High on Hip

Hip is clean and quiet.

Just by Pratu Chang Phueak - Chiang Mai's North Gate - is a small guesthouse with an exterior the colour of rose wine. This is Hip, so called because the owner is the editor of local magazine Hip - and because it caters to the young and the independentminded.

With six rooms, choice is limited to two floors but, unlike most Chiang Mai guesthouses, this one is free of scruffy backpackers exchanging dubious stories.

I checked in for two nights in January - at Bt650 a night - and found Hip clean and quiet.

Each room has its own bathroom, airconditioner and telly, and guests can have free coffee all day. The restaurant serves tasty local and Western food and plenty of vegetarian dishes.

Sticking to the motif, within a short walk is Hip Bar, where local bands play every weekend.

Hip Guest House

Call (086) 914 8251 or (081) 681 0037

Email khan_asa17@hotmail.com

(Want to recommend the "best bed" you've ever found that cost less than Bt1,000 a night? Email us at travel@nationgroup.com.)

reviewed by Phoowadon Duangmee