Thanks to everyone who has helped thus far. We have 8 nights in Thailand in Dec. with our two teen boys. We're planning 3 nights in BKK and then are undecided between the Anantara or Yaang Come Village in CM (arriving by night train). If we go to CM we are considering an overnight trek with Sargeant Kai. The Anantara looks fabulous, but we like to be able to walk into town at night. Or...is there there a less touristy town where we could get the market/hilltribe/elephant/waterfall experience?

Apples and oranges I think. We've stated at Yaang Come Village and are going to the Anantara.

YCV is great...we stayed there last December and had a great time. It's near to the night market, though we didn't much care for that. The Sunday Walking Street is the market to go to. Elephant Conservation Center is about an hour away. Easy access to lovely countryside in the Mae Rim valley and beyond. Chiang Mai is a city.

Anantara is in Chiang Saen, which is not at all a city. The nearest city is Chiang Rai, and it's an hour away. Nearby restaruants in walking distance are none...so I understand. I'm impressed by their elephant camp...http://www.helpingelephants.org/ Time at the Anantara for us will be elephants and relaxing. I may be wrong, but I don't expect it to be at all urban.

There are plenty of less touristed places which are great for trekking and waterfalls and a more local atmosphere...but they lack the level of comfort you will find at YCV and the Anantara.

http://www.mutmee.net/index.htm
http://nest.chiangdao.com/
http://www.maekok-river-village-resort.com/
http://www.fernresort.info/
are all places which are more rural, less touristy, have good reputations and can offer guests a very nice experience and much more than a bed in a room.

We have just returned from staying at both of these properties. Anantara was fabulous,my husband loved the elephants and I had a great time cooking...but it is fairly remote. We did several day tours while there but at night you tend to stay in. YCM is a beautiful place to stay.It is walking distance to most things or just a tuk tuk away. The CM market is 5 min walk away and I,m sure you could easily access your other requests. I think with teenage boys I would be more inclined to stay at YCV. We would definately stay there again.

Sorry,YCV not YCM. Must be the jet lag!

Thanks for the prompt responses. Huddoshols - Our other stops on the trip are Tokyo & Bkk. Will it be too urban a trip if we just do CM? Are the treks from CM too touristy and commercialized? KimJapan - The places you recommended look fabulous, but we think our kids will want "action" at night. We are still considering Luang Prabang but spoke to friends who went there with their teenage son and he wasn't crazy about it.

If your kids want any kind of action at night, then it's easy. Chiang Mai. The Anantara will be quiet and no nearby action at all. The other places will have "action" but in the form of hanging out with other guests and maybe staff.

have you been to baan rai lanna? just came across their website and am now thinking of skipping the overnight hilltribe tour and spending 2 nights there...
as far as other guests to hang out with, do you think there will be other teens at the anantara during xmas week?

I think Bangkok,Tokyo and Chiang Mai are good,all very different. We didnt do alot of the tours as they are a bit too touristy for us. We prefer to be on our own,walking or getting a tuk tuk for several hours. But there is alot to do in Chiang Mai,with lots of tourists so I dont think your teens will be bored.YCV is good to keep coming back to if you need a break from the heat or rain. The pool is good too.

During Christmas week, I do know that Fern Resort is very popular with expat families living in Asia. The Anantara I would suspect would be similar, as it has the elephant program like the ECC but with more comforts. Last year at Christmas, there were several families at YCV, and my daughter made friends within the first few hours, as is her typical style and expectation.

I always ask the hotels we are considering if other families are booked at the same time, as it is of the utmost importance to my daughter that she have the opporutunity to make some friends. So far, we have not been disappointed in that respect. If other families are important to you, you might want to do what we do, and e-mail the hotels and ask them directly.

Kim is so right, the Anantara and the YCV are totally different and in entirely differnt places. The Anantara is in a rural area, maybe 20 minutes away from Chaing Sean. The countryside is lovely, the hotel is gorgeous, it's a place to go and stay... with one day out looking around. The pool is beautiful, there are on-site elephants, and there is an on-site cooking school. If your teens are pretty self-sufficuent and can entertain themselves (perhaps with other teen guests) they'll be fine. If they want lots of things to do, if they want to be entertained, then CM is better. If you and they want contrast after two big cities, you'll prefer the Anantara. Remember, CM is a big city too.

Our latest plan is to go to both.
3 nights bangkok, 2 nights YCV, drive to Anantara stopping at hot springs and hilltribes, then 3 nights Anantara. We're on the verge of booking flights (as soon as we decide for sure to rule out angkor...)

You might be able to rule out Angkor based on flight availability, as someone else posted today that there were no seats BKK - REP between December 26 and January 1.

Both YCV and the Anantara sounds like a good plan to me.

crosscheck, are there rooms available at both YCV and the Anantara? I'd check and book immediately or you may have all of your first choices gone. Rooms at the Anantara go fast as it's such a great hotel in the Golden Triangle. And CM is going to be very crowded all winter dur to the big Floral Exhibition in honor of the King's 60 year reign. You are traveling at the highest season.

Thanks for your concern! We have reservations at both Anantara and YCV. We also have a driver reserved through Sgt. Kai to take us from CM to the Anantara with hot springs and hilltribe stops. I just need to book the internal flights. There are also still a few flights on BKK air to SR on our dates...It is still bothering me that we are skipping Angkor (and Luang Prabang) on this trip, but I have always wanted to go to Norther Thailand and it doesn't seem like we can do both.

P.S. I'm also a little disappointed that we're not doing something more off the beaten track.

I'm relieved to hear that you do have reservations.

The obvious solution to your concern about not seeing Angkor and LP is to plan another trip to SE Asia, this time including Luang Prabang and Siem Reap.

Enjoy!