i have my place in Phuket all rented out and fancy a change of scenery. i'm thinking CR for a few months.

anyone have any good leads on a rental available from start October for about 2-3 months? I need good internet, and a nice view would be great.

i guess we'd like to stay within about 10-15 mins motorbike drive of town/markets/etc. i know nothing about CR, any suggestions about places i should be looking for a basic rental?, we don't need lots of fancy farang crap like swimming pools and aircon.

also, if anyone on this forum with a house in the area is thinking of going out of town for a month or so, we'd be happy to look after your place, pets, garden etc

thanks steve

join the facebook page...chiang rai Everything(buy and sell)

Rentals pop up on there all the time.

I have been to Chiang Rai once (recently).

It is a superb city. it has everything except traffic jams & pollution.

Many rural tourist attractions in close proximity.

I have been to Chiang Rai once (recently).

It is a superb city. it has everything except traffic jams & pollution.

Many rural tourist attractions in close proximity.

You can cut the air with a knife for three months of the year. Everything except traffic jams and pollution, get the facts before posting, one trip after rain does not tell the facts. However it is a nice city most of the time.

I recently moved to Chiang Rai, and it's exactly what I was hoping for in terms of size - like the bears in the story, CR is "not too big and not too small".

As an earlier responder said, just join 'Chiangrai everything' on Facebook and you'll see some rental possibilities popping up with some regularity. Also, you might want to have a peek at Lanna reality webpage - they have many listings as well.

Good luck!

With all of the crap that's going on at Chiang Mai Immigration, you may have a lot of company soon, OP.

A nice view will be hard to come by in a rental close to town. Most people build very close to others so the only view you will have is of your neighbors. Bandu north of town seems to be popular. East of town Wiangchai would be a possibility. Things are pretty spread out so there is a lot of variety if you are willing to live out of town.

I was driving around town yesterday and thought how much the city had grown and changed in the last ten years.

More cars, more people, more houses...

A lot more options: food, recreation, shopping...

Some good, some bad but all change and inevitable.

When I came here the old guys were all saying "you should have been here ten years ago"

I was driving around town yesterday and thought how much the city had grown and changed in the last ten years.

More cars, more people, more houses...

A lot more options: food, recreation, shopping...

Some good, some bad but all change and inevitable.

When I came here the old guys were all saying "you should have been here ten years ago"

I think you could say the same about most tourists spots and "farang" retirement areas in Thailand. Koh Samui in the last 10 years has changed out of all proportion and has become far more commercial - not saying that is good or bad, just a fact. Hundreds more houses, hotels, resorts, cars, motor bikes, bars, restaurants and people of course. They call it progress I believe?

...enjoy earth quakes ??????????

I have been listening to the lament of old-timers for 40 years now. I have always felt that right now is the best time and place to be. I am not old enough to turn nostalgic yet.

...enjoy earth quakes ??????????

Hey, nothing wrong with shaking things up from time to time. It gives people something to talk about.

...enjoy earth quakes ??????????

Hey, nothing wrong with shaking things up from time to time. It gives people something to talk about.

yeah...and in bed it's quite comfortable.....don't need to work so hard.....

With all of the crap that's going on at Chiang Mai Immigration, you may have a lot of company soon, OP.

Funny you should write that - Wife and I are looking into maybe moving away from CM to C. Rai cause of CM Imm. ... I guess there comes a time when its enough for most people

I live in cm and just got back from a trip to cr. Was thinking of moving there myself, seems cr is a bit like cm 10 years ago, its got a bit out of hand here for my taste and like the smaller city but still has things i like size of cr.

Personally I like living outside of Chiang Rai with a great view and taking trips to Chiang Mai when we need a change of pace.

A post promoting another forum has been removed.

I'm like village Farang idea. Best of both worlds but the older I get the less people I can handle around me.

chiang Rai is short motorcycle hops away from everything...doi Chang,Doi Tung, Mae Salong, Fang, Mae sai. etc. I especially like Chiang Saen .

It's big enough to get most of what you need (to cook western at home) but too small for everything. I like to cook Mexican food and it's a challenge. If you move here you may find yourself making the odd trip into Chiang Mai for the exotics at Rimping.

I live in a great place in CR.

It is a compound with six units and a swimming pool.

There is a two bedroom bungalow that might be available in your time frame.

You can get a nice view of the compound by going to Airbnb, which shows my house and the room I rent out.

The bungalow is shown.

I make no financial gain by sharing this info with you.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5750409

charlie

thanks for all the replies. what months are 'cut the air with a knife'? i'd probably go back to Phuket for those, not a big fan of cancer.

also, what's Mar/Apr/May like there? Phuket is hot, dry and unbearable. i really want to get away from the 38 degree days but i know that's not easy in Thailand unless you can find somewhere way up high.

thanks for all the replies. what months are 'cut the air with a knife'? i'd probably go back to Phuket for those, not a big fan of cancer.

also, what's Mar/Apr/May like there? Phuket is hot, dry and unbearable. i really want to get away from the 38 degree days but i know that's not easy in Thailand unless you can find somewhere way up high.

Those are typically our worst months here for air quality, at least Mar and Apr.

I have been to Chiang Rai once (recently).

It is a superb city. it has everything except traffic jams & pollution.

Many rural tourist attractions in close proximity.

You can cut the air with a knife for three months of the year. Everything except traffic jams and pollution, get the facts before posting, one trip after rain does not tell the facts. However it is a nice city most of the time.

Agreed. You don't want to live in Northern Thailand between February through April. Maybe you can come up during that time. Plenty of folks who value their lung flee this area during the slash and burn down the forest season - easy to find someone to rent your place, Lol. I plan to be renting a place down South that time next year.

I have found most of Feb to be pretty nice in Chiang Rai but right around March 1 it's like somebody flicks a switch to cue the heat and smoke.

On the other hand from about Nov 1 til March 1 it is pretty near perfect weather if you like it a bit on the cool side.

thanks for all the replies. what months are 'cut the air with a knife'? i'd probably go back to Phuket for those, not a big fan of cancer.

also, what's Mar/Apr/May like there? Phuket is hot, dry and unbearable. i really want to get away from the 38 degree days but i know that's not easy in Thailand unless you can find somewhere way up high.

Those are typically our worst months here for air quality, at least Mar and Apr.

And on top of the pollution, it's also considerably warmer in Chiang Rai in the hot season compared to Phuket.

Sophon

Can't help out with a house, but I did visit Chaing Rai 6 months ago. Found a very friendly, small town, community. Thai families strolling the streets, Thai boyfriend and girlfriend enjoying the afternoon, slow traffic, great museums, and a wonderful town. May go there myself for 6 months. The people were very friendly. Beautiful flowers.

thanks for all the replies. what months are 'cut the air with a knife'? i'd probably go back to Phuket for those, not a big fan of cancer.

also, what's Mar/Apr/May like there? Phuket is hot, dry and unbearable. i really want to get away from the 38 degree days but i know that's not easy in Thailand unless you can find somewhere way up high.

Those are typically our worst months here for air quality, at least Mar and Apr.

And on top of the pollution, it's also considerably warmer in Chiang Rai in the hot season compared to Phuket.

Sophon

Agree, both regarding the smokey months and the heat. Northern Thailand is hotter in the summer months than the south. If the OP is looking for cooler climates in the Mar-May timeframe, he may have to go much further north. Like Japan.

It may be hot in the North but it does not have the humidity of the South.

No one likes the smoke but there are things you can do. One option is to travel during that time. I typically spend more time indoors, not unlike what someone might do in the depths of winter in more northern climes, except with the A/C on instead of the heater.

I have a bike setup on a trainer in the TV room so I can continue to get some exercise. I still have to walk the dogs so when it is really bad I will don a mask to help reduce the ill effects. It is like any other season…you simply make adjustments. So it lasts six to eight weeks, how difficult can it be.

And you can always go away to the former home country or a southern beach for a month or two.

A good friend who lives in Chiang Mai rents a condo in a small beach town near Hua Hin for the smokey season.