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Malee's Nature Lovers Bungalows are located 1 km north of the Chiang Dao Caves towards Wat Thum Pha Plong. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere of this small paradise in the midst of untouched nature at the foot of the third highest mountain of Thailand Doi Luang Chiang Dao. The cool, refreshing Dhala Pool is located in a cozy garden where our guests can enjoy the magnificent nature. Families with children feel comfortable in our quiet place. Rare birds are often seen in close proximity, making this place a birdwatcher mecca. Other activities at this location include trekking, cave exploration and mountain biking.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Set in a beautiful tropical garden, this resort, run by a Thai-Swiss family, lives up to its name. From our bungalow, we could watch birds from the balcony. For serious birders, the staff can arrange tours to more remote areas with Thai or English speaking guides. Besides Thai, staff speaks fluent English and German. Their hospitality is wonderful. Just before we arrived, my wife sprained her foot and could walk only painfully. Staff members took her out for lunch and took her on tours of the countryside. The grounds are level, so access to the bungalows from the parking lot is easy. (Some bungalows, as well as the restaurant, have a few steps.) The restaurant currently only serves breakfast. Our bungalow was spacious and comfortably furnished. It had fans, hair drier, hot water pot and refrigerator, but no TV, AC or microwave oven. It is within easy walking distance from several tourist restaurants, and slightly farther, but still within walking distance, from the Thai-style open air food court at Chiang Dao Cave. We can recommend this place highly for nature lovers. Non-nature lovers seeking a peaceful, relaxing setting with gracious hosts will also enjoy it.
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Date of stay: January 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Balcony of endmost bungalow offers birdwatching opportunities. Plant photographers will enjoy...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you to Malee, Kurt and Som for hosting us last week. We loved their hospitality, from the delicious breakfasts to the jaw-dropping 2 day jungle hike through the mountains of Chiang Dao. Thanks to Kurt for coming along and adding so much to the trip – with his jungle banter and hiking expertise. The bungalows were clean and tidy and the setting simply divine. There’s some great little eateries nearby where you can tuck into all sorts of cuisine ranging from Thai to Pizzas. We hope one day to be back and Maylees will definitely be our first choice.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
we were able to photograph and see birds from the room. The property is surrounded with trees and plants attracting different birds. Very quite place to relax. Rooms are nice. The hosts are an excellent couple and very welcoming
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Date of stay: November 2020
Cleanliness
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Room Tip:Â room number 7
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in Malee's 3 nights in family with 2 kids 5 and 8 years old. We were welcomed as family, Malee and her husband and brother were so nice! The place is beautiful with all kind of flowers and a big collection of orchids in the garden. The bungalow was very spacious for the 4 of us. And a lot to do around with good advices (chiang dao caves 2 minutes away, walking in the mountain, birding, hot springs and beautiful waterfall in the national park 30 minutes away by car) The kids loved to play with the dogs. We recommend!!
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
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First of all, great choice for a wonderful place to visit. Very basic bungalows, clean ,and comfy beds. Malee and Kurt made our visit wonderful. The gardens are out of this world. So many different, beautiful orchids (coming back at a different time would be fun) fruit trees, flowers, and more. The butterflies are all over enjoying the gardens. Quite and beautiful. We of course, wanted Khao Soi, and Malee took us to a very small place, by the cave to have lunch. WE would have never found this, as it was very local and the Khao Soi was amazing. Malee was a treat, great smile, funny and thank you for having lunch with us. What an experience, very lovely and thank you. Would highly recommend this to travelers to Chiang Dao.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A great place to stay for Chiang Dao. Super cottages with excellent amenities and even a small swimming pool. Super views of the mountain & surrounding forest. Quiet and peaceful. Excellent wifi. Home cooked breakfasts. Friendly owners. Terrace overlooking forest and lovely wooden dining/living areas. Close to local restaurants & a bar. Would recommend
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at Malee's for our first week in Thailand. We opted for the $40 pickup in Chiang Mai and were able to stop at the bus station on our way to the hotel so we could get tickets out of town the following week. Malee is very helpful and speaks excellent english. She even offered us a ride back to her place when she saw us in town running some errands. She doesn't serve lunch or dinner anymore which is sad, but she has good advice on where else to go eat. The best meal I had in Thailand was a restaurant she took us to that specializes in whole fried fish and papaya salad. She sells wonderful honey, try it. The WIFI can be hit and miss, but it works well enough. It is a short walk to the temple which is worth spending many mornings while birding or just enjoying the forest. It is also a short walk to various restaurants/resorts that serve lunch and dinner. Also, she makes fresh bread!
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Date of stay: February 2018
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Malee's is in a secluded area of Chiang Dao, a 5-10 minute drive out of town and set back from the road in a peaceful jungle corner. The bungalows are well spaced apart and are quiet and peaceful.
Malee herself was very helpful with the booking and kindly arranged our transfer back to the Chiang Mai airport at the end of our stay. She pre-arranged a guided day hike up Doi Luang Chiang Dao for us, and also managed to arrange a taxi to take us on a hotsprings/waterfall/village day trip at a moments notice .
The day hike was excellent, the walk itself is lovely and with the national park passes, navigation and a packed lunch all sorted we only had to walk and enjoy the views. Our guide had very little English but he was friendly and entertaining all day. The lunch was a good size, and included Malee's delicious home-made bread, freshly baked that day.
A word on dogs - Malee has four dogs which generally have the freedom of the place. We found they were quiet and well-behaved all through our stay and they were extremely friendly, we loved having them around!
Thank you Malee for an excellent stay!
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Date of stay: January 2018
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Within ten minuets of being here we decided we wanted another night, luckily Marlee had the space for us. Cute bungalows sit in beautiful surroundings. We stayed 4 nights in total and enjoyed each one. Marlee gave us a warm welcome and told us about the local area (including where to go for dinner, drinks, treks and places of interest).
Our hut was a good size for us and had lots of light. Compared to the standard of accommodation we'd experienced in ChangMai and Bangkok, Marlee's is fantastic value.
Sadly, Marlee is no longer able to offer lunch and dinner, but there are several different restaurants (Thai and Western- English menus), and small conscience shops down the road to suit most budgets. Thankfully Marlee does offer breakfast, and her homemade bread is fantastic!
As it says on her website, the pool is the right size for a light paddle, though it is only heated by the sun so some might find it a bit bracing. There is no air conditioning, but the huts stay cool and the fan moves the air around. The wifi signal was fine by the pool and in the restaurant, but could be temperamental in the hut, especially at night with all guests using it.
There is other accommodation available, but most where located next to a busy road and lacked the charm and tranquil setting of Marlee's. The name says it all, it really is for nature lovers.
We really did enjoy our time here and wish we lived closer to make it a regular retreat.
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Date of stay: December 2016
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
most unhelpful, surly managers. were only worried about a deposit on the key? Had to pay upfront, would not help with luggage, complained when we asked to please give us room keys as it was raining and needed to get into our rooms. Stay elsewhere!
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Date of stay: October 2014
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from traveller071953, Owner at Malee's Nature Lovers Bungalows
Responded Oct 29, 2014
Yes, we agree that we are an awful place for party lovers. We really don’t enjoy helping guest to carry the drinks they brought in from outside. We always ask our guest to sign in before giving them the room keys. Sorry that this requires a few minutes waiting when a group arrives simultaneously. In case of urgency there are clean toilets right up front. We try to be a place for NATURE LOVERS, who like be in a quiet, clean place. Very rarely it happened that some guest come here for the wrong purpose. In the future we will try hard to turn away such guests beforehand. Please stay elsewhere if you have only party in mind! We feel very sorry for the guest that couldn’t sleep because of a group that kept partying past midnight. In case such things happen again, we will consider asking the police helping us and have the drunken guest spend the rest of the night at the police station.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yes we are using Paypal for confirming booking with us. The customers do not need to have a Paypal account. Payments can be made directly with any credit card. Bank payment would also be possible, but have higher fees for international transfers
There are more places to choose from in the Chiang Dao area.
PRICE RANGE
$22 - $26 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
malee`s nature lovers bungalows hotel chiang dao
LOCATION
ThailandChiang Mai ProvinceChiang Dao
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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