Rant: People keep booking the cheapest place in Chiang Mai without checking the street noise.
Got a room near Tha Phae Gate for $15 a night last month. The listing said 'quiet area' but it was right above a bar. Could not sleep before 2 AM. My friend did the same thing near Nimman and had the same problem. How do you actually find a quiet spot in a busy city?
Booked a place near the Night Bazaar for 400 baht a night. The photos showed a nice balcony. What they didn't show was the constant tuk-tuk engine noise and people yelling right below it. I ended up sleeping with industrial earplugs I bought at a hardware store. You really have to look at the street view on the map for any listing now.
My buddy made that exact mistake near the Sunday Walking Street. He got a great deal on a room with a pool. The problem was the pool was basically in an echo chamber between two buildings, and the noise from the street vendors' sound systems bounced right off the walls. He said it sounded like a concert was happening in the water. He had to ask to switch rooms after the first night.