounge area.We will be monitoring developments to help you make the best decisions for your holiday with us.
I’ve seen this hotel in the past and really enjoyed it, but I feel that recently it’s started to look a little tired. With that said, this hotel offers some of the best experience opportunities of any hotel in town. They offer complimentary crafts, complimentary village walks, a trip to the local pagoda to learn about Buddhism and they have jazz music each evening in their restaurant. They offer different art displays every few months and their staff are warm and inviting. The rooms themselves are where this hotel suffers. They just feel a little old to me and they also lack privacy, with thin curtains that overlook the courtyard. The outside areas also feel a bit grubby, other than the breakfast area- which looks much cleaner and newer. It’s a tough call, because I like it’s location next to the Sunday Walking Street and the many complimentary experiences they offer mean you can have a much fuller trip, but the rooms just don’t quite meet the mark.
Insiders tip: This hotel is made by the fun experiences they offer so make sure you see the menu and take advantage!… Read more »
There’s nothing wrong with this hotel at all, but it just didn’t excite me. The best part of the rooms are their great views of Doi Suthep and their swimming pool also overlooks the mountain which makes it stunning. Other than that the rooms are a good size and the spa and pool are lovely, but I felt that this hotel could have been in any city and I missed the charm that is available at so many of the boutique hotels in town. I also heard from my guides that the staff just don’t go above and beyond and the customer service isn’t to the usual Northern Thai standard. So while I haven’t stayed here and just visited I can’t really comment, I do think it’s worth mentioning.
Again, nothing wrong with it, but in a city with so many options, maybe not enough right with it either.
exterior of Le MeridianDeluxe king roomJunior Suite bedroom
Insiders tip: Go to the second floor and look down on the lobby…the carpet is actually a map of Chiang Mai.
