I chose the Secret Garden because it was rated #2 on Trip Advisor, because the price was reasonable,and because I prefer cultural, friendly hotels to snooty five-star establishments. It exceeded my expectations on all counts. Host PeterSeiermann offered airport pick-up (and return), and although I was surprised to be picked up in an open-backed songthaew (two-bench transport), I learned it's a normal mode of transportation in Chiang Mai. My bungalow (one of the cheapest) was spacious, clean, and charming, with a sitting area, television and DVD player, a microwave, refrigerator and hot pot, and coffee and tea at the ready. The grounds are a lush oasis in this bustling city, artfully decorated with small sculptures, water features, fountains, and even tropical birds. The food was exceptional--Pai is an excellent chef with a support staff that creates lavish Thai dinners as well as sumptuous breakfast buffets (breakfast is included). Hosts Peter and Pai help to make this a friendly, warm destination, offering help with transport to the city and advice for activiites. I can easily say this ranks among my two favorite hotels in the world. As I said, it doesn't get better than this.

We booked a stay in the secret garden on the positive comments on Trip advisor and we spent 5 nights here from 12.01-17.01. 2012.
The reality exceeded our expectations!
It's a wonderful, quiet place in a beautiful, well maintained garden. The bungalows are spacious, very clean and comfortably furnished - plenty of space for clothes, through the dryer, microwave oven, kettle, iron and ironing board. Rooms cleaned daily, added coffee and tea every day, 2 bottles of water provided free of charge.
This is all great, but the best is an approach of the owners, Peter and Pai, who are incredibly selfless, friendly and thanks to them we felt like visiting the best friends.
Accommodation is located about 30 minutes from downtown Chiang Mai, but Peter or Pai were always ready at any hour to take us to the bus and to pick up us again. They even provided us with their mobile phone, so we did not have to call from our mobile.
With Pai , which is, by the way, incredibly good cook, you can arrange and assist in cooking or just watch. Dine in the Secret Garden is really worth it.
It's also possible to agree with Peter and Pai and they arrange a car with driver for one or more days at a very reasonable price and you can privately visit what you want without a travel agency.

If we return to Thailand and we hope so, we'll certainly sleep again in the Secret Garden, so if we're lucky and Pai and Peter will have free bungalow.

Accommodation in the Secret Garden we can recommend to all!!

We had an awesome time at the Secret Garden! After some hectic travelling around China, 2 weeks chilling at the Secret Garden was everything we needed: homely, beautiful and very relaxing. Peter and Pai are (as everyone says) amazing, endlessly generous with their time and energy and so welcoming that staying there felt much more like staying with friends than at a hotel. We spent many a day sun-bathing and reading by the pool, and borrowing bikes to explore the beautiful countryside and nearby villages. The food was wonderful and we loved the atmosphere in the evenings, chatting to other guests over dinner and a glass of wine. Our bungalow (Tamarind) was great, with cool decor and a comfy bed. Each bungalow has a TV and there is a good selection of DVDs (and books in several languages) that guests can borrow. We found it very easy to get into Chiang Mai using the local buses. We really hope we'll be back!

Tucked away about 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai is a little paradise aptly named Secret Garden. I had the pleasure of staying for two nights with two of my friends during a tour of SE Asia. We rented the Raintree bungalow, which has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room. It was more than enough space for us and Peter was able to accomodate a third bed for us in the living room.

Secret Garden is a collection of several bungalows centered around a beautiful garden area with a small pond, an eating area, and a pool. Words can't do it justice, so I recommend checking out the pictures.

We spent one day in Chiang Mai and one at the Elephant Nature Park, both of which can be easily accessed from Secret Garden. When we wanted to go into town, Pai was able to take us to a commuter bus which cost only 15 THB per person. Returning home, we showed the map that Pai gave us to the taxi driver, who was then able to bring us home. The tour guide from Elephant Nature Park was able to pick us up and drop us off at Secret Garden.

The one regret that I have is that we didn't have more time to spend on the property. We stayed around one afternoon/evening, hanging by the pool, ate dinner, and then hung around having drinks with some of the other guests into the late hours. There were some families, some older travelers, and some younger. Everyone we met was very friendly; it was nice to have people to socialize with. I highly recommend doing dinner at least once. Pai is an amazing cook. We tried all kinds of food in all types of places in Thailand, from street food to expensive restaurants. I can honestly say that the dinner I had at Secret Garden was the best of the trip and my friends agree (and so did the other guests that we talked with).