Baan Hom Samunphrai: Herbal Medicine, Retreats, long stay, Chiang Mai accomodations, farm houses, natural, steam baths

Baan Hom Samunphrai's accommodations are all in traditional, open-style Thai farm houses which have been screened against mosquitoes and other unwelcome tropical visitors. There are overhead fans in every bedroom and, to provide additional cooling during the hot season, a fine spray of water on the tiled roofs. From a health point of view we feel it is better for the body to adapt naturally to the tropics and not to have to undergo the shock of air-conditioning every time a person ventures in or out of doors. Indeed, there's no 'inside' in the natural Thai house anyway--one of its chief pleasures as well as its health benefits. But don't worry, we do believe in hot showers and clean, modern toilets. We're also realists and know our guests lead busy lives. Broadband internet facilities including 2 computers, printers, wifi and Skype are available free of charge 24 hours a day.

This little French boy knows exactly what to do when it gets too hot in the afternoon. Every Thai house has a wooden platform like this in the shaded area downstairs--needless to say, it's used as much for socializing as for napping.

We offer 4 traditional dwelling houses arranged as in a rural Thai village around a lotus pond. There are 10 upstairs bedrooms, all of which have windows without glass, overhanging roofs, wooden shutters to close out the sun during the day, and shaded private porches. Each house has its own modern toilets and hot water showers downstairs, and there is also an open social area with mats, tables, chairs and, of course, the traditional settees for lounging! We also have a communal kitchen for our guests special use—and a fleet of bicycles free of charge. As we value getting to know our visitors, we very rarely accommodate more then 15 guests at a time, and we all eat together.

What follows is a brief introduction to our houses ranging from a communal house with five beds to our most private, a whole house set up just for couple with a double bed, an adjoining upstairs bathroom, and a large porch extending out over the pond. It can also be booked by a couple with a young child, or by a single person -- if we have the space.

1. BAAN CHANG PHUEK, "The House of the White Elephant."

Baan Chang Phuek has a single screened sleeping area upstairs with traditional sliding windows and five bamboo beds each with its own locker and bedside light for reading. There is a quarry tiled modern toilet and a separate hot water shower downstairs with a table and benches under the trees beside it. It appeals to back-packing groups who like to stay close to each other--and children love its tree-house-like atmosphere. It's also one of our best spaces for Long Stay -- you can organize it anyway you wish, and it's really private!

2. BAAN UII DEE, "The House of the Good Old Lady."

Baan Uii Dee has two bedrooms, a single and a double, off a large screened porch right next to the pond--you look down directly onto the brightly colored koi and the lotuses--paradise for a couple! Families always enjoy it too, as do close groups of friends. The communal kitchen is in the white lean-to part downstairs on the right--people say the green tiled floor is the coolest of all under your feet!

3. BAAN UII KHAM, "The House of the Golden Lady"

Our largest building, Baan Uii Kham, has a red tiled ground floor with two toilets, two hot water showers, and lots of tables and chairs The Baan Hom Samunphrai office is also located here--there are 2 computers with Skype and printers plus free internet connection by ADSL cable or wifi, with fax and telephone service too. There are 3 staircases leading up to separate porches, each of which connects to two adjoining rooms which can be booked either as separate 'suites' for a couple or friends, or divided up into 6 single and/or double rooms.

4. BAAN JUNG KAEW, "The Rice Barn House."

Baan Jung Kaew is our oldest building, a vibrant antique that's also filled with them. It's our only accommodation with a hot water shower and toilet directly attached to the bedroom upstairs, and it also has the largest and most private of our porches extending right out over the pond. A joy for a couple, it's also sometimes chosen by close friends who like to talk all night!

In addition to our Residential Houses there are four dedicated Work Spaces:

Baan Rusi is a screened, Lanna-style Sala with a Buddha shrine. It has 8 mats for the practice of Nuad Thai (Thai Massage) and Rasidaton (Thai Yoga)--indeed, the house is named after the Buddha's healing yogin, the forest hermit Rusi. It can also be used for practices like Tai Chi, group meditation, and musical as well as artistic performances. It has a large whiteboard, CD, VCR, DVD and a Powerpoint Projector as well, so it is well-equipped for special study groups of up to 20 persons. Tables and chairs are available to adapt the space to presentations and seminars as well.

Baan Hom, "The Fragrant House," is in Ayutthaya style. Built all in teak over a pool of clear water, it has thermal windows as well as screens and can be air-conditioned during the hot season from March to June for those who find the heat in the afternoon simply too enervating to continue working--our only concession to the god of technological comfort!. Baan Hom has 4 mats and is the personal teaching as well as therapeutic space of the Director, Maw Hom. It is also our quietest space, being well insulated, and can be used as a meditation or yoga retreat.

At the very heart of all Thai Medicine are steam treatments, and we have 2 purpose-built Steam Baths with changing rooms and tiled showers. If we accommodate larger groups than normal for us, as we do from time to time when we specially believe in what a group is doing, we use Baan Hom as a dorm as well. Then the two additional toilets and showers in the Steam Baths are used by the guests in Baan Hom--very convenient.

Our most recent addition is the Sala Samathi, an octagonal meditation space we have been contemplating for years but could never quite get our minds around. We wanted a space that was useful as well as beautiful, practical as well as spiritual, and above all one that would not exclude any of the extraordinarily diverse body of guests and students we're blessed with -- from Mormons to Urighurs to Sangomas, etc!

So there are no religious images in the space, just a fountain in the middle green with moss and ferns, and green cushions around bare white walls. Indeed, all four elements play around you, earth, air, fire and water, and we make it very clear that the space is for anything you feel moved to do in it -- like it's a wonderful place for a chat or a nap, or for reading a book by yourself or singing or playing your dulcimer or your body in yoga. And of course its perfect for Vipassana, or any other mediation for that matter -- and needless to say you meditators do get priority, don't worry!

ACCOMMODATION RATES per person per day

Accommodation	Bed & Breakfast	Full Room & Board
Double Room	Bt 700 ($22.00)	Bt 1000 ($31.00) per person per day
Single Room	Bt 700 ($22.00)	Bt 1000 ($31.00) per person per day
Private House (couple)*	Bt 800 ($25.00)	Bt 1100 ($34.00) per person per day
Private House (individual)*	Bt 900 ($28.00)	Bt 1200 ($37.00) per person per day

Dollar rates are calculated at 32 baht = $1.00
* Baan Jung Kaew and Baan Uii Dee are usually booked by couples as "Private Houses." If we have the space, individuals
can book them as "Private Houses" too, but there is an extra charge.

Transportation, Steam Baths and Health Services are not included in our Accommodation Rates.

See the "Conferences & Seminars" page .for our GROUP RATES for 10-20 persons.

Our LONG STAY rate is 25,000 baht ($781.00) per month for a single room, and 30,000 baht ($937.00) per month
for a two room suite with a private porch (when available). The Long Stay rent is for full room & board, and is payable in
full on thefirst day of each month. Workshop, office, studio and meditation space is easily arranged at no extra charge.
Baan Chang Phuak is available as a long-stay house for a single person in the off-season from April to the end of August
for 25,000 baht per month.