At Pingnakorn Riverside

8.9 on Booking.com from 1,285 reviews, 9.0 on Agoda from 2,231. That is 3,516 reviews in all, and the two platforms agree to within a tenth of a point, which is the main reason it is here.

It is also, on the numbers, the softest property in our Chiang Mai list, and we would rather say so than bury it. Averaged across the platforms it scores lower than anything else we list in the city, and three sub-scores are the lowest we list there: location 8.3, facilities 8.9 and cleanliness 9.2. Comfort at 9.2 is the joint lowest, and staff at 9.4 is also the joint lowest. It still clears our bar comfortably, 8.5 or better on both platforms with a deep sample behind it, but it is the bottom of our Chiang Mai range rather than the middle.

Location is the number that explains the rest. Its coordinates are about 1.5km from Warorot Market and about 2.1km from Tha Phae Gate, on the east bank in Wat Ket, so the Old City is a Grab ride rather than a walk.

What you get for that is a four-star with an outdoor pool, an airport shuttle, a bar, room service and free parking, and value for money at 9.2 says guests think the trade is fair. A Deluxe Double Room costs around ฿3,651 a night.