Give Me 5 Hostel Review

I am sitting in Chiang Mai, Thailand as I write this post. I have been here since Christmas and it will be about 2 weeks in all. I came here on a work/vacation trip and I wanted to catch up with old friends as I used to live here. My plan was that I was going to stay at a variety of accommodations but I found Give Me 5 Hostel and have been content with the accommodation so I haven’t left.

It has been a great experience and I wanted to give an overview on why I have enjoyed it so much. Please also note, that I am not getting paid or receive any other form of compensation for writing this post.

***I do have affiliate links, which means I will get a small commission if you make a booking after you click on some specific links at NO ADDITIONAL cost to you. This allows me to cover costs of maintaining this site. Thanks***

Give Me 5 Hostel is relatively new as it opened about 6 months ago (May 2016)  towards the end of Songkran which is a Thai Water festival celebrated towards the end of April every year. It is also the most popular time of year for tourists that come to Chiang Mai. April 2014 was when I first arrived to Chiang Mai and I ended up working and teaching English for a year.

How Did I Find Give Me 5 Hostel?

Since I lived in Chiang Mai for a year in 2014/2015 as an English teacher, I am familiar with the the layout of the city and points of interests. I wanted to find an accommodation that was affordable, centrally located, has easy access to points of interest, stable wifi connection and clean.

I started by searching popular hotel search engines, such as, agoda.com, airbnb.com, hotels.com and others. I add search filters, such as wifi and price-range as those are the 2 most important factors that I use and then I filter by further by reading reviews. Then I look closer at the accommodations with the highest average reviews.

I also like to look at the lowest reviews to see what things people really do not like. Following, I narrow my search to 3-5 places and then choose one.

Location

Give Me 5 Hostel has an awesome location as it is located within the, “old city.” The “old city” is the part of the city which is inside the, “moat.” It is a great location as a tourist because there are lots of cool things to check out within the old city such as temples, Sunday Night Walking Street, food markets and other cultural things. Because of the proximity of Give Me 5 Hostel, you can easily walk to all of the above and anywhere else within the “old city.”

Dorm Rooms

Hostels are normally associated with dorm rooms and cheap accommodation. Give Me 5 Hostel has both dorms and private rooms, so they cater to a spectrum of travelers. I decided to stay in a dorm since they are more affordable and I am traveling solo at the moment.

I have stayed at many different hostels during my travels and I really like the layout of this hostel as the beds allow for more privacy and are relatively comfortable. There are 2 dorm rooms, one with 4 beds and the other with 6.

The rooms can only be accessed by an electronic key-card which you are given upon check-in. You also have access to a private locker which you can lock personal items such as your passport, money, etc.

Traditional style dorm rooms are designed with bunk beds and do not allow for much privacy. This dorm has a different design style whereas the beds are perpendicular to the wall. It is similar to a Japanese Capsule design.

Each bed has a three-pronged outlet and a light with accompanying light switch. It also features a cabinet to store toiletries or misc items. The room also has an air-conditioner unit to help keep the room at a reasonable temperature. Lastly, there is a curtain over each bed so that you can have privacy to change clothes and while you are sleeping.

Private Rooms

Bathrooms

 

The dorms share the same bathrooms which consist of three urinals, three toilets, and three showers, plus three separate sinks. The toilets and showers are opposite of each other and are kept clean. The showers feature an electric water heater which are common to find in Thailand. Compared to a conventional gas or electric hot water tank, the hot water does not run-out unless the power dies.

The showers feature a metal rack to hang your clothes and towel while showering. Plus, soap and shampoo dispensers are included in each shower. This is nice as you do not have to provide your own which is what I have found is the case at most hostels.

WIFI

The WIFI connection at the hostel is strong and important to me as I work online part-time and need to be able to run skype and other internet based applications. There are multiple routers and the Wifi has good coverage all over the hostel. I never had any issues with the internet while I stayed at the hostel.

Customer Service

As I have ended up staying at the hostel for a fair amount of time, I befriended the hostel owner, a Thai native, named, “Byrd.” He has been very friendly and helpful when trying to figure out common questions. Additionally, he has invited me to social gatherings for New Years and other nights that I stayed at the hostel. There are other Thai staff that work the front desk and all have been very friendly and helpful.

Conclusion

Overall, my stay at Give Me 5 hostel has been a great experience otherwise I would not have stayed all 2 weeks at the hostel. One caveat is that the nightly price is 400 Baht or 11.16 USD based on today’s exchange rate. Although, this is relatively inexpensive, it is expensive compared to the cost of some other hostels and guest houses in Chiang Mai.

If you are a budget traveler and are trying to get the most out of every dollar then I would encourage you to look at some other accommodations in Chiang Mai. Check out this list of accommodations listed from cheapest to more expensive. Otherwise, Give Me 5 Hostel is definitely worth checking out!