A 3-star hotel in central Chiang Mai near Chiang Mai Gate, with an outdoor pool, art-filled air-conditioned rooms and free Wi-Fi, a short walk from the Old City.
Check availabilityThis is not the official website of Sathu Hotel. This page contains affiliate links. If you book through our links we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Sathu Hotel is a 3-star property in central Chiang Mai, tucked into the Phra Singh quarter close to Chiang Mai Gate, the southern entrance to the moated Old City. Its position — rated an outstanding 9.3 by guests — puts the historic temples, the city gates and the famous walking-street markets within easy reach on foot, while the airport sits just a ten-minute drive away.
Built in a clean, modern Thai style, the hotel is arranged around an outdoor swimming pool with sun loungers. Rooms are decorated with original artwork and framed by large windows that fill them with daylight; each comes air-conditioned, with a flat-screen satellite TV, a minibar and an in-room safe. A tour desk at reception helps arrange day trips to surrounding attractions.
The line-up of rooms suits couples and solo travellers in particular, ranging from compact 15 m² Superior rooms to a 35 m² suite with its own private entrance. With around-the-clock security, daily housekeeping and a string of restaurants a short stroll away, it makes a practical base for exploring the old Lanna capital.
Sathu Hotel offers four room types, all built around the same idea: a quiet, art-filled space with plenty of natural light, designed mainly for couples and solo travellers. Every room sleeps up to two guests and comes air-conditioned, with a flat-screen satellite TV, a minibar and an en-suite bathroom.
From there the differences are easy to read. The Superior rooms keep things compact at 15 m², available either as a double or as a twin with two single beds. The Deluxe Double steps up to 17 m² and adds a private balcony, while the 35 m² Suite is the most generous of all, with a private entrance, a separate bedroom, a king-size bed and extras such as a tea and coffee maker. Whatever the size, the look is consistent: large windows, modern Thai decor and original art on the walls.
For a compact city hotel, Sathu Hotel keeps things comfortable and practical. The centrepiece is the outdoor swimming pool, edged with sun loungers and a few pool toys — a welcome way to wind down after a hot day in the Old City. A tour desk at reception can put together excursions to nearby attractions, and a snack bar covers light bites between meals.
Every room is air-conditioned, non-smoking and fitted with free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen satellite TV, a minibar, a safe and a private bathroom stocked with towels, a hairdryer and toiletries. Day-to-day practicalities are well covered too, with daily housekeeping, a laundry service, express check-in and check-out, and invoices on request. Security is taken seriously: the property has 24-hour security, key-card access, CCTV in the common areas and around the building, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. There's a designated smoking area outside, while the interiors stay smoke-free throughout.
Sathu Hotel sits in the Phra Singh quarter, in the south-west part of Chiang Mai's Old City — the moat-ringed square, roughly 1.6 km on each side, founded in 1296 by King Mangrai as the capital of the Lanna kingdom. The hotel is a short walk from Chiang Mai Gate (Pratu Chiang Mai), the southern gate in the old walls, which makes it an unusually handy base: guests rate the location 9.3, and most of the city's sights are within easy reach on foot.
The big draw on this side of town is the Saturday Walking Street on Wua Lai Road, which begins right at Chiang Mai Gate and runs south through the silversmiths' quarter. Every Saturday from around 4pm to 11pm the street fills with stalls of handicrafts, silverwork and street food. Just by the gate itself, the Chiang Mai Gate market turns into a busy night food scene from about 5pm — grilled meats, khao soi, papaya salad and more. A little to the north-west lies Wat Phra Singh, the most revered temple inside the walls, while Nong Buak Hard, the leafy public park in the south-west corner, is a calm spot to sit in the shade.
Head east along the moat and you reach Tha Pae Gate, the city's emblem and the starting point of the larger Sunday Walking Street; further into the centre stand the Three Kings Monument and the City Arts & Cultural Centre, set in the former provincial hall. Getting around is simple: the Old City is compact enough to cover on foot, and for longer hops you can flag down a songthaew — the shared red pick-up taxis, a flat fare of about 30 baht — or book a ride through the Grab app.
The best time to visit is November to February, when the air is cool and the skies are clear; early November also brings the Yi Peng and Loy Krathong lantern festivals. It's worth avoiding March and April, when fierce heat combines with haze from agricultural burning — the so-called "burning season" — and the air turns hazy. Chiang Mai International Airport is only about a ten-minute drive away.
