Christmas In Pai

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I was thinking of popping up to Pai for Chrimbo. Any recommendations for a nice bungalow. Also, where is good to eat?

[Ulysses G.]

I just came from there.

There are very, VERY few farangs up there, but tons and tons of Thais. It is very hot in the day time, but a litttle cool for a short time every morning.

I stayed at Pairadise bungalows for 700 baht for a bungalow that was nicely furnished and with hot water, but NOTHING else: NO fridge, no TV, no swimming pool and probably a 20 minute walk from town.

I thought it was a rip so I moved to Charlie's House right in the middle of all the action. The room wasn't quite as nice and, again, NO fridge, no TV, but 300 baht for a place worth about 200 seemed more reasonable. 300 baht seems to be the normal price in town for a room like this.

IMHO Pai is very crowded and over-priced now with few good restaurants and little of interest to foreigners.

The Burger House has good American breakfasts, spagetti and burgers and the Da Vinci cafe has GREAT home made Italian ice cream.

[Krupnik]

I just came from there.

There are very, VERY few farangs up there, but tons and tons of Thais. It is very hot in the day time, but a litttle cool for a short time every morning.

I stayed at Pairadise bungalows for 700 baht for a bungalow that was nicely furnished and with hot water, but NOTHING else: NO fridge, no TV, no swimming pool and probably a 20 minute walk from town.

I thought it was a rip so I moved to Charlie's House right in the middle of all the action. The room wasn't quite as nice and, again, NO fridge, no TV, but 300 baht for a place worth about 200 seemed more reasonable. 300 baht seems to be the normal price in town for a room like this.

IMHO Pai is very crowded and over-priced now with few good restaurants and little of interest to foreigners.

The Burger House has good American breakfasts, spagetti and burgers and the Da Vinci cafe has GREAT home made Italian ice cream.

Confused - there has always been loads of farangs when I’ve been there, and it's also one of the cheapest places I’ve come across in Thailand, the place I stayed in town (Pranee Guest House) had lovely rooms for 300 BAHT a night with TV and fridge etc. But 150 seemed to be the average for a room with inside bathroom. Food is good everywhere especially if you’re vegetarian. It is extremely chilly at night this time of year though. Oh it also has a live music scene you won’t find anywhere else in Thailand….

[Ulysses G.]

I just came from there.

There are very, VERY few farangs up there, but tons and tons of Thais. It is very hot in the day time, but a litttle cool for a short time every morning.

I stayed at Pairadise bungalows for 700 baht for a bungalow that was nicely furnished and with hot water, but NOTHING else: NO fridge, no TV, no swimming pool and probably a 20 minute walk from town.

I thought it was a rip so I moved to Charlie's House right in the middle of all the action. The room wasn't quite as nice and, again, NO fridge, no TV, but 300 baht for a place worth about 200 seemed more reasonable. 300 baht seems to be the normal price in town for a room like this.

IMHO Pai is very crowded and over-priced now with few good restaurants and little of interest to foreigners.

The Burger House has good American breakfasts, spagetti and burgers and the Da Vinci cafe has GREAT home made Italian ice cream.

Confused - there has always been loads of farangs when I’ve been there, and it's also one of the cheapest places I’ve come across in Thailand, the place I stayed in town (Pranee Guest House) had lovely rooms for 300 BAHT a night with TV and fridge etc. But 150 seemed to be the average for a room with inside bathroom. Food is good everywhere especially if you’re vegetarian. It is extremely chilly at night this time of year though. Oh it also has a live music scene you won’t find anywhere else in Thailand….

It seems to have changed completely.

The cheapest room with a bathroom that I was offered was 300 baht, but I had to wait a few days to get it because the "cheap" rooms were all fully booked and it was HOT in the daytime and slightly cool after about 8 PM till 8 AM and then quickly got hot again.

VERY few farangs and so many Thais that it was hard to walk down the street in the evening (like the Sunday market walking street in Chiang Mai). It seems that many of the farangs who lived there left because of the visa crack down and high prices.

The music scene was good as Joe Cummings and the Lonely Planet Band were playing there, but it sounds like the place got too big for its britches and is trying to go up market too quickly.

Edited December 12, 2006 by Ulysses G.

[donna]

forget pai. why not go to soppong, or pang mapha to be precise? cave lodge is an awesome place to stay and they usually have a great time at christmas. they are right on a river, have cool little rooms, laid back atmosphere with a big fire in the restaurant every night.

the owner is australian, john, and he is in the process of writing a VERY interesting book about his life and times in thailand. its well worth a read when you get there.

with so many caves in the area to explore, some great culture to experience, and just a really cool place tp stay, im sure you will love it.

[mallmagician]

Just got back from Pai myself!

Lodgings:- Billabong Bar has nice rooms for rent. 300B a night with a TV, fan, DVD player etc.

Food:- Best grub in town without a doubt is the Burger House. Owned and run by ex US pilot Ed, its a great place for some good food, and chin wag with local Expats. I reccomend the 1 and half inch thick Pork Chops, the Spaghetti, THe Chicken Parmesan, The Chilli, and of course the burgers. I hear that his Fish and Chips, English style is great, but I don't eat fish myself.

Hanging out:- Great little movie rooms available in Apple Pai with a whopping choice of movies to watch, and Nachos and Beers on hand!

Your usual trekking, rafting, caves, hot springs array!

Live Music - For wicked MTV Unplugged style Jam sessions, head for the Billabong Bar Tues-Sunday, or PhuPai on a Monday (When Billabong closed! ) Seriously good live music scene in Pai.

After Billabong closes, go to bed, or head to Be-Bop and Fubar for more upbeat live music.

Loved Pai! Great place.

Phil

[Cuban]

>Da Vinci cafe has GREAT home made Italian ice cream....

I second this comment, although the farang "owner" in French. There are quite a few hippy farang in town but they are out numbered by the Thais up from BKK for a few days to enjoy the cold. Mist/fog in the mornings and clear skies down to 15 or so at night. Days are hot but not overly so, sunsets a little early with the high surounding mountains.

Pai has moved on since the floods of 2005 and the washed out resorts are replaced and in business with a few piles of dried mud remaining as a reminder.

Belle Villa was full on some nights during our stay at 2,500 a night, for a nice bungalow with HOT water (even during a power cut), TV & DVD player mini bar and breakfast inc.

Typical tourist stuff in town and nearby, better if you have a car/truck. Mountain roads not suitable for Honda Jazz etc.

We did enounter one landslide (20 minutes delay) and were turned back by a Thai Army check point due to border trouble about 90 minutes North of Pai, we were on a back road to Lod Caves.

One intresting point to note about Pai, of the street stalls, the Thais were selling factory made "ethnic" wares in the style of Hmong etc, where as the hippy farang were selling real homemade woolen bags etc in hippy farang "style", we were a little unsure which was the Real Thing: the one clearly made in a Chinese factory or knitted by a University Gap-Year drop out?

Any thoughts?

[meadish_sweetball]

One intresting point to note about Pai, of the street stalls, the Thais were selling factory made "ethnic" wares in the style of Hmong etc, where as the hippy farang were selling real homemade woolen bags etc in hippy farang "style", we were a little unsure which was the Real Thing: the one clearly made in a Chinese factory or knitted by a University Gap-Year drop out?

Great observation.

[guardian]

For a moment I thought you were looking for this :

[Cuban]

...forgot to mention in my earlier post. We got a bout of food posioning from the Baan Pai Resturant, their Ham Rolls and excuse for a beef burger consist of shaped thawed frozen minced beef, quickly cooked so that it's very pink/cold on the inside. The place is big with many tables, opposite a massage place.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Well, Christmas is almost upon us and we decided against going there - on UG's advice.

So, I'll get this thread closed.

Thanks for the advice.

[sabaijai]

Food:- Best grub in town without a doubt is the Burger House. Owned and run by ex US pilot Ed, its a great place for some good food, and chin wag with local Expats. I reccomend the 1 and half inch thick Pork Chops, the Spaghetti, THe Chicken Parmesan, The Chilli, and of course the burgers. I hear that his Fish and Chips, English style is great, but I don't eat fish myself.

I tried Burger House, not all that impressed, starting with the frozen chips (french fries). For western food, Drop Inn, run by a young Swede, has the best quality, prices and service, IMO. Amido's for pizza. For Thai, Hua Saphan near the bridge or Ban Benjarong near Bebop. Pai Blues also has excellent farang and Thai, plus a few authentic Shan dishes, very low prices. There are three Indian restaurants in town now, Taj Mahal on the main street is pretty good.

I visited Xmas through New Years, and yes the room prices were up since it's the biggest tourist week of the year. Rates will drop a bit by then end of Jan. The Xmas-NY crowds are not typical in either size or ethnic breakdown, since Thais from Bangkok and Chiang Mai swarm the town then.

By the way, it's not 'Joe Cummings and the Lonely Planet Band,' it's The Tonic Rays. I enjoyed their NY Eve performance at Bebop. Fun night overall with six good bands.

[Ulysses G.]

I thought that the big breakfast and spaghetti at the Burger House were quite good, but that's all I tried.

I remember seeing the sign for The Drop Inn, but didn't try it. Is that the place that is famous for HUGE portions?

I tried Indian food at one place across from the Blue Lagoon that I heard was the best in town, but it took hours to prepare my meal, and it was terrible on top of that. I don't know why there are NO good Indian restaurants anywhere in Thailand that I've been able to find.

[sabaijai]

I thought that the big breakfast and spaghetti at the Burger House were quite good, but that's all I tried.

I remember seeing the sign for The Drop Inn, but didn't try it. Is that the place that is famous for HUGE portions?

I tried Indian food at one place across from the Blue Lagoon that I heard was the best in town, but it took hours to prepare my meal, and it was terrible on top of that. I don't know why there are NO good Indian restaurants anywhere in Thailand that I've been able to find.

Yep, Drop Inn has huge portions, I usually take away half of what they serve. Best cream tomato soup I've ever eaten, a nice light meal in itself as it comes with garlic bread. By now I've probably eaten 25 bowls there ... Swedish meatballs also superb.

I had a couple of good meals at that Indian place and service was pretty quick, too. Probably depends on what you order, in terms of speed and quality. But it's mostly empty of customers, which is off-putting in itself, and maybe some nights they just give up, I dunno.

There are some very good Indian restos in Bangkok, think there's a thread on it somewhere. Dosa King for one, Royal India (the original, deep in Little India, on Chakkaphet Rd) too. Those two are on a par with Indian restos in Malaysia and Singapore, the gold standard for Indian restaurants outside of India (Indian restos in India is another controverisal topic!). And you ought to give the new Indian place near the Night Bazaar a try, Spice I think it's called. Only eaten there once but four of us tried around 10 dishes and all were good (speaking of portions, they're tiny at this place).

[meadish_sweetball]

I'm far from an expert on Indian food but enjoyed the Indian food in the Galare food court on Chang Khlan Rd last time I tried it (i.e. Night Bazaar).

[cm das]

We're pretty far from Christmas in Pai but I've eaten a couple of times at Le Spice, the above mentioned Indian restaurant by the night bazaar. In general I found the food excellent & definitely the best Indian food I've had in Chiang Mai (not saying much). It's true the portions are small & the samosa I had was greasy, but the other dishes were all great.

[Ulysses G.]

I had a couple of good meals at that Indian place and service was pretty quick, too. Probably depends on what you order, in terms of speed and quality. But it's mostly empty of customers, which is off-putting in itself, and maybe some nights they just give up, I dunno.

To be fair, a Thai party of 4 people sat down right after me, but they almost walked out right before their food finally arrived it took so long. At least I got mine first!

[Physherman]

I'm far from an expert on Indian food but enjoyed the Indian food in the Galare food court on Chang Khlan Rd last time I tried it (i.e. Night Bazaar).

Was that before or after the modernization? I used to love the Indian food in the food court and ate there often. But I tried it the other night (first time there since the floods) and was disapointed. The Tandoori chicken was quite dry and tasteless, the samosa (of which I normally order a double portion) made my mouth pucker they were so dry, the Chicken Tika Masala was tasteless and expensive, and the naan was undercooked. Sad, as I really did enjoy the old place.

It may be just rumor, but I heard that the boss passed away six months ago, and the fellow running it now looks like he could be his brother.

The Fly Fisherman

[meadish_sweetball]

I'm far from an expert on Indian food but enjoyed the Indian food in the Galare food court on Chang Khlan Rd last time I tried it (i.e. Night Bazaar).

Was that before or after the modernization? I used to love the Indian food in the food court and ate there often. But I tried it the other night (first time there since the floods) and was disapointed. The Tandoori chicken was quite dry and tasteless, the samosa (of which I normally order a double portion) made my mouth pucker they were so dry, the Chicken Tika Masala was tasteless and expensive, and the naan was undercooked. Sad, as I really did enjoy the old place.

It may be just rumor, but I heard that the boss passed away six months ago, and the fellow running it now looks like he could be his brother.

The Fly Fisherman

That's too bad. You're completely right I havent been there since the modernization.

[Ulysses G.]

I found the food excellent & definitely the best Indian food I've had in Chiang Mai (not saying much).

You are not exactly inspiring me to try it!

[Sojourner]

I found the food excellent & definitely the best Indian food I've had in Chiang Mai (not saying much).

You are not exactly inspiring me to try it!

Fear not UG, I think you will like it. Just don't go there at 7 PM to 8 PM as the kitchen gets overwhelmed. They are open for lunch and we got served quickly. Check out the blackboard for blueplate specials.

[WorldwideALOHA]

Best Burger in Thailand - Burger House in Pai!!!

The owner Ed does a burger right - they are huge and tasty. My favorite is the Juicy Lucy!!! (well, that one and the Chili Burger)

Another one of my favorites at the Burger House is the pork chop. Ed cuts them himself and they are mammoth! Pan fried in a little butter, so they get that thin crust on them :)'''''

Ed is pretty good for some witty banter and great source of info for the area.

Aloha