Casa Marocc is the Moroccan themed hotel that we stayed in while in Chiang Mai. We arrived late at night and the outside of the hotel was all lit up in blue and reminded me of the look of stain glass windows. It was bright, colorful and inviting. We walked in and realized that the hotel was smaller than what we had been used to staying in during our trip to Thailand. It is more of a boutique style hotel. Check in was a bit slower than usual (perhaps a bit old school), but the staff was very friendly and attentive. We walked in to our hotel room and the first thing we unfortunately noticed was this smell of sewage coming from the bathroom. It was so strong that it took away from us taking in our accommodations. After a few minutes of pondering, we both decided to call down to see if we could switch rooms. The staff was eager to help and showed us another room available and that’s when we realized it perhaps a hotel wide stench. The staff could not smell what we did, so it was a normal scent to them. We opted to stay in our room as all our luggage was already there.
So once we cracked open the window and decided we were staying put, we took in our room. It was different and a very cool ambience. It reminded me in a way of the cheesy hotel rooms with heart shaped beds and neon lights, but I say that in the nicest possible way. It’s obvious that this is not what they’re going for, but it did hint at it for me. The moroccan theme is present throughout the entire hotel room and in every detail. I could appreciate the thought that went into the interior of the room. The room was clean and (if we’re ignoring the smell) it was comfortable.
We arrived in the area after 9 p.m. and we took a walk outside see what was around. This area was a complete ghost town at night. As this is in a muslim area of Chiang Mai, there is a loud speaker from a nearby mosque that sounds the call to ritual prayer that can be heard in your room, it’s hauntingly beautiful. We were fine with it, but perhaps if you are a light sleeper you may not like it so much. In the morning we explored a bit more, there’s a strip of small mom and pop shops where you can get street food (roti, desserts and such), clothing, etc. You’re a short walk from a strip mall with restaurants, salons, thai massage and corner stores. The corner store is a good place to stock up on air fresheners to make the smell in the hotel room more bearable.
There is a hotel buffet available for breakfast. It could be better. It’s fully halal for those who are looking for that in their travels. I wish they had more options.
The woman at the tour desk was extremely helpful. We were going to be doing the elephant jungle sanctuary and our driver was late. When we called him, he spoke very little english, but the woman at the tour desk stepped in and took over and translated for us. She was great.
The view from the rooftop is beautiful and worth the trip up to check it out. Sadly, there is no pool. In the Chiang Mai heat, it would have been lovely to unwind at a pool after our many long days in the sun.
You are bit further for the main area of Chiang Mai, but it’s just a short tuk tuk or songthaews (red pick up truck taxi) away. We were there during the lantern festival and with how busy it was in the middle of the hustle and bustle, to be honest, it was nice returning to a quieter part of town.
If you could live with the smell, it’s not a bad place to stay. Great service, fun decor and affordable.
