Wat Lok Molee is an attractive and often overlooked little temple that’s recently received a facelift, and while not being one of Chiang Mai‘s most well known temples is well worth including on any temple tour of the downtown area. If we grade wats by the number of photos we take in them, then Wat … read the full post

It would be an understatement to describe Chiang Mai’s Rainforest Boutique Hotel as tucked away and low-key, since in the 12 years we’ve been in town we’d never heard of it until some friends recently stayed there. They gave it excellent reports so we checked it out: it’s a lovely spot and we strongly recommend … read the full post

Wat Chedi Luang rivals Wat Phra Singh for the title of Chiang Mai’s most important and prestigious city temple. Though it comes a definite second for local visitors, the two temples are probably neck and neck in terms of foreigners, though for sheer size Wat Chedi Luang has no competition. The partially ruined chedi is … read the full post

It’s taken us a while to get around to writing a post on what is really Chiang Mai’s most important temple, Wat Phra Singh, and while walking around this afternoon we had the distinct feeling it was possibly actually our first ever visit!? Our office is directly opposite the main entrance — but then we … read the full post

Having plumped for Chiang Mai Blue House as our Chiang Mai budget recommendation and suggested Chiang Mai Thai House as a mid-range fave, we’ll round out this mini-series with our top pick in the upmarket category. If any of our visiting rellies or friends don’t mind splashing the cash a bit then The Rim Resort … read the full post

A long-standing favourite of ours in Chiang Mai’s mid-range accommodation category is the excellent Chiang Mai Thai House (see here for our budget pick). Location’s one of the strong points of Thai House, which falls somewhere in the range between upmarket guesthouse and boutique hotel. Situated on Tha Pae Road, Soi 5, it’s about a … read the full post

The correct name for this historic, attractive and unusual Chiang Mai temple is Wat Potharam Mahavihara, though locals generally use the name Wat Jet (or Chet) Yot, meaning the Temple of Seven Spires for its famous centre piece, a seven-spired chedi, or stupa. According to the Thai Fine Arts Department, the wat was originally constructed … read the full post

Chiang Mai’s National Museum, located on the ‘super-highway’ close to Wat Jet Yot, (see map), isn’t  a huge museum but is nicely laid out, well lit and large enough to provide an easily followed and succinct outline of the northern city’s history from prehistoric times until the 20th century. In fact it’s a jolly good … read the full post

Well, more accurately what we enjoyed visiting most in Lamphun was Wat Chama Devi (or Thewi). Without meaning to be rude, and while being a pleasant-enough spot, the small, sleepy, provincial town of Lamphun isn’t exactly the tourist epicentre of northern Thailand. However in an earlier Mon, Dvaravati period incarnation as Haripunchai it was indeed … read the full post

Just outside of downtown Chiang Mai, on the edge of the ‘super highway’, lie the recently excavated ruins of the ancient city of Wiang Khum Kham. The ruins themselves aren’t exactly spectacular – several brick temples and pagodas in fairly ruinous states – but it is a historically important site and a visit is made … read the full post