Chiang Dao Nest

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Rated 4 out of 5

Based on 12 ratings and 12 reviews

• Pushy

  Did not stay here as it was full but see my review of Malees which is next door. offered the nest 2 which was empty and not as nice as nest one. I am here to review the restaurant a very good standard but not as good as some of the rave reviews I have read on Travelfish. The staff where somewhat pushy with regards to starters etc even after you have said just the main course a senior member of staff comes and hassles you into ordering one. The main course was well presented though not a tasty as I thought it would be( and no I don't eat MSG) The steak ordered medium came out medium rare though to be fair was melt in the mouth. The sweet was very tasty devils food chocolate cake with ice cream and a mango coolie. Wicha was not there so that could have affected the quality of the food. With most main course dishes costing 400 baht definitely overpriced

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  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by stoko42 (Total reviews: 7) on 31st May, 2010
  Rated 4 out of 5. after a stay here in 5/2010

• tastiest place in the north!

  Chiang Dao Nest was a total surprise - not the charming clean bamboo huts overlooking lush gardens with passionfruit and noni in the trees, not even the hand drawn map of the area that helped us immensly on our bicycling tour - but the mix of thai athmosphere and western culinary highlights - rarely back home i get to eat like this and certainly not in such romantic garden setting, where the charming but no-nonsense owner took special care for every single guest. ok true, the price of a dinner or a single bottle of wine outdid the price of the room and if you stay longer you tend to blow the budget - but this is one of those places where you gladly say, what the heck get out the visacard and simly ENJOY!

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  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by monikaundsandra (Total reviews: 5) on 28th December, 2009
  Rated 5 out of 5. after a stay here in 11/2009

• Go in with a fat wallet

  I stayed here way back in 2005 when the Nest was still somewhat new. The room rate was about 295 Baht (I think) at that time - and that got me interested in the place. On the whole it was a pleasant experience (how often can you pluck fresh lychees from trees just behind your hut?) though I must admit, the price of the food and tour really strained the budget. If you stay here and want cheap food, better be ready to cycle a few km to the city. To be fair, the food was good, albeit pricey for budget travellers. Wicha the female owner striked me as a woman who wasn't afraid of giving you a piece of her mind, so I was not surprised when a few reviewers were treated less than courteously due to their tight budget. I guess fame really can change a person's attitude. There was a Dutchman who hung around with the owners and told me that he had several wifes up there. LOL.

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  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by tfkhang (Total reviews: 8) on 2nd November, 2009
  Rated 3 out of 5. after a stay here in 5/2005

• Paradise

  We stayed a week at Nest 1, and it was really great. We had plans to go to the Golden Triangle but why bother when you stay at CD Nest. Good food, friendly staf,a beautiful small pool, a lot of things to do. The excursions we made were nice. Owner Wicha gives the Nest this extra plus, the bungalows are comfortable, great beds, we didn`t use the fan, temperatures were fine without. Wicha, if you think of upgrading the Nest, don`t, it is great as it is

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  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by angeleon (Total reviews: 1) on 27th August, 2009
  Rated 5 out of 5. after a stay here in 8/2009

• Very relaxing and great food!

  I just spent 2 nights here with my husband and 2 year old son. The rooms are ok, clean and fairly spacious but the real reason to come here is the location and the food. There is loads of space for kids to run around and the swimming pool is lovely, though the water was freezing. It's better in hot season I'm sure. It's super quiet and the food is superb, though it's doesn't come cheap. If you're looking for a place to relax and spoil yourself for a few days, this is it. I hope we'll be back sometime.

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  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by foot2feet (Total reviews: 2) on 8th February, 2009
  Rated 4 out of 5. after a stay here in 2/2009

• 4 perfect days

  we arrived at chiang dao nest (1) expecting to stay for just a night or two, and immediately realized we'd stay longer than planned. the scenery alone is worth the trip, but the entire experience was absolutely perfect. the bungalows are in excellent shape - clean, thoughtfully but simply decorated, comfy beds and bedding. rustic, remote, but 100% comfortable. they also have white cotton robes all folded up with the towels when you get there - which is enough to win me over any day. the restaurant attached to nest 1 is really outstanding, particularly the thursday night BBQ. we rented mopeds (super fun) from the nest and explored the area, stopping for lunch at nest 2, which was also very good. i agree with other comments that it isn't inviting to walk from nest 1 to nest 2 at night. very dark streets and wild animals. they assured us it was safe, but i can understand anyone's hesitation. be prepared to feel a little bit stranded (not that it will be a problem - it's great here). we signed up for a one day walking-only trek through the nest and had a fantastic time, and spent the rest of our days taking short walks, reading in the lovely gardens, sitting by the pool, and being unable to resist racking up quite a large bill at the restaurant. my only complaint was that we stayed here so early in our trip - no place else could measure up. highly, highly recommended.

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  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by katieflynn (Total reviews: 3) on 25th November, 2008
  Rated 5 out of 5. after a stay here in 10/2008

• Fabulous!

  This was, hands down, the best place we stayed during our two-week trip to Thailand. The scenery was gorgeous, the huts were clean and stylishly simple, the beds were super comfortable (Wicha mentioned that she'd special-ordered the mattresses, so I'd guess they're not the same ones someone complained about below), the food was divine, and Wicha and her staff were so friendly and welcoming. Yes, it's a little bit beyond the average backpacker budget (between the room, tours and meals, we managed to rack up a tab of over $100 US in less than 24 hours!), but it's well worth the splurge--especially considering that, back in the States, we would have easily spent that much on the kind of gourmet-style dinner we had. I would go back in a heartbeat!

  Chiang Dao Nest reviewed by planetclare (Total reviews: 4) on 11th November, 2007
  Rated 5 out of 5. after a stay here in 10/2007

• Detailed Tour Review

  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 (Total reviews: 2) on 12th June, 2007
  Rated 4 out of 5. after a stay here in 6/2007

• Detailed Review 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 (Total reviews: 2) on 12th June, 2007
  Rated 4 out of 5. after a stay here in 6/2007

• I don't get it...

  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 (Total reviews: 4) on 28th March, 2007
  Rated 2 out of 5. after a stay here in 3/2007

• Overpriced

  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 (Total reviews: 2) on 28th February, 2007
  Rated 3 out of 5. after a stay here in 2/2007

• Nice

  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 (Total reviews: 9) on 30th November, 1999
  Rated 3 out of 5. after a stay here in 10/2006