Aloha all,

It seems Baan Orapin is a favorite with Hawaiians. I stayed there a few weeks ago, after breakfast I ran into someone who lives just 20 minutes away from me. Opas introduced us, he was amused that he had two different guests from Maui.
Nice place, we'll definitley go back, good folks, informative, helpful, nice rooms, convenient location. Hopefully by next year the pool will be ready.

Happy Trails!

kai wahine...too funny...my name is kai and i am a wahine...
are you one of the two mermaids???
opas told us about the other hawaiian guest that were there right before us.

i love it that we have found a home away from home...even lots of the same plants in the yard...

we loved baan orapin

Eh Kai, it is too funny. Yes, one of the mermaids (we are divers), we have a B&B here on Maui so we try to stay at B&B's wherever we go. We gave him some ideas and he passed along some of his. All good. Yes, the foliage/vegetation much the same, plumeria, heliconias, ti, even the noni. That along with the climate, I felt very much at home.

Baan Orapin will be my home away from home, it was just far enough away from the busy area. Just a short walk across the footbridge and you could be right in the middle of it.

Right on, good to hear from another travel wahine! Aloha

Thanks for that review! Seven of us are staying there in a few weeks. I can't wait!!

........

seeksocean...you will love it there...easy access to chiang mai but far enough away over the river to feel like your visiting friends.

kaiwahine...we live on maui too and i am a former dive instructor (retired) i love to travel and asia is our favorite place...b&b's are the way to go .we have stayed in many b&b's and so far never a bad experience, especially in thailand.

ok, call me lazy, because i am using dives thread to add to all the accolades of baan orapin. it was just a great place to stay. we had the second floor room close to their residence.

the new 6 unit addition in the back of the property is nearly complete, but it will be close for a dec. opening.

i think gloria will be staying in the new bldg, lucky you, away from the busy street.

dive, i passed on your greeting, and he said hi to you. he remembers all of you, including the two mermaids.

i don't know if anyone mentioned it, but the street fronting bo is a very busy narrow two way street. you must exercise caution and diligence when walking on this road. hardly any sidewalks along the way.

the weather was pleasant during the day, and cool at nite, so those of you visiting within the next few months should bring a jacket.

if you have a chance, go to the simon chiangmai cabaret. its a ladyboy show and well worth it. i went out of curiosity, but was completely mesmorized after the first five minutes, and forgot why i went to the review in the first place. they prsent a fabulous production, first rate. the sets, costumes, choreagraphy, staging was just superb.

thanks to tangata, had a few beers at red lion, and next door at the hofbrauhaus.

chiangmai was just a great trip.

kuranosuke...are you home? where is your trip report??? we cant wait to hear your adventures. i knew you would like baan orapin ...
we found that even tho the street out front is narrow and busy, the chiang mai drivers were quite considerate and we never felt
like we were targets...or in danger...just had to be cautious.

tell us more...

hi dive, yes, home now. i have been posting under on the road with kurault-no suke. i'm not too good at details, so my tr are rather spotty. gomen.

The seven of us are back from our Thailand vacation and I have nothing but good to say about the Baan Orapin.

The staff and owners were wonderful. Opas even helped one of us get to the hospital when he was hurt on an extreme (didn't know that in advance and is an experienced rider) mountain biking adventure...... I don't recommend that journey as the oufit that ran were not profesional enough to run a safe biz, and to know when someone is really hurt.

I would recommend Baan Orapin to anyone. I personally could care less about a swimming pool. I would rather have a more expanded gathering area with some nice gardens, and maybe a water feature to hang out at, since their only hang out area was the breakfast area. But then I can only handle either really warm pools, or pools in really hot weather.

seeksocean...thanks for the report on baan orapin... i am with you...dont really need a pool but i have found if there is one and its hot enough...its a great mid day diverson.

how was the hospital experience? was the outcome ok??

Pools are the last thing I ever look for in a hotel. Have yet to go into one in thailand. When I get hot I like air conditioning and a shower to cool off. But I should add that I'm highly allergic and the chemicals they put in pools bother me which is one of the reasons I don't go in.

I feel that way about pools as well. That is why I personally suggested to Opas and his wife to spare the huge cost and upkeep of a pool, and just make an inviting garden area that the guests can just sit and relax after a long day. They have them everywhere in Bali. Maybe with a water feature and soft lighting at night.

The hospital experience turned out okay. The hospital in Chiang Mai couldn't really get out enough of the wood from his wrist. But, the hospital in Phuket was great...like a 5 star hotel! They got everything under control and my friend had to do daily visits until they could stitch it. It wasn't a bad experience....at least not for me!

The Baan Orapin locks their front gate at 9 p.m. Insist on getting another front gate key if there are more than one in your party if you plan on coming back at different times at night after 9 p.m.

Chaing Mai is having a Mardi Gra festival from 12/9/05 for 4 nights.
First night was a beautiful, georgous parade, Thai women being carried on pedestals, dancing.

Add me to the list of Baan Orapin fans. It's one of the friendliest, most charming places I've ever stayed at, in a very cute part of Chiang Mai. If I ever make it back there, I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

I think you have a point about the gate key. My husband, a musician, liked to stay out late and watch 'Took' play his amazing guitar in the smoke filled bar down the street. Because of said smoke, I could never make it too long there and would come home. That left a bit of a problem about the key. Maybe someone can mention the importance of extra gate keys for guests to the owners.