il Giardino Romantico

清邁雖不大，但也算是個旅遊觀光聖地。因此住宿選擇也很多。物價雖然不比十幾年前天仙還居住於此的時候，但要跟台灣（或甚至曼谷）比起來，還是可以輕鬆享受高級待遇的。不過隔了這麼多年沒回去，又是第一次沒有老爸可以安排交通，住宿的問題我倒是思考了好久：到底是要選擇豪華一點的（享受一下），還是交通便利為主的呢？位於Huaykaew路上的飯店選擇就很多了。Sri-Tokyo，Kadsuankaew，和這間Chiang Mai Orchid都是天仙居住在此時就已經打響名聲的幾座旅館（Kadsuankaew當時算是新的，但內部裝潢實在很詭異，因此就不考慮）。Chiang Mai Orchid 在天仙還在那時就已經算是老飯店了，現在都已經可以算是祖父級的了。

Chiang Mai is not a big city. But it is a very popular tourist city. Because of that, there are many choices from which you can choose your lodging - from economic guesthouses, all the way to five-star luxurious hotels. Although prices have gone up since I had been living here, it's still pretty low compared to the price ranges in Taiwan (or even Bangkok!). So you can still easily enjoy posh experiences while you're here. This was the first time I was in Chiang Mai without back up. Without my Dad around, I had to figure out transportation on my own. Therefore, I had to choose a lodging that wouldn't be that much of a burden on transportation. On Huay Kaew Road, there were already three places to pick from - Sri-Tokyo, Kadsuankaew, and Chiang Mai Orchid. Kadsuankaew was the newer of the three, but the interior design seemed a bit odd, so that was out of the question. Chiang Mai Orchid was probably the oldest of the three. But it was larger scale hotel than Sri-Tokyo, and was a thriving five-star hotel while I was living there.

除這間以外，還有鄰近清邁夜市的幾間例如：Imperial Mae Ping、The Empress。雖然逛夜市很方便，步行就可以到，但想一想逛夜市頂多去個一兩趟，這兩天飯店的交通不見得是最便利的。天仙爸說，他可以請以前的同事以優惠的價格訂到旅館，就讓我們從Imperial Mae Ping、The Empress和Chiang Mai Orchid做選擇。上網查查有那些比較新的旅館，卻每每都看到頭昏。也不知道到底哪一間值得入住，不如就從絕對會心安的幾間挑選吧！最後選擇隔壁就是購物中心，一出旅館就可輕鬆搭乘tuk-tuk或雙條車的Chiang Mai Orchid。

Other than these, there were a few that I also considered. These were near the night bazaar: the Imperial Mae Ping and the Empress Hotel. Although it was within walking distance to the night bazaar, that would only take up at most two nights of our stay. Wasn't worth the trouble. My Dad said he could get his former colleagues to get us rooms at a discounted price, so we had to pick from Imperial Mae Ping, The Empress, and Chiang Mai Orchid. The verdict went to Chiang Mai Orchid, because it made me feel safe. Cental Kad Suan Kaew shopping mall was right next to it, and tuk-tuk and songteaws were accessible right in front of the hotel. 



之前老爸工作常常來這裡舉辦活動，當時算是個規模很大的四～五星級旅館。雖然老舊了，但天仙知道，服務上是絕對不會出問題的。因此就安心地決定這幾天都住這裡了。（老爸有問我要不要選兩間，但我懶得搬來搬去，所以選定了就當這幾天的家吧！）

In the old days, many of my dad's events at work were held here. At the time, Chiang Mai Orchid was still quite a large scale four-five star hotel. Although it's quite old now, I knew that the service would still be satisfactory. Therefore, we decided to stay here for the entire duration of our days in Chiang Mai. (My dad did ask me if I wanted to book two different hotels. But seeing that moving around would be such a hassle, I declined the offer).
  


這裡的環境算是天仙比較熟悉，可以輕鬆當作這幾天的家是沒問題的。Huaykaew路可是以前天仙上學每天必經之路。隔壁的Central Kad Suan Kaew也是天仙當時在周末常常與朋友相約殺時間的地點。

I was quite familiar with this neighbourhood. I used to pass by Huaykaew road every day to go to school. The shopping mall right by it - Central Kad Suan Kaew, was also a place where I'd hang out during weekends. 



看到熟悉的泰皇圖像，就知道：我回來啦！

It was nice to see His Majesty. Sort of a homecoming feeling. 



大廳部分跟天仙記憶中一模一樣。還真是有點回到家的感覺 XD

The foyer was also exactly the same as I remembered. Probably not a good thing, but for me, it created a comforting feel. 



非常泰式的裝飾到處都有。

Thai decors can be found all around.



倫敦熊也來亮相一下。

Time for London Paddy to show his face.



既然取名為orchid，當然要來點蘭花來點綴囉！

Of course, some orchids would serve the place right, seeing it's called 'Chiang Mai Orchid'!



房間部分裝潢簡單。雖然老舊，但基本上選了這間就已經不期待會有多新了。

The room was simple. Although old, we knew what we were expecting, so that was okay.

  

清邁天氣並不潮溼，因此這種老舊飯店其實也很難有那種台灣老舊旅館會有的霉味。基本上，可以接受！但泡澡...我想還是免了。

The dry weather in Chiang Mai means that even old hotels like this wouldn't smell like mold. The bathroom was acceptable, but I think I'll skip the bubble bath!

當時有發現浴缸排水並不好。Check-in、行李放好後出去吃飯時告知飯店人員，回來後就已經處理好了。這種效率在泰國人身上是很少見的啊！

We did discover that there was a small problem with the draining. But the hotel fixed the problem right away. This efficiency is difficult to find in Thai people! So that was pretty impressive.



基本的毛巾、盥洗用具。原則上不用期待太多囉！（還好我們還是有自己帶一些）就算漏了什麼，隔壁就有商場啦免驚！

Very basic stuff. We did bring most of our own things, so it was okay. I mean, even if we were missing something, we can just pop by the mall next door! 



四方形的櫃子其實是冰箱。

The square cabinet is actually the fridge.



裏頭的飲料是要錢的。水別喝冰箱裡的，梳妝台上有放兩瓶。兩瓶是每日的quota。喝完了再要免錢的。蘇打水是泰國必備！很好用～連喝whiskey他們都會加入蘇打水～

Of course, these were not free. Don't drink the mineral water in the fridge. They provide two drinking water bottles per day by the dressing table. Drink those bottles instead (they're free!). Also, you'll see that there are two bottles of soda water. Very Thai, indeed! 



這衣架的設計倒是挺奇怪的。用的不太習慣。

Quite a strange design of hangers, I must say! 



基本上Chiang Mai Orchid現在已經淪陷成老舊旅館。但天仙會選擇這裡主要是求交通便利以及住的安心、舒適，有點家的感覺。這其實是太新太豪華的旅館反而做不到的。至於如果想要體驗五星級飯店的享受，其實最近天仙觀察到很夯的旅館就是Shangri-la（天仙看到很多二代台商子女喜宴都是辦在這裡）。另外也有這幾年新建的Le Meridian相信都是不錯的高級住宿選擇。

Basically, Chiang Mai Orchid is now an old hotel that is in desperate need of renovation. But I still chose this place, because I was looking for familiarity and convenience. These are points that new and posh hotels can't meet. In terms of posh experiences, I do recommend Shangri-la (many of our Taiwanese friends held their wedding receptions there) and the pretty new Le Meridian. These are pretty good choices for four-five star experiences. 



檢視較大的地圖 

天仙念：光看外表，大家可能會想說天仙怎麼那麼不懂得享受。可是你們想想，我們可是住了五個晚上。即使多個幾百塊，五天下來差別也是很大的。住宿只要住得舒服，不能太差即可。省下來的錢，拿去買東西、吃東西不是更好嗎？嘻～