Chiang Mai

[garryn 0]

i am coming back to thailand soon and was thinking about going to chiang mai for a couple of days before coming to pattaya. has anyone got any suggestions as to where to stay?

also, what is the bar scene like there?

any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[aj 59]

;D try the pronping hotel.  100baht rooms excellent breakfast buffet.out back parking is night bizzare and alltype of shops.  about a 5 min walk to action at the beer bars and ago gos.. can give you list of some beer bars if you wish. also hotel is guest frienly. 8)

[irishman 0]

Just a quick word about orientation first.  

 

The old town is surrounded by a moat .  The moat on the eastern side has a street called Moon Muang on the inside of the moat (really just a water filled ditch) and Kotcasaran on the outside of the moat.  The main road bisecting the old town into north and south sections is called Ratchadamnern inside the city and after going through the main eastern gate, called the Tha Phae Gate, becomes Tha Phae road going east.

 

The next road running east and west, located south of Ratchamnern/Tha Phae road is called Ratchamanka inside the old town and Loi Kroh on the outside of the moated portion.

 

Having said all that, I found the greatest concentration of women at the junction of Ratchamanka / Loi Kroh and the two streets on either side of the eastern moat.  I stayed at the Smile house which had a clean air conditioned room for 400baht /night but offered much cheaper dorm rooms or rooms without aircon.  Their email address is and I didn’t have any guest problems there. Their food was really bland though and a bit overpriced but there are lots of restaurants in the area.  They are located on Ratchamanka Soi 2 and are very close to the intersection mentioned above.  The nightlife consists mainly of beer bars although I did see a Go-Go called the Spotlight (actually spent a bit of time enjoying it’s attractions ;D) that was just north of the intersection on Kotcasaran.  Some very tasty morsels there IMHO and I was not disappointed when taking them out for the evening. ;D ;D ;D

There are a number of other Guest Houses and Hotels in the area and a quick search will give you lots of possibles.  The Night Market is located about 3 blocks east of the intersection named above if you want to spend your money in other ways.

[turk56 0]

I stayed at the Travellers Inn on Kochasarn Road and it is Guest Friendly. 450bt a night but thats 4 years ago for me.

[The_Fat_Controller 25]

Just back from CM, spent a week there from 4-11 Nov.

Nice city, but really blighted by traffic pollution. Had unbroken sunshine all week, but no wind at all, both myself and the girlfriend ended up with coughs due to the air quality, which cleared up as soon as we got back to Pattaya and some sea breezes.

If you go up into the mountains you will see the haze that hangs over the city, and believe me, it spoilt my time there. Traffic congestion is almost as bad as Bangkok, especially on a Sunday evening when Tha Pae Road is closed between the moat and Night Market.

Worth a visit for about 4 days to see the hills and temples, but not somewhere that I would bother going back to.

Accommodation and food are pretty cheap.

Flights from Bangkok about 4500 Baht return.

[Lizard 0]

Fats - Where did you book your flight tickets to CM?

[garryn 0]

thanks for the replies guys, that gives me some idea as to what to expect. we will be going in march next year for a few days and then on to pattaya.

hope to see you guys there!

thanks again.

[Skate 9]

Controller

 

I might wander up to CM also.

 

Where did you stay ?

[The_Fat_Controller 25]

I stayed at the Lotus Hotel Pang Suan Kaew, a large hotel at the back of the biggest shopping mall in CM.

I found it and booked it through http://www.thailand-hotel.net

I had a deluxe room,  it was enormous, with a view towards the mountains, and only cost 1050 Baht a night including breakfast. It is about a 10 minute bus or tuk-tuk ride to the centre of town, and there was never a problem getting transport. Pay between 30-60 Baht depending on time of day and your negotiating skills.

And finally, a Happy New Year to all the FLB boardies !

[Ken_S 0]

Big gazza

 I just got back yesterday from a week in CM with my TG and stayed at the Chiang Mia Hills Hotel. Was a very nice 4 star hotel and at $24US a night including breakfast was well worth it. Its about 5 min's in a taxi from central shopping mall (20 Baht) and about 10 min's from the night bazaar. One side of the hotel has great views of the mountains and the other into the city.

 

Regards

Ken

[garryn 0]

Ken,

thanks for the info, we will only be in cm for 3 nights before heading on to pattaya, but it sounds like the chiang mai hills htl will be our first stop.

cheers

gazza.

[Papa 0]

Anyone taking a strong fancy to Chiang Mai may want to check out this site for rental of Chiang Mai houses and condos.

 

http://www.better-homes.com/

 

Papa Tom