I guess I'm looking for someone to make a decision for me.
I'm flying into Chiang Mai from Luang Prabang and have six nights before flying out of Chiang Mai back to Bangkok --already have those flights on a Discovery Pass.

I'm thinking on arrival in Chiang Mai (about 2 PM) -- I'd take a bus to Chiang Rai to stay. Possibly after two nights there, I'm trying to find out (without much success) if I can take the boat from Chiang Rai to Thaton to spend a couple nights at the River View Resort and do a day trip of the Golden Triangle from there. I'm particularly unclear if you can take your luggage on the boat. Then I could take a bus back to Chiang Mai for two nights before flying out.

I've finally made the decision I definitely don't want the "pressure" of renting a car and driving, and I'm not into the $200 - $300 a night resorts that so many people rave about here. I'm looking at well under $100 a night accommodations in each place and using "cheap" public transportation from point A to point B, although probably would hire a driver/guide for a day trip or two.

So which alternative do you suggest? Or is there a better alternative to Thaton for two nights between the stays in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai? I'm also still open to lodging options (in the heart of things) in both Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai -- again, under $100.

If you have not been to Chiang Mai before why not spend a few nights there? There is more to do in the evening in Chiang Mai than Chiang Rai.

As far as $100 a night hotels, you will find them but they are more rare than hotels around 1200 baht or less that have air, hot water, private toilet/bath, TV and maid service. For you maybe a hotel in the 1500 - 2000 baht range will be okay. For me 1000 baht or under because all I need is a A/C, private toilet/shower and a TV. You ought to at least check out some places at half your budget and see if they could do. Like this place across from Thapae Gate and near travel agencies for tours:
http://www.hotelthailand.com/chiangmai/montri/

In Chiang Mai you can obtain tours through local travel agencies very easy. Find a tour you have an interest in one day and leave the following morning. There are tours to Chiang Rai, Golden Triangle area, Long Neck Villages and more. Besides local buses for transportation to Chiang Rai, there are some travel agencies which book tours that allow tourists to go up to Chiang Rai on one tour and they retun back to Chiang Mai a few days later on another tour. There is no need to drive yourself, anyway if you get in an accident you being the rich foreigner may end up paying through the nose - your fault or not!


Up to you.

Well, I am reducing my budget for hotels. I found this place in Chiang Mai within the city walls which is only a year old and has seemingly nothing but raves on TA -- it's $45 to $50 a night on Agoda. And I love small hotels like this (20 rooms) rather than big block hotels catering to big tour groups:

http://www.viengmantra.com/home.html

looks great

Mae Salong is a nice place to stay, its a picturesque village nestled in the mountains a little bit further up from Thaton. Its actually a Chinese village famed for its idllyic looking tea plantations. Doi Angkhang is also in between (1-2hrs from Chiang Mai city), its a hidden gem as not many people know about it. A unique hilltribe settlement by the border of Myanmar (very safe), misty, mountainous and remote. Definitely for off-the-beaten-path enthusiasts.

This itinerary might give you some ideas

http://www.thailandhilltribeholidays...-Rai-Tour.html

Other than the FOOD, for us it's all about river/canal views and a pool. You know, for those all important afternoon cool downs.

If you're a bit like us, here's a couple of places in Chiang Rai that look cool.

Dusit Island Resort Chiang Rai

They have a special, "Dusit Take 2", Book one night and get the second night at 50% off.

If you book in the Landmark Suite King, you'll get a balcony and a super stunning view of the river for around US$100.

Check out the photos:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7738187
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/15257527
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/15255778
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/15257560

Some cool stuff around the hotel:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/6774496

And Google Maps - Select SATELLITE VIEW
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...6a907812301785


Good deal for around $100/night.
http://www.dusit.com/hotels/thailand...ort/index.html

Google Earth has some good photos of the area - Cut/Past, then "Fly To"
N19.918649 E 99.826974


The White House, Chiang Rai

Another place with a huge pool,:
The White House, Chiang Rai
http://www.white-house-chiang-rai.com/rate

The rates are around US$ 25/night and the pool is huge, sticking out quite clearly on Google Earth. Good location also.

N 19.912106 E 99.840927

Google Maps
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...6ec993bcf8edf4

To be honest, having had my own pool for years, and living in Florida -- I could actually care less about even having a pool. Not unlike being in Hawaii for 5 weeks and I think I used one pool once.

I think I'd rather be able to hop in and out the door of my hotel several times a day and evening, and stroll to the markets, or to dinner, or just be in the thick of things. The "resort" idea just doesn't do anything for me, especially when it is "out of town".

the advantage of the pool is the offset to the hot/humid weather.....its WAY hotter than FL 24/7

Patrick - We took that river trip from Thanton to Chiang Rai. Unfortunately, my notes are on my husband's computer which has a virus, so I will give you the information as I seem to recall it. First, for some reason for us, it was impossible for us to go from Chiang Rai to Thanton - perhaps due to the time constraints. We thought that the boat ride would be interesting so we took a long bus ride (several hours) to a town close to Thanton and then had a short bus transfer to get to Thanton where the picked up our boat. We took the boat back to Chiang Rai. My thoughts at the time were that we should have done a day trip to the Elephant camps that are not far from Thanton and then stayed overnight in order to catch the boat to Chiang Rai. We would then have taken the bus back to Chiang Mai or we could have flown out of Chiang Rai.

IMO the boat ride was a bit long and uncomfortable. It is a very small boat which you are on for hours. You can bring luggage, although I would not bring too much. We did note that someone had a bicycle on the front of the boat. They may charge extra for luggage or a bike, but I am not certain. There are no seats on the boat - you sit on the bottom. They provided life vests which we used for back rests. The scenery is typical of river life in Asia and you will see animals, houses and people. For me, it got a bit boring, although I enjoyed the company aboard. My husband loved the day on the river. We ended up flying out of Chiang Rai rather than returning to Chiang Mai. If possible, try to spend a Sunday night at the market in Chiang Mai. To us it was amazing. There was also a weekend market in Chiang Rai, but I can't recall if it was Saturday or Sunday night. We did enjoy it though. For me, the highlight of being in Chiang Rai was seeing the White Temple which is just outside of town. Do not miss it - it is like no other temple you will see.

Somewhere along the way, I made a mistake -- I actually fly into and out of Chiang Mai a week apart so I have 7, not 6 nights in Northern Thailand. I was thinking on arrival in Chiang Mai (2:10 PM) I'd just fly on to Chiang Rai -- but I'm having no luck finding a flight. I keep seeing schedules for them, mainly for NOK airlines, but when I go to their site they say there are no flights for that day. So it really looks like I'd need to get to the bus station, then take a bus to Chiang Rai -- which is a pretty long ordeal with waits.
Or should I just arrive in Chiang Mai, spend the night there (well, it would include the Sunday night market) and then take the morning bus the next day to Chiang Rai for three nights, and then return to Chiang Mai (by bus) for another three nights there?

The owner or manager of a hotel in Thaton emailed back to tell me that it is not always possible to get the boats to Chiang Rai in September, and that it would then be necessary to "charter" a private one costing about $75. But like you are saying, dgunbug, I'm thinking it sounds terribly uncomfortable, and I'm not sure about ALL my luggage which I'd need to take with me -- well, a good sized rolling duffle plus a stuffed good sized lap top bag. I'm starting to think that the logistics of getting between some of these towns for overnight stays is more effort than it's worth, and I might be better just basing myself in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai for the full week.

Meanwhile I'm looking at the Starbright Hotel in "downtown" Chiang Rai which looks fine and is "dirt cheap". They have responded to my emails offering me a great price (900 baht), and told me that a private driver and guide for a full day trip to the Golden Triangle would be 2200 Baht --(and I can probably negotiate for less). That's a guide and a driver for about the same as the one day price of a rental car plus gas -- without the hassle.

Patrick - Why not stay in Chiang Mai the first 3 or 4 nights and then head to Chiang Rai? You should definitely be in Chiang Mai for the Sunday market as we thought it was one of the highlights of being there. There's enough to do in both regions and the sites are too far apart to do as a commute from one city, so I'd say it's best to split your time anyway. Perhaps you should check to see if it is worthwhile or possible to change your plane ticket to fly out of Chiang Mai. The price difference between changing your flight to leave from Chiang Rai and the price of a bus ticket may not be that great and it will save you the hassle of having to return by bus.

that was my thought also

There is no flight out of Chiang Rai on Discovery Pass if I'm not mistaken, so switching flights is not an option. Just as there was no option to fly from Luang Prabang TO Chiang Rai, except backtracking through Bangkok. But I'd love for someone to prove me wrong. I seem to be having trouble finding anything definite about Chiang Rai flights period!

And my flight back to Bangkok on Sunday from Chiang Mai is at 10:10 in the morning -- I need to be back around noon to join my VietNam group in Bangkok that afternoon. So it seemed I'd want to stay in Chiang Mai my last night up there. I'm not one to worry about getting up at 5 AM and having to catch a plane somewhere else from where I am.

I guess an alternative would be to stay in Chiang Mai my first night -- a Sunday, then take the bus (or a plane?) to Chiang Rai the next morning for three nights, then return to Chiang Mai for my final three nights?
Or I'm still waiting for someone to give me a definite place to stay along the way for a night or two rather than totally in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, if it's not too involved getting to and from that place.