Hotels

[LawrenceChee]

Heya local CR members

Which is a nicer hotel - Legend / Dusit or Meriden for the price point ?

I see they hover about $100 for the low season in May and wonder if the locals have a fav one they enjoy staying at

I like one with good F&B and just a pool to chill

Thanks for your points

[villagefarang]

The Meridien is the best of the three. Most of us locals have a home here, so have little need to stay in a hotel in Chiang Rai but many of us enjoy dining at the Meridien and have friends who have stayed there and liked it.

Edited April 25, 2015 by villagefarang

[Mahseer]

I stayed in the Meridien last year for 4 nights and although rooms were superbly equipped I had 2 complaints one of which was addressed.

I booked a deluxe river view room but you would have had to be a bloody giraffe to get the view described by the hotel but a second room was offered which was as described and accepted. The second issue was breakfast which was an absolute scramble to get a table due to tour groups dominating. Cant blame the tour groups as they paid for breakfast but the restaurant simply couldn't cope.

Havn't stayed at other hotel mentioned.

[LawrenceChee]

Thanks Manseer ...I was thinking of the same but the river is brown and reminded me of those in PP or Laos where while peaceful may not be worth the extra price staring at brown instead of turquoise blue waters

I'll stick to a garden view and pay less

[pastafarian]

Even if Le Meridien was 1k baht more I'd pay the extra to stay there, easily the best of the three.

[chiang mai]

Both are very nice, Meriden is newer whilst Dusit Island is a little dated.

[JoeyDaRench]

I've stayed at Meridien and Dusit. Dusit is just too old. Not worth the price.

Meridien is a nice hotel.

Never been to Legend.

[LawrenceChee]

Thanks everyone be there in June and will be at the Meriden

I really enjoy the north and the hospitality

[villagefarang]

Now that you have your hotel accommodation sorted out, would you like to run any of your plans by us to get an opinion or two?

[LawrenceChee]

I am planning to just chill and do nothing

[LawrenceChee]

My work is insanely travel intensive and most of the time when I return home ...I prefer to do nothing and look for a nice quiet place to chill....love to her some recommendations of quiet parks and waterfalls

[villagefarang]

A lot of lovely places to chill or get a little exercise.

Khun Korn Waterfall

Hot Springs

Chouifong Tea Plantation.

Hilltop Restaurant at Rai Boon Rawd for a sunset dinner.

[chiang mai]

You must visit the tea gardens, you simply must.

[villagefarang]

One of the plusses at Rai Boon Rawd is that you can rent a bike and enjoy the paved bike trails through the tea garden and lakes, while afterward you can have a lovely dinner with a view.

Edited April 26, 2015 by villagefarang

[villagefarang]

The view of Chiang Rai from atop Buffalo Hill can be lovely if the weather conditions are right. All of these locations are close to town and don't require an all day adventure.

[Mahseer]

Great photos as always villagefarang.

[smiles793]

if you really want to do nothing peacefully, any one of the hotels on your list would be perfect.

personally i'm not a big fan of the Singha Tea Farm - to me it looks just like what it is - a subsidiary of a large, actually very very large, corporate business. the restaurant is hugely overpriced, getting on for london or paris prices. it's not that i object to the prices per se, but that they're completely out of context with the environment and neighbouring villages.

if you really really want to do "nothing" peacefully, i would suggest any of the temples around the city or further afield, particularly those you won't find in the standard guidebooks, which obviously attract tourists wanting to "chill". the guidebooks, though, would be a good place to start for waterfalls, most of which would be pretty quiet at that time of the year.

[LawrenceChee]

Wow thanks guys a lot of great tips ...been in Chiangmai for too long and it's great to see another part of the north

[chiang mai]

if you really want to do nothing peacefully, any one of the hotels on your list would be perfect.

personally i'm not a big fan of the Singha Tea Farm - to me it looks just like what it is - a subsidiary of a large, actually very very large, corporate business. the restaurant is hugely overpriced, getting on for london or paris prices. it's not that i object to the prices per se, but that they're completely out of context with the environment and neighbouring villages.

if you really really want to do "nothing" peacefully, i would suggest any of the temples around the city or further afield, particularly those you won't find in the standard guidebooks, which obviously attract tourists wanting to "chill". the guidebooks, though, would be a good place to start for waterfalls, most of which would be pretty quiet at that time of the year.

I was refering to the Chui Fong Tea Farm, not the Singha Tea Farm, they are very different, I think.

"In Chiang Rai, Chui Fong Tea Farm is regarded as one of the leading entrepreneurs in tea farm industry. The reason to its success is no surprise, for Ms. Shanya Chang, the present owner of Chui Fong Tea Farm who inherits from her father, has always had strong love for tea since her youth.

Chui Fong Tea Farm is managed under the corporation of Chui Fong Tea CO., LTD., the biggest tea producer in Chiang Rai and the tea exporter shipping to various countries, mainly to Europe, USA, Taiwan and Japan.

Located 1,200 meters above sea level, Chui Fong Tea Farm’s vast area of over 600 rai spans over three districts, namely Therdtai, Mae Fah Luang and Mae Chan. The view of tea trees that are planted on mountain ridges in descending steps imprints the impressive image in every visitor's memory."

http://chiangrai.sawadee.com/topattractions.html#ChouiFongTea

[LawrenceChee]

Finally stayed at the Meriden and it was great experience breakfast was unhurried and the view was fantastic at Level 4 with the small Sala sitting area

Enjoyed it ....thanks again for the recommendations and information

[sceadugenga]

Thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed your stay.

Nice dog in your avatar.

[villagefarang]

As Scea said, thanks for the feedback.

[LawrenceChee]

The folks in CR forum are a very nice bunch

[bangmai]

I always utilized CR, when doing visa runs from CM. I think Phayao is also worth a look. Staying in town is less touristy, but you can still walk to the lake in 10 minutes...super good street food in town.

[villagefarang]

I finally got a chance to stay at Le Meridien for a night so I now have personal experience. We booked two rooms, one for us and one for our friend who flew up from Bangkok. As a change of pace it was great and I would recommend the hotel to anyone.

Edited January 19, 2016 by villagefarang