We stayed here for a week during the Loy Kratong a.k.a. Yi Peng festival in November. Now to be fair there were very few guests staying at the hotel so I may have had a different opinion if it was totally crowded. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and it was great! It is a very tranquil spot located close to the action. It is about a 5 minute walk to get inside the old city walls and about a 10 minute walk to the flower market or the northern end of the night market. Eating at the hotel is very reasonable. About $3 for a snack and about the same for a big beer. The included breakfast is sufficient and when purchased with the room makes for an easy start to the day. There are many other restaurants and bars within a block or two. The staff is very freindly and there is a taxi driver named La La that will take you anywhere you want to go for a very reasonable price. He was even more reasonable than the tuk tuks. The pool is great but be careful because there are a few missing tiles and I sliced open my big toe the day before we left. (In typical Thai fashion they aren't worried about liability) We stayed in the family room which is perfect for young kids. There is almost nothing breakable in there and the room is huge, perfect for our normally well-behaved 5 year old son. The "vibe" of this place is very relaxed. The staff was great as well. We had a few of our attractions arranged before arriving in Chiang Mai, but the girls at the counter were very helpful setting up a cooking class for my wife and a traditional dinner at the Chaing Mai cultural center. I will definately stay here again if we are lucky enough to return to Chiang Mai.