Chiang Dao Nest

Detailed Tour Review - 12th June, 2007
The family and I signed up for 3 days. The first was the Elephant ride and bamboo raft. Advice is to bring a long handled fly swatter for the elephants as there are tons of horse flies and the elephant will tahnk you. Plus it's fun whacking them. The first night we stayed at the hut and be warned. It is a HUT! I bashed my head on the low ceiling of the eating area (drew lots of blood too) plus no mosi netting and we met the world's largest grasshopper (18 cm)( on the inside wall. Plus at dawn the roosters (5 of them) compete for 3 hours on who is loadest. Under the hut! The nearby caves and waterfall are amazing and the walk to the high village is a serious walk 3 hours but what a view when you get there! Do Check with Wicha what the food will be as they sent chicken (pre-cooked and marinaded) but we never saw it. The last day we gave the 12 km walk a miss and went back to CDN late morning glad we did. Even considering the giant bug, bleeding head and rooster choir I'd do it again

Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by Milacku on 12th June, 2007, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 6/2007
Total reviews submitted: 2.
Milacku also reviewed: .

Detailed Review June 2007 - 12th June, 2007
My wife and two children just spent 1 week at the CDN. (Kids are pre-teens for what it's worth) This is not a place for budget travellers but a great place to get away. We had 2 cabins which were very clean and well kept. No A/C which honestly you don't need since it was quite cool with just the fan. The food was top notch. Seriously. I am not a big fan of Thai cooking due to some herb they use but here each meal was great. (Try the Spagetti Bolagnese) Breakfast is 100 to 150 per and dinner 300 - 400 per but seriously worth it. The first day we chilled on the comfy beds but the second day went on the nature trail and nearby monastery. Both nice and a good walk. The next day we toured on motor bikes and went around the monutains which was wicked fun. We did go on the local tours and I will write a separate review of them so you know what to expect. A last note for this post. It is 1.5 hours to the airport. Our plane was at 9, we left at 6:30 and just barely made it. So leave time

Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by Milacku on 12th June, 2007, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 6/2007
Total reviews submitted: 2.
Milacku also reviewed: .

I don't get it... - 28th March, 2007
We stayed 2 nights at Chiang Dao Nest 2 in early March. We seriously comtemplated leaving as soon as we arrived but it was late and we'd just payed $50US for the private van ride up (took the 40 Baht bus ride back to Chiang Mai and it was fine). Some of the problems we had with CDN2 were out of the owner's control - leaf/grass burning in the north resulted in such thick smoke you literally had no view, all the local dogs gathered each night to bark and howl, it was dry season and the ''gardens'' were dry and ugly. We also had many problems that the owners/management could control - the beds were the worst of our 1 month trip, there were critters (birds I hoped) living in the space between the thatch roof and the metal roof, and the hot shower didn't work. The most frustrating thing was the Thursday night BBQ - the kitchen at CDN2 is closed so you have to go to CDN1 for their BBQ dinner (which was very good)...the problem was getting back to CDN2, about 1km walk by ourselves in the complete dark with barking dogs and my active imagination. I thought they would have provided transporation as we had no choice but to go there for dinner. We stayed the 2nd night to try to do some hiking in the area - with their terrible map and unmarked paths and got lost without enough water. I think in rainy season, when it is green, and without the smoke, and with a softer bed and no animals living in the roof...this could have been a good experience. The Thai food at the CDN2 was excellent, but overpriced...not many choices once you get there.

Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by emjay on 28th March, 2007, rated 2 out of 5.
Stayed here 3/2007
Total reviews submitted: 4.
emjay also reviewed: Baan Orapin, Borann, Krabi River Hotel.

Overpriced - 28th February, 2007
Perhaps they were just having an off day when we arrived, and we did only stay for one night so this is hardly the definitive review, but I have to say that I was less than impressed with the CDN. The accommodation was, I felt, rather overpriced at 700 baht for a twin fan room; simple and stylish decor, well maintained, immaculately clean, a lovely little room - indeed I cannot fault it but to say that it is rather pricey. Staff attitude was the most off-putting part of our admittedly brief stay at the Nest: the female owner was more than a little condescending when I told her we could only afford to stay for the one night! Catering for a predominantly wealthier type of traveller, I suspect our backpacks marked us out as poverty stricken ruffians (although we are most presentable and not at all destitute mud-encrusted hippy types) and we felt from the moment we arrived that they were keen for us to leave. Which we did, after eating a quite standard breakfast. The Nest is definitely the place to stay if you have the money to do so (and you will need the money because, as a captive market, you have no alternative but to eat in their restaurant where dishes average at the 300 baht mark) and are interested in package tour style trips on elephant back to go and ''experience'' the hill tribes, and know that on your return you will find relative luxury, be able to drink your expensive G&Ts and kick back with the brat pack. The staff are not averse to giving their patrons the hard sell over their tours, pointing out to one group of americans that it was their ''duty'' as tourists to participate in such trips as it was providing local people with an income. Judging from the gleaming, brand new pick up parked on the drive, it's not the villagers who are benefiting necessarily...

Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by kittenpooh on 28th February, 2007, rated 3 out of 5.
Stayed here 2/2007
Total reviews submitted: 2.
kittenpooh also reviewed: Three J Guesthouse.

Nice - 22nd November, 2006
We found Chiang Dao Nest a nice and comfortable place to stay. The food, drink and massage is quite expensive though, although you can always go over to Nest 2 for some cheaper Thai food. Was a bit disappointed with Chiang Dao (the area) as a whole though. While it was lovely, it was actually much further from Chiang Mai than we had anticipated (at least 2 hours by bus plus taxi at both ends) and we regretted not going to Pai (which is 3 hours away) instead.

Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by riki_nt on 22nd November, 2006, rated 3 out of 5.
Stayed here 10/2006
Total reviews submitted: 9.
riki_nt also reviewed: A-One Inn, Ao Toh Ko Bungalows, CM Blue House, J. J. Bungalow, Levady Guesthouse, Levady Guesthouse, Levady Guesthouse, Mali Namphu.