Romantic weekend in Chiang Mai?

[Acid_Crow]

My GF and I are thinking about going to visit Chiang Mai for a couple of days. This will be right after we get married (just a paperwork thing in Bkk), so it would be, I guess, our honeymoon.

Now, neither of us have ever been up north, and we have no extended family living up there. So we have no idea what to do once there.

So, you CM guys, wanna share some tips on nice, preferably romantic activities, resturants etc?

[frogblogger]

A Khantoke (google it) meal is one option... traditional Northern Thai food, dancing/sword juggling etc shows, nice atmosphere. Couple of places I like in CM:

Old Chiangmai Cultural Center
185/3 Wualai road, Chiang Mai, Tel: +66 53 275 097

Khum Khantoke Chiangmai Business Park
130 Moo 4, Nong Pakrung, Chiang Mai, Tel: +66 53 304 121 2

I usually book.

The Good View restaurant on the Ping River is fun, good view as per the name, but very popular and noisy. Big place. No good if you're looking for a quiet romantic evening.

For a peaceful romantic atmosphere I really like the Palaad Tawanron, fantastic location in the trees just above the Chiang Mai zoo - great views. Again, advisable to book.

053 216039
053 216576

Congratulations!

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by Acid_Crow

My GF and I are thinking about going to visit Chiang Mai for a couple of days. This will be right after we get married (just a paperwork thing in Bkk), so it would be, I guess, our honeymoon.

Now, neither of us have ever been up north, and we have no extended family living up there. So we have no idea what to do once there.

So, you CM guys, wanna share some tips on nice, preferably romantic activities, resturants etc?

Acid Crow,

Congratulations on your impending wedding.

You've made a great choice of where to go on your honeymoon. Northern Thailand is a wonderland of things to do and places to visit. You don't indicate how long you'll be in Chiang Mai but hopefully at least a few days. I would highly recommend visiting Wat Doi Suthep and the Hmong hill tribe while you're there. The best hill tribes to visit are ones where you have to trek in to visit. The others that you can drive to are pretty jaded and all they want is to pester you for money or candy and want to charge you for taking their photos. Visiting a remote hill tribe is a wonderful experience you can't replicate in Bangkok.

You can see hill tribes [there must be way over 20 different hill tribes [distinct cultures] such as the Lisu, Lao Hmong, Akha, White Karen, Red Karen, Black Karen, Lahu. Some come into Chiang Mai to sell their goods but the real hill tribes, that you have to trek in to visit, are the high point of what I like about Thailand - although one usually only sees the children and women as the men are off working [or smoking opium] and only the old men are around. I would recommend a three day trek where you'll stay in a couple of hill tribe villages, probably ride an elephant up mountain trails and even take a raft down a river. Great fun - and the memories will last you a lifetime.

Serendipity2

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by Acid_Crow

My GF and I are thinking about going to visit Chiang Mai for a couple of days. This will be right after we get married (just a paperwork thing in Bkk), so it would be, I guess, our honeymoon.

Now, neither of us have ever been up north, and we have no extended family living up there. So we have no idea what to do once there.

So, you CM guys, wanna share some tips on nice, preferably romantic activities, resturants etc?

Acid Crow,

Arghhhhh, if I could only read. You said you would be visiting Chiang Mai for a couple of days - I missed that. A shame to go all that way and only spend a couple of days. I would urge you to take a bit more time as you can only do a very few things and you'll surely miss out on what I think is the very best of Thailand - a visit to a genuine hill tribe village [not one of those tourist traps where they send out bus loads of tourists to have their photos taken with hill tribes at a 'set up' village and buy a few trinkets.

Serendipity2

[frogblogger]

Ok well even if a trip out into the more remote hill tribe villages is not on, there's another possibility right next to Chiang Mai. If a visit to Doi Suthep is planned, it's just a ten/fifteen minute drive further up the same mountain to a small Meo (Hmong) village, Doi Pui. Worth a visit, especially earlyish when there are few tourists about.

There's the Royal Phuping Palace on the same road too, but you can only see the outside of the buildings, plus the botanical gardens - which are impressive, if you like that sort of thing. Worth paying for a golf cart style thing to drive you around though, otherwise it's a helluva walk.

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by frogblogger

Ok well even if a trip out into the more remote hill tribe villages is not on, there's another possibility right next to Chiang Mai. If a visit to Doi Suthep is planned, it's just a ten/fifteen minute drive further up the same mountain to a small Meo (Hmong) village, Doi Pui. Worth a visit, especially earlyish when there are few tourists about.

There's the Royal Phuping Palace on the same road too, but you can only see the outside of the buildings, plus the botanical gardens - which are impressive, if you like that sort of thing. Worth paying for a golf cart style thing to drive you around though, otherwise it's a helluva walk.

frogblogger,

I agree that Doi Pui village would be worth the trip if they can't visit a remote hill tribe village. I sure liked it a lot better before when they weren't selling trinkets BUT on the good side they can see Sylvester Stallone's photo when he was there filming Rambo First Blood part two or three. The village elders take great pride in that photo.

The Royal Phuping Palace is, I believe, the summer palace of the king and royal family. As you say, not much to see - especially if the royal family is in residence! Beautiful botanic gardens though.

[Acid_Crow]

Thanks for the tips guys. The reason we can't stay longer is that we run a small tourist-oriented business down south, and our trip to CM will be if not on peak, than atleast high season. If the paperthing in Bkk, aka marriage :P, runs smooth, we'll get 3-4 days in CM.

We'll definitly check out Doi Pui village, the more accesible the better, as my soon-to-be wife hates walking for some reason. As long as I don't have to take a package tour to get there, I won't complain.

Again, thank's!

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by Acid_Crow

Thanks for the tips guys. The reason we can't stay longer is that we run a small tourist-oriented business down south, and our trip to CM will be if not on peak, than atleast high season. If the paperthing in Bkk, aka marriage :P, runs smooth, we'll get 3-4 days in CM.

We'll definitly check out Doi Pui village, the more accesible the better, as my soon-to-be wife hates walking for some reason. As long as I don't have to take a package tour to get there, I won't complain.

Again, thank's!

Acid Crow,

Save the time - run away and elope. To heck with the paperwork! Not sure how you're getting to Chiang Mai but if you're flying check out AirAsia - cheap fares and several flights per day.