Mango7

Hi everyone. I was considering a short excursion to MHS this April and wondered if it is worth the trek. It certainly looks fantastic enough in the few photos I've seen. I'd love to here what you think about the place. Regards

Kurt

filmwill

We were there in December for 4 days. Stayed at the Fern Resort (really the ONLY place to stay there, in my opinion.) Not a 5-star (or even 4-star) but the rice fields and grounds around the hotel are absolutely stunning and you really can't ask for any other place to get more in touch with nature and find spiritual renewal (if that's your kinda thing.)

Scenery in MHS in general is gorgeous, but keep in mind that it's a very small town, so it's definitely not the place to visit if you're looking for a lot of activities to keep you busy. We loved renting a scooter (the resort is about 7km outside of the main town) and exploring all the temples by day, sitting by the lake for a few Changs, catching sunset at the resort with a good book and then partaking in the wonderful night market...where the food is just absolutely spectacular!

Probably worth flying in to MHS from Chiang Mai, and if you have time definitely bus/van the MHS Loop (the road from Chiang Mai that loops around Pai and MHS) back.

We took the van only back as far as Pai, stayed there a night and flew back to Chiang Mai from there.

If you're prone to motion sickness at all, though, you might just want to fly back from MHS directly. The car/bus ride is a doozy, but the views winding through the mist-enshrouded mountains are just jaw-dropping...

Mango7

Thank you FilmWill! I appreciate your input. It sounds great from what you describe. I've heard of the Fern being a great resort. We both are big fans of natural terra

The foggy, mountainous landscape of MHS combined with the rice paddies really caught my eye. Seems like a really special place. Thank you again for sharing your experience.

Dogster, Carol...have you been here as well?

simpsonc510

Mango, I haven't. Not sure about the dog. Gloria, who has not posted on here in quite a long time, used to rave about MHS. You might find a post or two of hers if you search.

mp413

Ooh definitely interested in this thread as I am moving to MHS in a month!

I will be stuck in a hotel there for a few weeks while finding a house, but I understand Fern Resort is outside town? I have to be able to get to the office every day so filmwill if you know any of the places in town is there a distant second to Fern?

thanks!

MichaelBKK

I can't think of a single hotel that is in the center of town, although there are probably some guesthouses at least. Most of the hotels, like Rooks and the Mountain Inn, are a short distance from the city center, but walk-able. I thought the Fern was roughly across the street from the Mountain Inn, but I wouldn't swear to that.

travelduo

I am really curious MP413 what you will be doing for work in thailand??????? whatever it is, I hope you really enjoy it!

Jeffrey

mp413

Michael, the ones I am looking at are The Residence (supposed to be 200m from my office and w/in walking distance of the airport), Mountain Inn, and Bai Yoke Chalets. I was also considering Fern but someone on another forum told me it's kind of outside town.

The town looks tiny in any case so whether in city center or at short distance is probably fine. (Given the heat I'd probably prefer not to walk much more than 1km, at least in the beginning.)

If anyone can recommend any of these places let me know!

p.s. Kurt I'll be there in a month so maybe I can post something about the town once I'm settled there instead of just usurping your thread for my own purposes

mp413

p.p.s. Jeffrey I'm a lawyer working for a refugee aid agency - lots of camps up there (as you may be aware of since Angelina Jolie's goodwill mission there this week!).

crellston

We stayed at Fern Resort on NYE in 2005 and like filmwill loved it! A highlight was the walk we took into the mountains by the resorts "guide dogs" a novel way to see the counrtyside. It is 7 km or so out of town and so only viable if you have a car or motorbike. The town itself has grown but is still centred on the minority people market in the centre and was (then) comparatively unspoilt. There is lots to do if you are into hiking etc. plus there are elephant treks to be arrange nearby.

MP413 - will be very interested to hear about your work in MHS - are you setting up a blog? I lost out on a placement in MHS and ended up in Sierra Leone instead - big mistake!

Mango7

Thanks for the info everyone. I think we'll be going next time since we have already mapped out the trip. We plan to go back maybe near Xmas time if I can talk the wife into it.
I didn't realize how pretty and different it is there in MHS. Thanks again everyone!

Scotters

This site has a good map of MHS and shows most hotel and guesthouse locations. Hope this helps.

http://www.maehongsontravel.com/mhstmap.html

Mango7

Scotters- That's cute. Thanks a lot

mp413

Sorry again for usurping - just wanted to say, crellston, what a funny coincidence because I was just deciding between the post in MHS and one in Sierra Leone. I have always wanted to get to Sierra Leone! Grass is always greener I guess

Mango7

Mp- I'm used to being on the wrong end of an usurping. Carry on.

Elainee

We were in MHS a long time ago and I can't remember our hotel except that it had big sign that the Kiwanis Club met there. And we were there for the monthly meeting. The men were in suits. The hotel seemed like a slightly upscale Holiday Inn. MHS is worth a visit especially if you fly in. We went to some tribel villages and rescued a mountain deer so it would not be eaten and took it to the small zoo in MHS. Beautiful scenery and a medium size town with a backpacker feel when we were there.