I hear it's nicer to look at than BKK with the mountains and such, but in my admittedly very short time there, it seemed very touristy and rip-offy. Possibly the least friendly and most glary area I have visited in Thailand also.
Perhaps it is the kind of tourist town where the locals dislike the tourists, reluctantly put up with them for their money, and try to gouge them whenever they can, much to the disappointment of the "ex-pat community" (who generally despise tourists/other foreigners).