BaanBooLoo is a quiet family guesthouse located in the owner's garden and traditional Thai family home. Nestled away behind a temple in the heart of Chiang Mai's historic old city, this simple rustic six room boutique style guesthouse appeals to those looking for unique stays and alternatives to more typical hotels. The communal garden and kitchen area space is a great spot for meeting fellow travellers and interacting with the congenial owners, and this guesthouse harks back to the old school days of Thai accommodation; rustic, charming, and with plenty of good cheer.

Chiang Mai's fabled old city is surrounded by walls and a moat, filled with atmospheric temples, and has far less traffic than the rest of the city. BaanBooLoo sits not far inside the eastern gate of the old city, hidden away behind the walls of the Wat Prasat Temple. The guesthouse is located down a narrow alley that is difficult to find the first time around, and not many cabbies will know the place, but the guesthouse does offer a free pickup service from both the airport and train station to alleviate this problem.

• 10-minute drive from Chiang Mai Airport
• 10-minute walk to most sights in the old city

This guesthouse is tiny, featuring only six rooms, each of which is completely unique. Several are built in old traditional rice barns, another is up in a treehouse, and a few have lovely large open-air bathtubs on their decks. The rooms are open-air and fairly basic, but do have plenty of mosquito netting, comfy chairs, and hammocks; all but one have air-conditioning. With low lighting and dark wood floors and walls, the rooms are dim, yet each has a spacious balcony area for sitting and reading and all rooms have excellent free Wi-Fi.

While the guesthouse does not have facilities like a spa, gym, or pool, or even a real restaurant or bar, it does have a kitchen where guests are invited to cook and to join in for meals with the family owners. Breakfast is included in the price and served at the outdoor tables in the garden each morning. There is also a refrigerator stocked with drinks that guests can take and pay on the honor system. The big draw at BaanBooLoo are the plentiful hammocks and peace and quiet in which to enjoy them in.