Guide, hotel for Chiang Mai
 

I am going to Chiang Mai starting Dec for 5-6 days and am looking for reccos on hotel and a guide for a few of those days. Any reccomendations will be appreciated. Traveling alone, so safety is important and I am interested in a mid-high level hotel or guest house.

Yaang Come Village is lovely, and Baan Orrapin comes highly recommended by a number of regulars on this board.

Do you want a guide in CM or a driver? If you just need a driver, I have a recommendation from my November 2006 trip. Here's the exerpt from my report:
Transport: One of the problems in CM is the lack of public transport. Basically, your options are songthews, tuk-tuks and taxis. CM is spread out, and if you have a number of things you want to do in a day, you’ll need a car and driver. We found an excellent driver, Mr. Nakron Buthluang, who drives Taxi No. 75. You can reach him on his cell phone at 08-1884-5649. He charges 250 baht an hour. The trip to Doi Suthep is 800 baht. He drove us to Royal Flora and picked us up as well for 250 baht each way. He was great. His English was pretty good, we had no problems communicating. He was persistent in tracking down the little shops we wanted to visit. One was especially hard to find, but he persisted and did find it. He was born and raised in CM and he couldn’t stand the idea that there was a place he couldn’t find. I recommend him highly.

another alternative is ratt's sister pong who several have used....you reach her through [email protected]

I have used Ratt's sister, Poon (it's Poon, not Pong) several times and I can strongly recommend her. She is a wonderful woman and an excellent driver. She is not a guide but you don't need a guide at all in Chiang Mai. I will be using her again (my 4th time) in Feb/Mar.

I also highly recommend Baan Orapin. I've stayed at 7 or 8 different places in Chiang Mai (including the 4 seasons) and this is by far the best. I love it -- was there for 10 days last year and can't wait to return.
mOng as

Oh-- Krismom. Just saw that you are traveling alone which makes Baan Orapin an even better selection than a bigger hotel. You will be very safe but will also will get the kind of personal service from Opas and his family that can make a big difference. Also, I spent a lot of time alone with Poon and found her to be a wonderful companion. Her English isn't perfect but we had no problem communicating as friends.

the name did not seem right to me but thanks for correcting it....

How much do you want to spend on a hotel? Lots of hotels in all price ranges.

I usually stay at the Montri Hotel, 2 Ratchadamnoen Road, across from the Thapae Gate.

The Montri is close to internet shops, restaurants, shops, cooking schools and within walking distance of the Night Market! This hotel is right across the street from the Thapae Gate where on certain days of the week they also have a flea market.

These rooms are not too bad. Each room has air, hot water, private bathroom, TV and daily clean up. Different prices for different size rooms. Free ride back to airport.

*

There are lots of travel agents in Chiangmai. They offer daily local tours, daily and overnight tours to Chiangrai, Long Neck Villages and the Golden Triangle area. Unless you need help for a medical condition you really won't need a personal guide. But that's up to you!

The entire Tapae Gate plaza is closed for re-paving right now. Nothing will be going on there for a few months.

I have stayed twice at Yaang Come Village and will return again. Very nice place within walking distance of the Night Market.

For a superb guide I have used Nooy on several recent trips.

[email protected]

She also works with Sgt Kai. She provides a unique view of things. Always fun and up for my many requests to see something new each time.

Help, agian.

Sent emails twice to Baan Orapin, and they have all come back as undeliverable...any thoughts on that?

ALSO no response from Sgt Kai...any help much appreciated

Periodically, email correspondence is a problem. You might want to phone Baan Orrapin. If I were you, I'd do another search for the email address just in case it's changed.

Sometimes I have problems receiving email from Thailand, sometimes not. There have been plenty of times when I've had to resend an email.

Did you try the site www.baanorapin.com?

We LOVED our stay there...the rooms are enormous and the beds extremely comfortable...we made the extra time to nap for a few hours every day.

If you are adventurous about food and like spicy, try Set #6 for breakfast! That is...if you get an email through...

Used Poon for 3 1/2 days in CM and 100 miles around. She was 2800Baht in May 2006 for 10-11 hrs. (she did not count the minutes). I always asked her to start the car to get the A/C going before we returned to car so we were immediately cooled off. She is loveley and knows enough to be a semi-professional guide, in our opinion.

I too tried emailing Baan Orapin from their website and it was returned. Also noticed there are no longer any photos on their photo page.
I guess we'll have to call them.