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Dining is one of Chiangmai's main attractions with almost 100 nationalities cuisines represented in various quality levels. Thai food in the city reflects strong Burmese and Chinese influence compared to central and southern Thailand. Seafood is plentiful and some of the real delights ... Read review
excl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai is a five-star luxury ... more
hotel, with 281 finely appointed rooms and suites located on Chang Klan Road, which is within easy walking distance of the citys famous Night Bazaar and boutiques. Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai offers a broad range of services, facilities and amenities while still providing personalised service and Shangri-Las internationally renowned hospitalityConveniently located within the bustling centre of the culturally rich city of Chiang Mai, Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai is a City Resort that is perfectly placed to cater to the needs of guests visiting the city on business or for leisure. Situated in a lush garden setting, the hotel is just a 10-minute drive from Chiang Mai International Airport. It also enjoys close proximity to fascinating museums, cultural centres, soft-adventure excursions and Chiang Mais numerous temples, shops and art galleries.
excl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - The resort is ideally located in the tranquil Mae Rim ... more
valley, in northern Thailand. This superb property provides the finest relaxation, a Spa and excellent Food and Beverages. Understated rooms in a huge sub-tropical surrounding offer lovely views over the surrounding mountains and a sense of calm. A perfect place to relax and rejuvenate or to explore the well known Mae Rim Valley. Away Maerim, Chiang Mai is situated around only 30 minutes drive from Chiang Mai International Airport and only 25 minutes from downtown and famous Night Bazaar
incl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - Maninarakorn Hotel is a luxurious 4-Star Hotel. It is ... more
centrally located in the bustling city of Chiang Mai. Various shopping areas are within a 5-minute walk. Several fine dining and many tourist attractions are situated within close proximity.
incl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: 7,27/10 - Chiang Mai, the rose of the north, is a city ... more
steeped in tradition. Decorated throughout in local Thai handicrafts and artifacts, the Amari Rincome Hotel is the ideal place from which to explore this fascinating region of northern Thailand. Click on In the city center, 9 km from the Chiang Mai Railway Station railway station, 0,0 km from the motorway, 0,5 km from the Chiang Mai University Convention Center.
Bodhi Serene is situated in Chiang Mai, which is just an hour by air from Bangkok. It is ... more
located within the old city walls of downtown Chiang Mai and two blocks from the famous Tapae Gate and Walking Street. The Night Bazaar is just 15 minutes away. It is surrounded by many ancient temples. Bodhi Serene is a mere 20-minute ride from the airport, train station and bus terminal. It is also visually and architecturally stunning with exotic Lanna-style influenced by Chinese designs. All rooms overlook the central courtyard. The rooms have the distinct advantage of having a private balcony that offers beautiful views of the central courtyard, which comes with a manicured tropical garden and waterfall.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
excl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - A new way of seeing things awaits your discovery at Le ... more
Méridien Chiang Mai, where local and regional inspiration reflects both its European heritage and authentic northern Thai style. Perfectly located on Chang Klan Road, Le Méridien Chiang Mai is in the heart of the central business district with easy access to the famous Night Bazaar and seven kilometres from Chiang Mais domestic and international airport.
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Advantages: Accomodation - budget to 4 star hotel, wide transport options Disadvantages: 10-12 hour train or bus from Bangkok, dirty streets & buildings
City displays many points of historical architecture including city walls, gates & moat, amongst the several hundred large and small temples. They are some of the few attractions which are free, almost all the others having a two-tier pricing structure - pennies for locals, pounds for foreigners. That situation sums up the attitude of locals towards rich foreign visitors - everyone attempts overcharging unless you can speak some Thai to them. ...and hotels scattered throughout the city offering overr 17,000 bedrooms, with prices ranging from below 2 UK pounds per night to around 100 in the highest class out-of-town resorts. There are about a dozen 3 and 4 star hotels inside the city with more scheduled. The budget to mid-range accomodation is mainly clustered around the East Moat and Thapae Road which joins the old city to the river.
To find a large list of accomodation, pick ... more
City displays many points of historical architecture including city walls, gates & moat, amongst the several hundred large and small temples. They are some of the few attractions which are free, almost all the others having a two-tier pricing structure - pennies for locals, pounds for foreigners. That situation sums up the attitude of locals towards rich foreign visitors - everyone attempts overcharging unless you can speak some Thai to them.
There are over 400 guest houses and hotels scattered throughout the city offering overr 17,000 bedrooms, with prices ranging from below 2 UK pounds per night to around 100 in the highest class out-of-town resorts. There are about a dozen 3 and 4 star hotels inside the city with more scheduled. The budget to mid-range accomodation is mainly clustered around the East Moat and Thapae Road which joins the old city to the river.
To find a large list of accomodation, pick up one of the several free advertising magazines that are distributed through restaurants, tour guides and hotels. They're also good as guides for where to eat or shop, as well as for entertainment and activities. Forget the official tourist authority which is essentially useless for western travellers and little better for Eastern foreigners.
Dining is one of Chiangmai's main attractions with almost 100 nationalities cuisines represented in various quality levels. Thai food in the city reflects strong Burmese and Chinese influence compared to central and southern Thailand. Seafood is plentiful and some of the real delights come from eating at street vendors stalls - not just price wise, but also in the atmosphere and taste. Potable water is only available in bottles - the Singha brand being the most reliably free from anything that will upset your stomach. There's no need to carry a bottle with you inside the city - apart from identifying you as a tourist and thus a target for dual pricing, bottled water is available in every shop, bar or restaurant. It's extremely bad form to enter a bar or restaurant and ask only for a bottle of water - try the freshly pressed fruit juices or shakes instead.
Shopping, especially handicrafts, is a famed activity here. The Night Bazaar is expensive compared to getting into the Thai areas and out of the tourist zone. The several huge modern Malls have bargains, but only in manufactured style western goods. For craft bargains - travel just outside the metropolitan area (hire a motorbike or tuktuk - 3 wheel taxi, but YOU tell the driver where to take you or you could get ripped off by commission scams). The main guide books describe the best craft villages adequately. Baan Tawai to the south , is the best for woodenware and carvings. The west side of the moat hosts occassional day markets that are excellent for cheap clothes shopping, and the Hang Dong Road (before the Mahidol Road) has good shoe stalls.
The main guide books and the free magazines tell all you need to know about trekking and hill tribes, elephant camps, white water rafting and a host of other activities.
Coming soon will be a Night Safari Park and several other major investment attractions, but the best bargain right now for sightseeing has to be the medieval ruins of Wieng Kum Kam only 5km out of town and a great day out on foot or bicycle, with elephant riding and other activities cheaply available. Also on a history note, Wieng Kum Kam has a new museum and visitors centre and two others have recently opened in the very heart of the city near the Three Kings Monument - the Lan Na Cultural and Arts Centre with excellent audio visual displays, and the Lan Na history centre adjacent to it with beautiful miniature reconstructions of how the old cities looked.
Getting there - flights hourly from Bangkok during daylight, 6 trains daily and numerous buses from VIP to boneshaker arriving every 20 minutes or so, also all from Bangkok. Two main bus stations act as distribution points for most of Thailand, the rail station is convenient for the city centre, as is the airport which is only 3km outside the main centre. All but the airport have copious taxis. The airport has banned local taxis from collecting passengers there - apparently in an effort to promote the limousine hire service, though the new aircon Mercedes bus service collects from the airport on its circular route into town - best to get off near Thapae Gate (the driver will tell you when)..
..... I'll add more with an edit next time I log in.
Chiang Mai is one of the biggest cities in the North of Thailand and I’m lucky enough to have recently returned from there. I visited Thailand for a fortnight as a break from a trip to Singapore visiting relatives, and although I’ve been to Thailand before, this was my first trip to the North and to Chiang Mai.
I had spent 2 days in Pattaya before we set off on the journey up to Chiang Mai, that took a 2 hour trip to Bangkok and then a 16 hour coach ... ...as I’d been told that Chiang Mai was a nice quiet retreat after spending time in the bustling atmosphere of Bangkok and Pattaya.
My first impression of Chiang Mai – Woooah this place is different! I’ve visited Thailand a few times and never known somewhere quite so peaceful or beautiful. The first thing to strike me was the mountains, everywhere you looked there was mountains. Ok, so that may strike some people as boring but honestly, it was absolutely ...
Celia86 07.08.2002 (10.09.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Advantages: great base for exploring from; great value Disadvantages: can get busy in season
...lucky enough to have visited Chiang Mai a number of times and always found it to be a city that is well worth a visit.
It is only a short (cheap) flight from Bangkok and, whilst it is still a city it is only a fraction of the size of the capital. The benefit of that is that it offers a different type of experience from the more commonly seen parts of Thailand, namely the beaches.
There are a few sights to see in the city but the main attraction ... ...range of other excursions from Chiang Mai including a number which will take you on elephant treks through the jungle. Most of these give you the opportunity to travel in a cart pulled by buffalo and/or go rafting (gently) down the river as well as on an elephant ride and are most definitely worth going on. Most folk do not get many chances to ride through the jungle on an elephant so just do it!
In the evening the Night Market is a must - lots ...
megget 24.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Advantages: Fitter, Happier, Cleaner. Disadvantages: The Overnight Train.
Chaing Mai is the capital of the Northern Thailand province of Chaing Mai. With a population of just over 160,000 people it is the perfect urban getaway from the strangling density of Bangkok. The weather is also a little cooler than the capital and its centre is beautifully contained within a square moat. There are a range of options available in getting to Chaing Mai from the capital. We took an overnight train which left Bangkok at 10 in the evening ... ...day. You can also bus it which takes around 12 hours. Many of the agencies on the Khao San road offer a VIP bus to Chaing Mai. The last alternative is to fly which would probably be best for those with limited time. Our single train journey cost us 500 Baht each (12 Euro). ACCOMMODATION We stayed in 2 guesthouses while in Chaing Mai. The first, SK house was chosen for us by our trekking agency. As part of our trek we would get the night we arrived ...
indiecater 14.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Advantages: The trekking is the main attraction although Doi Suthep and the shopping are both appealing Disadvantages: More relaxed and less polluted than the Bangkok but still suffers from an abundance of touts and pollution
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and the 'capital' of the north, it was also my destination of choice in seeking to escape the horrendous pollution of the nation's capital. Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai in particular are mostly visited by those that wish to go trekking through the jungle and mountain regions that typify the area. This is not to say that Chiang Mai does not have attractions in its own right but I should mention ... ...for visiting.
Getting to Chiang Mai
As most people who travel to Chiang Mai do so from Bangkok I thought it might be useful to briefly discuss the options. Essentially the choice is between bus, train or plane for the 700km (420 mile) trip, with each having advantages and disadvantages. In my case a 13 hour bus journey was how I reached Chiang Mai but I flew back so I have first hand experience of two of the three possibilities.
The bus, which ...
Mercury 27.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Advantages: Little pollution, friendly people, opportunities to explore the countryside Disadvantages: Not a big nightlife if you like that sort of thing, for some people a limited range of things to do.
...pay a quick visit to Chiang Mai coming back from Chiang Rai. The city centre is now as developed as almost every other tourist destination in Thailand and there seems to be even more souvenir shops round the night market area. All the usual suspect shops are now here including Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and so on. It seems the price of progress is uniformity. It has spoiled the atmosphere of the centre somewhat as it is more more ... ...is a real shame.
New Summary Even with the changes, it is still a place to go for a break from Bangkok or to see somewhere else. A few miles out of town you will start to see the real Thailand. So een for that alone, it is worth going to visit. ...
ultras67 04.08.2000 (11.07.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly
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