On 11 December my wife (Thai) and I will be driving to Chiang Mai for a few days staying at the Chiang Mai Gate hotel then on the 14 & 15 we will be staying in a cabin in Doi Inthanon National park. From there we would like to head up to Mae Hong Son and spend several days in that area before driving back to Bangkok. Mae Sariang looks like it may be a good place to spend a night. Can anyone recommend places to stay (under B1500 per nite) in or around Mae Hong Son and things to do/see?

Hi, glad you are doing this trip (CM - Doi Inthanon - Mae Sariang) it seems to be one that not many people do, it’s a shame. Mae Sariang is a quiet town but one that is often overlooked. There are some really nice day trips from town such as the Salawin River Boat Trip http://www.thailandhilltribeholidays.com/Salawin-River-Boat-Trip.html

and visiting hilltribe villages (which are very different from the hilltribe tours in Chiang Mai)

There is Riverhouse Hotel and its sister branch Riverhouse Resort. (Range from 800 -2,000bt)

www.riverhousehotels.com )

And NorthWest Guesthouse, simple clean modest rooms (250-400bt) http://northwestgh.blogspot.com/

I would suggest booking now because hotels in town will be full in Dec

After Mae Sariang you can continue further north to Mae Hong Son town. A couple of days would probably be enough before heading to Pai and then Chiang Mai back to BKK?

For what to see and do http://www.thailandhilltribeholidays.com/About-Mae-Hong-Son.html

A nice day trip from Mae Hong Son is to ‘The Switzerland of Thailand’ (Ban Ruam Thai) and the old Chinese village of ‘Mae Aw’

For Mae Hong Son, Piya Guesthouse (approx 600bt) and Baiyoke Chalet (approx 1,000-1,500bt) come recommended.

There are heap of budget backpacker guesthouses such as Friends GH, Jong Kham GH, Princes GH

On 11 December my wife (Thai) and I will be driving to Chiang Mai for a few days staying at the Chiang Mai Gate hotel then on the 14 & 15 we will be staying in a cabin in Doi Inthanon National park. From there we would like to head up to Mae Hong Son and spend several days in that area before driving back to Bangkok. Mae Sariang looks like it may be a good place to spend a night. Can anyone recommend places to stay (under B1500 per nite) in or around Mae Hong Son and things to do/see?