Neither Siem Reap or Luang Prabang are at all "gritty". As a matter of fact, you can totally splurge in both those towns- Incredible dining, great spas, and nice hotels at cheap prices!

I would choose to drop Chiang Mai and add one day to each of your other locations, but that's just me.

If you are looking to save on lodging (especially in a high-season trip) Hostelworld.com seems to be fairly accurate in their descriptions and specializes in budget accomodations. My daughter uses it a lot and swears by it.

In SR, two places that are budget, but very clean and comfortable are Seven Candles guesthouse or the Frangipani, which has a pool.

One thing I really enjoyed in LP was a weaving class. It took 1/2 day and we created a beautiful piece of sil. The longer classes make full length scarves.

December is a lovely time to visit SE Asia.

We'd be glad to help on accommodations - give us a price per night you are looking for. Krabi will be the most expensive place, as the beaches are very expensive at the end of December. But elsewhere, you can get really lovely places for, say, $100-150 a night.

Like Lcuy, I'd tend to cut Chiang Mai - it's a huge city with a bad case of urban sprawl and no public transportation. On the other hand, there are lovely places out in the countryside that you can access from Chiang Mai. Cutting one destination makes thia a more leisurely trip, where you can settle in and experience a place, soak up the atmosphere.

i'm with the girls, i do not like CM, even after 3 or 4 tries at liking it, but most do like it..

i think your timing is perfect all around..

check bangkok air for your flights and use their discovery pass for big airline savings..

pls note my posting today about thailand hotels

I loved CM and wouldn't cut it. I found it to be a charming mid size town that exposes itself as u slowly explore it. By clicking on my name you can find my TR for our nine weeks in the places you plan to visit.

I'd check into the Discovery Pass as soon as you can as we had trouble using it to book our flights to Krabi in the January time frame.

I haven't been to CM, but many younger relatives and friends loved it for its international cafe/club scene and access to outdoorsy activities.

In one of the quirkiest lines of recent travel writing, Lonely Planet called it one of the world's hot cities, saying that "If Chiang Mai were a person, it would be Bob Dylan."

And my cousin's daughter, who went all over SE Asia for her honeymood, considered CM a highlight. You might want to check out the LP thorn tree forum for opinions of travelers closer to your age.

That's so funny, crosscheck. A number of years ago there was a long thread on Thorntree (LP's travel forum) and Chaing Mai won as the "most disappointing destination in SE Asia."

thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies-- your perspectives are so helpful and appreciated! i will look into the Discover pass ASAP, and look forward to reviewing some of the add'l links you all shared. thank you thank you!

-Jeremy

Kathie, I remember how you weren't crazy about CM and how that influenced our trip planning. But suddenly it's a happening spot!

Thanks for your offer of help re: accommodations, Kathie! We're on a bit of a budget, and were trying to decide whether we should do a shorter trip that was a bit more lavish, or a longer trip that was less so-- and we opted for the longer trip.

I was hoping to be able to keep our hotel costs more in the $50 - $100 range earlier in the trip-- we've both done a fair bit of backpacking, and are completely open to hostels as well. Then when we get to Krabi we'll probably splurge a bit. I haven't had a chance to check out Icuy's link (hostelworld) yet, but I am looking forward to snooping around this weekend. i'm hoping to book my regional flights on Sunday (while my fiancee is w/ her family for the day-- it's hard to keep things secret in a 1 bedroom apartment!). thanks again!

One of the nice things about this board and other travel boards is the diversity of opinions offered. Makes it easy to hear the pros and cons of a destination, hotel, tour guide etc. Its very hard to imagine CM being the most disappointing destination in SE Asia. U can read more about CM and other places on Trip Advisor where I got a lot of information on SEAsia.

I think u should be able to find nice places to stay in your price range. there are several good booking sites that offer some discounts. these include Agoda, Asia Rooms and Sawadee.

There are a number of good discount booking sites. For Thailand, I often use www.sawasdee.com Note that in Thailand there are taxes and service charges that total 17.7%. WHatever booking site you use, make sure the taxes and service are included. Also, try to get a price that includes breakfast.

You should be able to get nice places in your price range.

WHile I'm not fond of CM, others are, and I'd encourage you to do your research and decide what works for you.

yestravel, the reason CM got voted "most disappointing" has to do with how it got billed (and still does to some extent) as "the real Thailand" with people living in traditional ways. WHen I first visited CM back in the mid-1980s, it's true that you could actually find authentic hilltribe goods in one or two places at the night market. But it was, even then, a sprawling, crowded, polluted city. The actuality of CM was so different than its publicity that many people felt disappointed. I think now people are more likely to know what to expect.

Ah, I c . Yes, unmet expectations can be so disappointing.

Another vote for CM not being the most disappointing place in SE Asia. It's one of my favorite places to visit in Thailand and its outskirts provide some of the most beautiful and peaceful scenery to be found in the country.

That said, I think 3 full days in CM provides all that you need. Grab a cooking class (A Lot of Thai is a must!), visit elephants in the wild (look at the Elephant Nature Park -- a nonprofit that's helping rehabilitate abused elephants) and take in the chill and relaxed vibe of one our favorite small cities in Asia.

To me, CM is to San Francisco as Bangkok is to NYC.

I'm with the others on Chiang Mai being dissapointing. everyone either loves it or dislikes it. I have some friends who honeymooned in Thailand and raved about it. I agree with the quote about likening it to Bob Dylan. It seemed to be a town full of backpackers and tourists. Don't get me wrong, it had great cafes and shops, but not really what I went to Thailand for.

Luang Prabang is much more charming so definitely keep that in your itinerary.