hello. my name is johnny.

i live in the usa, the far south west, just north of the mexican border.

i was in bangkok in 1963. one happy 17 year old sailor.

i have spent a month a year in patong for the last couple of years.

it really does not fit the way i run my life.

i seem to have a new friend in chaing mai. she is a quality person.

i intend to spend a month or six with her per year.

i am required to spend time each year in the us for family and business matters.

my question is….

the long term rentals seem much less expensive in chiang mai.

but the hotel prices seem to be about the same as patong.

i would have expected the cost of hotel, restaurant, bar bill, etc to be considerably less than in patong.

am i missing something?

You're not missing anything. You're spot on. Keep it up

There are hundreds of guesthouses in Chiang Mai. They range in quality from rat-holes to places with rooms comparable to mid-range hotels but at a fraction of the price. Have you looked into them?

There are hundreds of guesthouses in Chiang Mai. They range in quality from rat-holes to places with rooms comparable to mid-range hotels but at a fraction of the price. Have you looked into them?

to tell you the truth, i don't really know the difference between guesthouse and hotel

.

^^ They're typically small, more personal, low level and sometimes have the owners staying there, and also a slight nod to the backpacker crowd. More likely to find the latter in the Old Town, Julie Guest house etc. Hotels like Le Mediien speak for themselves regards being a 'hotel' and will be the same price as those elsewhere in the kingdom. Chiang Mai does particularly well on the mid-level places for cost.

Rentals are a lot cheaper, and although prices have shot up the past couple years, so are bar bills and restaurants, vis-a-vis, generally. Have a look at some of the threads on condos/apartments (put 'chiang mai condo rental'or similar into bottom search field), you can pick up a tidy place for 5-10k.

Btw, like your nik... Bev' Hill's Cop II.

A guest house would be the way to go for under six months. Negotiate a long stay rate.

They differ from hotels in that guesthouses might not provide daily maid service, soap & shampoo, fresh towels every day, etc.

You won't have any problem getting comfortable at a decent price. And you can even find a fairly reasonable facsimile of Mexican food.

Guesthouses are MUCH cheaper in Chiang Mai than Patong and so are most other things. The beach sucks though.

Those dreaded words "I need help" usually refer to someone , Farang to Thai, wanting an unreturned loan, so there was I ready with my stock answer "the answer is no, what do you want?".

A fair few guesthouses don't want long term because they make there money on selling cookery courses, trekking tours and renting out motorbikes. With the big selection of hotels I'm sure there are a few bargains out there and with a friend here I'm sue you'll find what you're after. I don't know what Patong prices are these days but I would think it's cheaper here, maybe you need to look more.

I know one bed apartments for 6 - 8k a month fully furninshed with wifi and cable tv..

Try that in Patong.

http://www.agoda.com/pages/agoda/default/DestinationSearchResult.aspx?asq=QNih7ToT7OzErwA1HILgTeNMfxko87mgPq45uiMVYmyynB6Hg7K2AQQtlngVINplYZ44344m5pCTa7fJ1%2fN4dWiKvG4KxXnxcBSACqkg46goKfSZ4nGz3MQ7Bfwrf0iqQZdAVW3EHUSXC1chMD%2f2P2HJjAAmWwMnovL03eewfhbvvuVsN4Cy3b%2bpOLRVi9Nw3dDJ8MmlYrrQOLcPolm0gZ%2bLzcMu2EGSQpE4tBvETMKVOI1bN9udozdV%2bRvJSTp6Xwin7nvgicAI3Sy82h8eMQ%3d%3d&tick=635207278503

Its good that you are getting some help, but um..the quality person you intend on spending a month or six with cant help you with this?

i don't really know the difference between guesthouse and hotel.

About $20 a night.

i don't really know the difference between guesthouse and hotel.

About $20 a night.

Not necessarily, FiftyTwo. We know little of the OP's budget and requirements.

Hopefully the OP can elaborate.

Plenty of Cheap apartments to rent , prices starting around 5000.- per month

http://chiangmai.thaiapartments.net/

Good luck,

Rent a house in Chiang Mai, plenty of good ones in Doi Saket, San Kampang in Moo Baan.

Its good that you are getting some help, but um..the quality person you intend on spending a month or six with cant help you with this?

Excellent Point!

But, this while adventure is in its infancy.

I live to photograph.

I looked at the map.

Wow! This is North!

I an hot to start!

To the point....

Communication with my sweetheart via

Email is dificult

The English.

I'm fiddling with translation software.

Generally the closer to the city you get, the more expensive and smaller the unit is. servised or unservised unit go from 2k/mo to 10k/mo. Houses a few kilometers out of the city go for 2k/mo to 10k, but you will need transportation.

ps.................bring your own masa flour and mex foods, as not much available here.