Pai
Guesthouses, hotels and resorts
Pai town
Pai is a pretty small place with a very simple layout. Nothing is far away. Chanasongkram Rd is the main strip but there is plenty of accommodation on the nearby crossroads. Many opt to stay on the edges of town -- especially near the river, but there is plenty of good options in town as well.
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Rim-Pai Cottage
Classy in a lush, riverside garden
99/1 Moo 3, Pai
T: (053) 699 133; F: (053) 699 234This is three-star accommodation at budget prices and a cracking deal during low season. Beautifully decorated wooden chalets are set in a lush riverside garden where shaded paths wind through ... View details
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Li Lu
Classy mid-range mini-hotel
Rungsiyanon Rd, Pai
T: (053) 064 351-2; F: (053) 064 353Li Lu is another spot that falls into the great deal in low season but forget it during high season category. This brand new mini-hotel just near the junction of Rungsiyanon and Raddamrong Roads by ... View details
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Mr Jan's Guesthouse
Great, quiet garden setting
68/6 Tesaban Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 554;A little bit hard to find lying as it does down a side street off Chaisongkran Road, Mr Jan's is well worth the effort. Chalets are dotted around a delightful garden which is decorative as well as ... View details
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Breeze of Pai
Nice bargain rooms
Between Chiasongkram Rd and the Pai river, Pai
T: (081) 998 4597;Breeze of Pai offers clean, decent-sized rooms with a little design flair yet without being too expensive. There's row houses or detached bungalows to choose from, all with fan and hot water. The ... View details
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Ban Sangheuan
Small and sweet
35/3 Moo 3, Chaisongkran Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 859;Baan Sangheaun is a nice quiet spot set a bit back from the main road in a peaceful garden, at approximately the halfway mark on Chaisongkran Road right next to Wat Pha Kham. Friendly, cosy and ... View details
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The Palm House
One of the best in the budget range
3 Rungsiyanon Rd, Pai,
T: (053) 699 074;Five concrete rowhouse rooms make up this gem. For a budget guesthouse, Palm House is great value with clean, generous-sized rooms and bathrooms with hot showers for once not directly above the ... View details
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Unicorn Guesthouse and Resort
Upmarket at mid-range price
98 Moo 4, Pai
T: (053) 698 068;A stay at a nicely decorated wooden chalet at this relatively new guesthouse boasting a well-cared for garden includes swimming pool, WiFi and free sauna. It's quite a small setting but good use of ... View details
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Vieng Pai Hotel
Simple but charming in teak
68/6 Rungsiyanon Rd. Pai
T: (053) 699 554;ieng Pai is simple and cheap but has tasteful decor that belies its price range. (It does belong to the same guys who own the upmarket Phu Pai Resort, so they can afford it.) The small teak hotel ... View details
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Wang Chang Phuek Pai
Great low season option
123, Moo3, WiangT Tai, Pai
T: (053) 699 796;Another opportunity to stay in an upscale resort at budget prices, so long as you're there in low season. (This starting to sound familiar?) High season probably best to forget it since if it's not ... View details
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Golden Hut
Great choice if you can snare a river view chalet
107 Moo 3, Pai
T: (053) 699 949;Golden Hut, a walk down Chaisongkran to the river and a left along the dirt track, has two great river view chalets then a few more average ones set in the garden behind. The garden is okay and the ... View details
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Pravee's House
Popular and central
95 Chaisongkram Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 368;Popular Pravee has a great garden and is in a good location as well. The owners also run the nearby Palm House (basic but okay if all else is full), and the similarly okay-but-nothing-special Taiyai ... View details
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Family House Guesthouse
Simple, good value but avoid during peak
Chaisongkram Rd, Pai
T: (053) 064 377;Just off Chaisongkran Road -- go to the end by the footbridge and bear left to find it -- this pleasant spot is close to the river though not quite on it, which could be an advantage during a heavy ... View details
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Duang Guesthouse
Popular and longstanding
5 Rungsiyanon Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 101; F: (053) 699 581One of the oldest guesthouses in town, Duang House has had a slight facelift but could maybe do with another. It is a good deal though and the better rooms are fine, plus they do have a commendable ... View details
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Abodaya Guesthouse
Centrally located and friendly
16/1 Chaisongkran Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 041;Abodaya has a very central location, just down the road from Duang House and very close to the bus station. Service is efficient and friendly (at least in low season), and their restaurant is one of ... View details
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Baan Pai Village
Great deal in town centre
88 Tesaban Road, Pai
T: (053) 698 152; F: (053) 699 057Located at the Chaisongkran end of the street -- just opposite Cafe Paille -- Baan Pai Village is an excellent spot and within its range one of the best deals in the centre of town. It's central but ... View details
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Charlie's House
Another popular longtimer
9 Rungsiyanon Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 039;Being one of the oldest and best known guesthouses in town, renowned Charlie's is another guesthouse that's seen better times but remains very popular. It does have a very central location, if that's ... View details
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Baan Tawan Guesthouse
Simple but clean and comfortable
117 Moo 4, Pai
T: (053) 698 116;Set down a quiet lane off Raddamrong Road, Ban Tawan is well signposted and easy to find -- just walk past the school on the way to the bridge and take the first right. Service gets mixed reports. ... View details
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The Blue Lagoon Hotel
Functional looking but welcome pool
227 Rungsiyanon Rd, Pai
T: (081) 904 5341;Not a bad option for downtown, though it has its drawbacks, with its room no more than functional and slightly noisy due to their location just in front of the pool/bar area and a rather scruffy, ... View details
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Under 600B 
600B to 1,500B 
600B to 1,500B West of Pai
This is the area just on the edge of town along the National 1095 road leading out of Pai to the northwest. The road leads to the airport, Soppong and Mae Hong Son. Further out lies Nam Hoo -- in the foothills to the northwest of town, past the airport and on the way to the popular Mae Paeng Falls. A few villages plus a few guesthouses and several vast Thai 'country resorts' scatter the mostly bare hills. We've left aside most of the latter since many are not particularly attractive and most cater mainly to Thai tourists. (All are pretty much in the middle of nowhere too and most conform to the unfortunate Thai garden creation technique, whereby you begin by stripping the land bare for miles around of any and all natural vegetation, then plant some new trees from the Chiang Mai flower market instead and wait for them to grow!) A couple of the more farang orientated guesthouses aren't bad though if you want to get away from it all in the sticks.
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Ban Nam Hoo
Quiet country hideaway
Ban Nam Hoo, Pai
T: (053) 698 172;Tucked away on the edge of Ban Nam Hoo, this isn't the sort of place you'd come across by accident but if you are looking for it and have your own transport then it is well signposted. Otherwise give ... View details
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Belle Villa Resort
Worth a splash out
113 Moo 6 Huay Poo Rd, Pai
T: (053) 698 226-7; F: (053) 698 228Another slightly out of the way spot which only just creeps into the outskirts of town category located, as it is, down the right hand turn off immediately before the airport. Belle Villa isn't ... View details
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Shiwadoi Resort
Great for hobbits
121 Huay Poo Rd, Pai
T: (053) 699 536;A big effort has been made on decor at Shiwadoi and the result is quite cute considering the limited space. Very nice wooden chalets are squeezed into a lush garden with pathways winding in and out ... View details
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Baan Mai Konmuang
Good setting in a great river view garden
117 Moo 3, Pai
T: (053) 699 499;Very friendly staff and a delightful location overlooking the valley from a pleasant garden setting make this a good address to remember. Baan Mai Konmuang is far enough off the main road to keep the ... View details
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Brookview
Great chalets on the town's edge
132 Moo 1, Pai
T: (053) 699 366;Brookview is just on the edge of town, past the traffic lights on the right hand side of the road leading out to the airport. It's a mere 5 minutes' or so from the bus station and downtown though, so ... View details
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North of Pai -- Mae Khong and Wiang Nur
This covers the loop north of town from the airport round through Mae Khong village and over the river to Wiang Nur, and the collection of small Shan villages to the northeast of Pai. You're never very far from Pai on this loop and the Shan villages are mostly quiet and cute and there is some good accommodation in this area. It's quite a nice area for hiking as well, since you're close to the hills to the north of the valley. As with many outlying areas though there's no public transport to speak of so if you haven't hired any transport you would be a bit stuck. Though there are some very nice places to stay, unfortunately the best ones such as Ubud Guesthouse and Amy's Earth House are a fair way from town -- especially late at night on a motorbike after a couple of beers, so bear that in mind. If you want to hang out, party and meet people then maybe stick to town, one of the riverside spots or one of the excellent places just over the bridge within walking distance of Pai. If you want peace and quiet and to avoid the party scene however, then do go for one of these further flung satellite villages. On the basis that it needs to be good to get you all the way out there we have been a bit more ruthless with our recommendations.
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Amy's Earth House
Chilled out Adobe huts in an outlying village
Baan Mae Khong (follow the signs!)
T: (053) 699 899;A few kilometres out of Pai is the small village of Baan Mae Khong, just behind the airport runway. Follow the signs through the village and you'll find yourself at Amy's Earth House, a small cluster ... View details
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Pura Vida
Classy yet cosy
65 Moo 3, Tambon Vieng Nour, Pai
T: (089) 635 7556;Situated past Vieng Nur Village on the road going south back towards the bridge, Pura Vida is more east of Pai than north but since it's situated on its own a bit in the middle of nowhere, we plumped ... View details
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Ubud Guesthouse
Charming, friendly and peaceful
63 Moo 3, Ban Tarn Jet Ton, Pai
T: (081) 021 1362;This delightful little guesthouse is located in a small Shan village, some 5 or 6km out of Pai town. It boasts a very nice teak restaurant and immaculately kept garden with just four well-designed ... View details
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South of Pai - Hot springs and Tha Pai Village
You're getting pretty out of the way by the time you get down here -- a 10- or 15-minute motorbike ride from town, and you can forget about walking. There's not really much in the way of attractions to keep you down here either, apart from a hot spring and a row of low-key elephant camps, which are probably better done as a half-day trip. This means your accommodation's going to have to be something really special to make the stay worthwhile. (Though Pai Canyon is worth a trip -- see activities section.) A string of mostly mid- to upper-range resorts runs along the ridge to the right of the road as you go down from Mae Yen. These have good views over the valley, but cater to mostly Thai weekenders. Then there's a bunch of mostly new and large resorts, again mostly catering to the Thai trade, by the river as you cross back over the bridge on the main Chiang Mai - Pai road. Lastly is an eclectic collection of resorts situated around Tha Pai village and the springs themselves. Hot springs are ten a penny in northern Thailand, and these are no more than average ones, though a couple of the resorts have constructed hot bath facilities. Same goes for the elephant camps (also see activities section), which are not the most exciting ones in the region either. The majority of the resorts aren't very exciting either so we don't even need to be ruthless to prune the accommodation list down. If you want budget options, go back to the river or try Sun Hut or Eden in Mae Yen.
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Pai Tree House
Treehouses
103 Moo 3, Wiengtai, Pai
T: (053) 6893 271; F: (053) 065 729Pai Tree House, located along the road between Mae Yen and the hot springs is in a good location with a well kept garden and a very wide spread of accommodation types to suit all but the most meagre ... View details
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East of Pai - Over the bridge, by the river
Crossing over the bridge at the end of Raddamrong Road and turning left along the river bank will bring you to a string of mostly simple bamboo hut guesthouses lined up one after the other, with a second row behind jostling in vain for a river side position. (Some of these are more easily reached by crossing the footbridge at the end of Chaisongkran Road). Most of the bamboo hut locations -- squarely in the backpacker range -- have been around for a while and while they are all fairly similar in layout, design and price, a couple do stand out mainly by virtue of better maintenance and service. If our suggestions are full or you don't quite agree, just toddle along the riverbank footpath to the next one. This is certainly a good location, with easy access to the town and plenty of splash-about-in-the-river spots around, but at worst it can get very crowded with a lot of huts, and backpackers, crammed into a relatively small area. Being convenient and riverside they are also the first to fill up.
If you follow the road rather than turn left, follow it for 200m or so to a low ridge that separates the river valley from a raised plateau of farmland that stretches off to the foot of the hills. This is traditionally farmland -- mostly rice -- but is now dotted with resorts and guesthouses. The sealed road, upon running into the ridge, makes a T-junction with the right fork, parallel to the river, leading to Mae Yen village and on to the hot springs, while the right turn also runs parallel to the river in a northerly direction towards Wiang Nur village. Both eventually swing round to meet up with the Chiang Mai - Mae Hong Son highway on either side of Pai. Take any of the several dirt tracks leading across the farmland from the T-junction and you'll hit a whole range of guesthouses that don't stop until the foothills are reached. Sticking a few chalets in the midst of flat bare paddy can produce desolate results, so the best ones up here are the ones where more effort has been made with their gardens. There are a couple of excellent spots up here.
Else, continue to Mae Yen village. The village itself isn't much to write home about but it is within easy walking distance of Pai and it does have a good selection of accommodation plus a couple of basic cafes and grocery stores. There are some great low season deals and they would certainly fill up a bit later than riverside or in-town guesthouses during high season.
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Aqua
Great chalets in a great garden plus pool
Near Mae Yen village, Pai
T: (086) 272 2016; F: (053) 699 614A change from the proliferation of European - Thai run places around -- this one is Australian - Thai owned. And very nice too, with a delightful garden full of ginger and heliconias and very nicely ... View details
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Nina
Friendly budget spot
Moo 1, Mae Hee, Pai
T: (081) 2889 6408;Follow the track heading off to Mae Yen Waterfall and turn right at the Pai Klang Na Resort to get to this excellent little guesthouse. Nina is a bit hidden away and like all the others in this part ... View details
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Pai Chan Cottage
Top spot!
191 Moo 1 Mae Hee, Pai
T: (081) 180 3064;Pai Chan is such a good spot but with only a few chalets it means that even in low season it can be full. Set just on top of the embankment, overlooking paddy fields behind and across the valley to ... View details
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Natural Mystic
Basic but peaceful
east of Pai
T: (085) 719 9211;Natural Mystic is to the right of the T-junction, so you don't need to take any of the tracks leading up the plateau to get to this one. Just take the right fork then the first dirt track on the ... View details
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Pai Lanna
Good chalets and nice garden
169 Moo 1, Mae Hee, Pai
T: (089) 691 3367;Not far down the left hand fork, Pai Lanna is a well situated five-minute walk from the bridge with a good view over the river and valley. The garden is immaculate, with lovely sitting areas and the ... View details
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Pairadise
Absolutely stunning with plenty of space
98 Moo 1, Mae Hee, Pai
T: (053) 698 065;Just a short way down the road from Pai Lanna is the rather laboriously named but actually quite nice Pairadise Resort. (It's not a typo, but rather the owner's idea of a joke!) Very nice chalets are ... View details
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The Countryside Bungalows
Well run and a good deal
90/2 Moo 1 Mae Hee, Pai,
T: (087) 172 6632;The Country side is another Dutch - Thai run location with friendly Thai service and good food, and efficient Dutch organisation and management. It's down the dirt track running across the fields, ... View details
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Baan Pai Country Hut
Small and cosy
Near the river, Pai
T: (081) 548 2346;Heading along the riverbank from Baan Pai Riverside is a string of cheap guesthouses, Pai Country, Family Hut, Pai Riverview and so on. The first is our favourite while among the second row of ... View details
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Baan Pai Riverside
One of the budget spots on the river
88 Moo 3, Vieng Tai, Pai
T: (053) 698 152; F: (053) 69 9057If you were to stop by the river instead of continuing down the track to Twin Hut you'd be at Baan Pai Riverside Resort, one of the best along this stretch of the river. It's large, with 60 huts, so ... View details
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Twin Hut
Quiet and friendly
Tambon Mae Hee, Pai
T: (086) 924 0146;Set back from the river somewhat means Twin Hut has a quieter location, albeit without the view. If you're coming from the footbridge then continue down the track instead of turning left or right at ... View details
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Pai Klang Na
Upmarket Lanna huts in a paddy field
199, Moo 1, Mae Hee, Pai
T: (083) 304 3300;Huts at Pai Klang Na are about as expensive a bamboo hut as you will find. Set in the middle of a paddy field, literally, there's no way you could complain about lack of space. The huts may look ... View details
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The Sun Hut
Popular and friendly
28/1 Mae Yen, Pai
T: (053) 699 730;This friendly little guesthouse is located in a lush garden on the edge of Mae Yen village, a 10 to 15 minutes' walk from the bridge, so it's not too far and not a bad option if town is full and the ... View details
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Off the blog
A cruise on the River Ping
Mon, 6 Feb 2012
Wat Pan Tao
Thu, 2 Feb 2012
Chiang Mai's Chinatown
Mon, 30 Jan 2012
Chiang Mai's Wat Phra Singh
Tue, 24 Jan 2012
Photo: Chiang Dao trees
Thu, 19 Jan 2012
Suan Buak Hat: Chiang Mai's only park
Sun, 15 Jan 2012
Kamthieng market
Tue, 10 Jan 2012
Great Chiang Mai street food at Prathu Chiang Puak
Wed, 4 Jan 2012
Geographical names in Thailand
Fri, 30 Dec 2011
Ethnic groups of Northern Thailand: the Shan
Mon, 26 Dec 2011
More off Travelfish's blog on Chiang Mai
Travelfish top 5 spots
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Top accommodation by review
Pairadise
3 votes 98 Moo 1
Pai
T: (053) 698 065
Pai Chan Cottage
1 votes 191 Moo 1 Mae Hee
Pai
T: (081) 180 3064
Baan Pai Village
3 votes 88 Tesaban Road
Pai
T: (053) 698 152
F: (053) 699 057
Rim-Pai Cottage
1 votes 99/1 Moo 3
Pai
T: (053) 699 133
F: (053) 699 234
Aqua
2 votes Near Mae Yen village
Pai
T: (086) 272 2016
F: (053) 699 614
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