Accommodation at the Centre of the Universe Resort and Swimming Pools Chiang Mai

Since opening, 54 different bird species have been sighted either visiting or living in our gardens. Perhaps this gives the best indication of our location – nestled at the foot of Doi Suthep Mountain, surrounded by orchards, yet only 15 minutes from the city centre, 20 minutes from the airport, and just over 1 km from Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre (CMECC)

Birds seen in our garden (click on image for full details)

Accommodation
Discerning travellers can rent one of our three single storey, detached Thai-style bungalows on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The bungalows are located in a private garden 100 metres from the swimming pools. Resident guests may use the swimming pools free of charge.

Rooms and furnishings are thoroughly cleaned using hospital grade cleaning supplies and we comply with Thai government regulations to contain the spread of COVID-19.  We also use UVC and Ozone disinfection now used in many hospitals and care homes.

Facilities within each air conditioned bungalow include a comfortable European-brand double bed, tea and coffee making facilities, WiFi Internet connection, flat screen cable TV,  personal safe, and hot and cold running water in the spacious walk-in shower and toilet. Two bungalows have mini-fridges while the third has a full size fridge-freezer. Total floor space is approximately 35 square meters – similar to a standard hotel room. Shaded seating areas in the garden and sun loungers around the pool provide plenty of spaces to relax.  Standard room is shown below

One of our bungalows is designed with the longer term guest in mind. The built-in furniture provides ample cupboards, shelves, drawers, clothes hanging space, luggage storage, and a full size fridge/freezer.

Facilities at the Centre of the Universe

• Outdoor pools with salt sanitizing system
• Main pool is 25 metres x 16 metres x 1.5 metres (deep end) and 1 metre at the shallow end
• Dedicated lap swim lanes early morning and late afternoon
• Pool terrace with sunbeds and umbrellas
• Gardens
• Bar
• Restaurant
• Free WiFi
• Free private parking is available on site (no reservation needed)
• Reception open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
• Daily housekeeping
• All guest rooms are non-smoking
• Air conditioning
• Room service between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm
• Laundry service
• Photocopying
• Laminating service
• Airport transfer

Getting around
Bicycles can be rented locally at a very modest daily cost, and are a convenient way to travel to nearby tourist attractions, explore local markets, or simply take a leisurely ride through the surrounding countryside. Alternatively, we can show you where to catch the local bus, or arrange car/motorbike rental or taxi/limo service, or you can book a car through one of the popular smartphone apps.

GRAB taxi app is available from Google and Apple. A local SIM card costs as little as 49 Baht + 19 Baht per day for internet access and local calls.

Many tourist attractions are easily reached from the Centre of the Universe Chiang Mai Swimming Pool and Resort. For example: Doi Suthep Temple; Phuping Palace; Chiang Mai Night Safari; Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium, Mae Sae Waterfalls and Elephant Camp; Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens; Huay Tung Tao National Park, Nong Ho Horse Racing Course and Lanna Golf Course.

Lanna Golf Course is literally 10 minutes by car from the Centre of the Universe. Part of the course lies within the horse racing track mentioned above. It was one of the first Thailand golf courses in the country and is very popular with local golfers, ranking number 6 out of all Chiang Mai golf clubs. But in terms of affordable green fees it ranks as number 1 and rental fees for golfing gear and services are very reasonable.

Facilities and services offered include:

• 27 holes divided into 3 courses
  • 9 holes of the first 18 holes-course
  • 18 holes-course
  • Additional 9 holes-course
• Driving range
• Putting green
• Rental of clubs, golf shoes and other gear.
• Trolley rental
• Caddy (with or without golf cart)
• Bar and Restaurant
• Lockers, changing rooms, showers
• Professional Golf Coach who has a good command of English in his field of expertise

Please click on the “Videos” tab for suggestions of places to visit within a 3 kilometer radius of the Centre of the Universe.

Nearby restaurants

There are many excellent restaurants and bars in our area, where you can mingle with locals and enjoy good food at very reasonable prices.

 Guests may use the swimming pool at any time during opening hours.

Guests who wish to take advantage of our pool to learn to swim, or improve their style, speed, and/or endurance, are offered a concessionary rate for the services of one of our experienced swim coaches.

Bookings
For information about availability and pricing, please contact us by email or telephone. 

info@therealcentreoftheuniverse.com
Telephone: +66 (0) 85 036 8030

Local area
Our location is Chang Khian Village. In Thai, “chang” has different meanings depending on the tone. Most tourists quickly learn that one of its meanings is “elephant”, but in our case it means “engineer” or “craftsman”. The word “khian” also has different meanings including a very old word in the local dialect meaning “lathe”. Put the two words together and you have “carpenters” – skilled craftsmen who created the intricate wood carvings found in many temples and traditional teak homes within Chiang Mai. Sadly, there are no longer any practitioners of this traditional craft left in the village but the community is still very much alive and thriving. Within 2 kilometers of the Centre of the Universe you can: learn Muay Thai Boxing from highly respected professionals; join a yoga class; practice Tai Chi; enjoy a traditional Thai massage; experience how to make dyes from the leaves of local plants which add colour to hill tribe fabrics; and witness a performance of classical music played on traditional Thai instruments while enjoying an evening meal of authentic Northern Thai food.

Travelling distances in the following tables are based on the shortest road journey, and not a straight line “as the crow flies”.

Climate and weather
Please visit the Thai Meteorological Department’s website to learn about the climate and weather patterns in Chiang Mai.Copy and paste the following link into your browser https://www.tmd.go.th/en/province.php?id=2

One of the best times to visit Chiang Mai is from November through January, when you can usually expect long sunny days and cool evenings (we do not guarantee the weather!). But don’t ignore the rainy season from July through October. Chiang Mai does not experience monsoonal rain for days on end. Flash thunderstorms are often followed by long periods of bright sunshine. Recently, the Thai Tourist Authority renamed the rainy season as the Green Season!

Payment Methods

TransferWise.com is a great way to send deposits and balances direct to our company bank account in Chiang Mai.  Low transfer fees and mid-range exchange rates make TransferWise an attractive proposition. Transfer time is approximately 24 hours. We will send our bank details upon request to pay using this method.

Additional Information
Visitors should be aware Chiang Mai is usually very crowded during the Christmas and New Year Holiday, Chinese New Year, and the Thai New Year (Songkran Festival April 13-15).

Over Chinese New Year, extra flights operate at antisocial hours creating an unwelcome source of noise pollution affecting several areas of Chiang Mai.  The additional road traffic created by the influx of tourists can cause traffic jams within the old city.

For about 6 weeks from late February onwards, the whole of Northern Thailand can suffer bouts of haze as local farmers burn the stubble from harvested crops as a quick and easy way of preparing the ground to plant new crops in mid-April.  Despite various government initiatives to educate farmers about the health hazards, coupled with draconian fines for offenders, there has been little improvement in air quality. Before travelling to Chiang Mai in late February until the end of March please check the Air Quality Index (AQI).  The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s AQI is a world standard measurement of air quality, and the colour coding makes it easy to understand at a glance.

For up to date information, please visit Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) at
http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/