Howie's HomeStay

Howie has created his own category of accommodation. There is nothing else like it. It’s not a luxury hotel, because at a luxury hotel you will see other guests. It’s not a Homestay because it is way too opulent. It is unique in the world. Howie worked with Bill Bensley, the famous creative genius behind some of best hotels in Asia, to build this sublime compound. We stay here with our daughter and son-in-law for three days, and should have stayed longer. Howie and his charming wife Jerri fed us some of the best food we had in southeast Asia, arranged insider tours that only the locals know, and made sure our time as a family was memorable. When we checked in and toured the property in wonder, our kids asked how many other guests would be staying there. When we told them it was just us, their jaws dropped. Thank you so much Howie and Jerri. We’ll see you again soon.

To call Howie’s a homestay is a misnomer, a more accurate description would be an exclusive private resort. Howie’s is a stunningly beautiful small estate in the hills outside Chang Mai. The rooms are beautiful, spotless and the beds comfortable. There is a huge swimming pool and plenty of shady corners to relax. Jerri’s cooking is fabulous, generous portions of beautifully cooked Thai-/asian food with plenty of variety. Howie and Jerri are charming hosts, every whim was catered for and nothing was too much trouble. The best bit is you get this wonderful place all to yourself!

We have just left Howie and Jerry’s piece of paradise in Chiang Mai. We travelled as 2 families with 20+ aged kids and we all thought it was a wonderful place to stay . Attention to detail in the architecture and interiors is just fantastic - this is no hotel style of furnishing at Howie’s.. Exquisite antiques everywhere. If the Michelin reviewers are passing by Jerry would get a few stars for her wonderful creations - the complexity and depth of flavours in every dish served at dinner is just amazing. Howie is just the best host - nothing too much trouble and all trip recommendations was spot on. Special unique visit - thank you Howie & Jerry

Staying at Howie’s Homestay was one of the highlights of our recent 10-day trip to Thailand and Laos. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect staying at Howie’s instead of a traditional hotel, but it turned out to be the perfect place to stay. The guest rooms are lovely and very comfortable, and the public spaces are equally beautiful, including the gorgeous pool with great views. My three kids (high school and college age) particularly appreciated having their own rooms for a few nights, as well as space to spread out and relax around the pool. It is the perfect combination of complete privacy, yet with the benefit of wonderful hosts in Howie and Jerri. We greatly appreciated Howie’s knowledge and activity suggestions – and Jerri’s truly fantastic cooking! Not only did she cook six different delicious dishes each night (plus soup and dessert), but she was able to accommodate my food allergies. We briefly considered going into Chiang Mai for dinner and to go to the night market one evening, but that idea was quickly voted down – no one wanted to miss a night of Jerri’s cooking! I highly recommend Howie’s and hope to get back there someday.

Our family spent Christmas at Howie's Home Stay and the experience was definitely one of a kind! We watched a ton of YouTube videos of the place before we went and hoped it was as "nice" as the videos but I must say it was 100 times better in real life! The place is like a piece of heaven, you cannot imagine the beauty and the calm energy you instantly feel as soon as you step into Howie's, it's true luxury I would say. But Howie's wouldn't be what it is without its amazing hosts who just made the experience not only memorable to us but to our 7 year old daughter who cried as we were leaving because she was going to miss Uncle Howie and Auntie Jery. We also had our 11 months old baby with us who loved her morning walks around the lake and was mesmerized by the ducks, birds and squirrels in the beautiful trees that surrounded the property and dipping her feet in the pool. And as I've been saving the best to last I have to thank the Amazing Chef Jery for making our dining experience the highlight of our whole Thailand trip! We've never had Thai food this good in our lives and that was our 3rd visit to Thailand.... the food was delicious and her desserts were heavinly! We also had a vegetarian friend with us and a friend with nut allergies and everyone had the same amazing food experience! But again it's not just the food, Jery is just the sweetest... our kids absolutely loved her! Her happy, loving evergy is infectious. We will definitely go back to Howie's because we feel like 4 nights were not enough!

I will preface my review by saying our family of 7 has traveled all over the world together, staying at unique luxury accommodations. Howie was truly a breath of fresh air from the second we booked our stay. He helped map out our stay that perfectly balanced experiencing culture, keeping the kids active and down time at his magnificent place to enjoy the grounds and pool. We decided the night before that we wanted to make the 45 min trek at 4:15 in the morning to visit a local temple to witness the morning chants and rituals of the monks followed by alms. Howie didn’t bat an eye and was able to pull this together at the last minute. (By the way, if you have never experienced this and don’t mind early wake up, this ones an incredible experience). I also celebrated my birthday while at Howies. He worked with my husband to make it a truly memorable experience that I will never forget, complete with a lantern release, the most beautiful flowers, an elaborate and perfectly crafted birthday dinner/cocktails, the sweetest and most perfect cake made by jerri. Howie also arranged an elephant experience and cooking class while we were there. Both were wonderful experiences that we are so glad we got to experience and felt that his recommendations (because there are at least 1000 options for cooking classes and elephant experiences) were truly above the others. Now that we have returned from our trek around Thailand, I can confidently say that Howies Homestay was the best part of our entire vacation and hands down the best food we ate throughout our travels as well. Teenage girls are impossible to please, it seems but somehow Howie and Jerrie managed to capture the hearts of all 5 of our girls. We must have heard at least a hundred times through the remainder of our trip after leaving Howies “we miss Howie.” We debates between Howies Homestay and the Four Seasons and are so glad we made the choice we did. The amenities were on par with the four seasons (which is an extremely high bar to meet) but the overall experience was leaps above anything we would have had there. If you are debating on booking, here’s your sign JUST DO IT.

What an amazing experience we had here at Howie’s Home Stay. Four of my friends and I found this hidden gem and we had an unforgettable experience. I am so grateful of Howie, his wife Jerri, and the crew. Their number 1 objective was to make sure we were fully enjoying our stay. The property is one in a billion. We literally had the entire place to ourselves. Every inch of the property is well kept and the design details just blew me away. There’s so much to appreciate that it takes days to fully take it all in. We gathered by the pool most evenings. It’s a gorgeous area with soft warm lighting. The pool over looks a pond and we noticed the harmonious eco system that this pond offers. Beautiful birds, ducks, fish, frogs, etc. it’s a soothing and much needed relaxing situation that I hope to have again. We woke up to fresh coffee and local fruits and croissants in the mornings. These fruits are super sweet like shockingly good. I usually dont eat much fruits but these were different. Then there’s Jerri. Her Thai cooking is top notch. It simply doesn’t get any better. Except it does, Jerri is such a sweet person with a sweet soul. She felt like family. Howie made sure that all the accommodations we were seeking were accomplished before we left. From shopping, massages, museums, khao soi (a local special) to some outside city entertainment. I would highly recommend this place!