Chiang Mai Garden Hotel & Resort
16/16 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai, 50300, Chiang Mai, 50300, Thailand
More about Chiang Mai
Photos
Shrine compound in the Fog
I love This Drawing ...
A devotee praying at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Mountain biking
Forum Posts
Private Drive
by lauren6
Does anyone have a suggestion for good English speaking driver? We are looking to add some flexibility to our trip and see more. Need recommendation for someone good and fair who won't be taking us on side trips for "shopping." Thanks
Re: Private Drive
by SirHalberd
A private driver is one of the most expensive ways to go. First, check the tours available at local travel agencies. Travel agencies act as the brokers for tour companies. They will have a menu list of available tours, the times, pick up points (usually your hotel,) and how much.
Travel agencies also may be able to set you up with a private driver. Getting a driver and a tour guide that speaks your language may be costly. The normal tours you get from travel agencies take you as a small group in a van with a guide and driver. Sure they stop to show you different sites and they may get a commission but it is not too big a deal. NOT as expensive as a private driver and vehicle!
Where you might get hijacked into stopping in places to by stuff is when you take a tuk-tuk ride. Tuk-tuks are more expensive than meter taxi cabs (providing you only use the meter) and they are less safe than 4 wheels with more steel around you. Avoid the tuk-tuks, especially if they offer you a free or really cheap ride somewhere!
Goodluck.
Re: Private Drive
by lauren6
I really don't want to be on a tour and yes it is a big deal to be taken to "shops." I have heard of drivers being available at relatively low costs. Thanks for the information but I really am interested in doing my own thing - if I felt secure in renting a car I would do that.
Re: Private Drive
by SirHalberd
This Thai Visa forum may be able to help you. Many of the posts on this forum are from people who live in Chiang Mai full time.
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=91c5bd4cde2c3dbf22c8478a42cbcf7a&showforum=28
Good luck.
Travel Tips for Chiang Mai
How to find a "good" Trek.
by allthai
There are hundreds of trekking operators in and around Chiang mai. Some treks are excellent and some horrible. Here are a few tips on how to decide who to go trekking with.
Please be careful with trekking operators that advertise new area or village. Most good eco-culture friendly operators go to the same area and villages year after year. They have an excellent relationship with them so everything is in balance and harmony so they do not need to go to a new area.
Most hill tribe villages do not have handicrafts as they spend most of their time working in their fields. There may however be elderly women in the village taking care of young children that do make handicrafts. In this case there will be one home or area where handicrafts can be viewed and bought. No one will bother you to buy anything and you are not looked at as a major source of income.
Make sure you are not allowed to give candy to children or money for pictures. Nothing should be exchanged directly between you and anyone in the village. A village is a very communal place and what belongs to one belongs to all. Jealousy and hate between villagers can arise because one family or person received something from you and they didn’t. It is true that many villages that are visited by tourists drop drastically in population because of jealousy. Most move away to a different village. Usually that of another family member who is married to a someone in that village. Ask to meet your guide first. Talk alone with your guide. Find out how much your guide knows about the village as you can. Tell your guide you want to smoke opium and if he or she says no problem find a different operator and guide. Many tour operators don’t know their guides are selling drugs to tourists so you need to ask your guide.
Ask how many persons are going on the trek with you and get it in writing as part of your receipt. Many people are told a small number later to find out there are up to 15 persons going on the trek. If they come to pick you up and there is more than what they wrote on your receipt when you paid for the trek get your money back. 6 persons should be the maximum and the fewer the better and a private trek is best. The fewer people on the trek or tour the better the experience.
An eco-culture tour and trekking operator will keep the number of persons visiting a village small. The impact of even 50 visitors a month in a village is devastating and should not be allowed. Some excellent operators take visitor to a village only once a week and then no more than 6 persons. They have many villages they can visit so they can take tourists daily to different villages.
Eco-tourism is not cheap so before you go out to find the best price for a trek or tour, first think about who wins and who looses on a cheap tour or trek. No one wins. Think about it.
Trekking Doi Inthanon
by Fudge
Trekking with a Jamie Aditya lookalike was just amazing ! (Jamie Aditya used to be a MTV VJ and cake and i couldn't believe how much Daniel actually looked like him). We kept looking at him, quite sure he must be Jamie.
that aside the countryside of Doi inthanon is decked with wildflowers left right and centre.
THIP'S TUK TUK
by aussiejen
On our 1st day in Chiang Mai we were walking around the old city trying to get our bearings when a tuk tuk pulled up next to us and offered us a "3 temple tour" for only 30baht. Sounded like a great idea as long as the 3 of us could fit into the tuk tuk....we did, but only just!! Certainly better than walking in the afternoon heat.
It was the best move we made. Our lovely driver Thip, proved to be a very worthy guide. She's speaks good English, as well as Danish and Thai. She lived in Denmark for years so is quite "westernised" if that's the right thing to say.
She also organised a friend of hers to be our guide for our long day trip to the Golden Triangle. See my next tip about Ben.
Give her a call, I can highly recommend her.
Don't miss the Fresh Seafood!
by missbean about Sila-aat Restaurant
We chanced upon this restaurant while shopping in the night bazaar. The dining place is al fresco concept. Most of the customers are tourists. The seafood are left out on the ice tray (temperature for that day is cold. Around 15degC. So the seafood is still fresh).
We ordered the Steam Red Snapper, Fried Crab roll, Spring roll (stuffed with glass noodles), Tom Yum fish and squid soup, Chiangmai Noodles (tastes like the Singapore laksa), Chinese Brocolli (Kai Lan). All for just 680baht. It was worth it because the Red snapper is absolutely very fresh and tasty (costs only 250baht)! It is served on a hot plate with fire underneath to keep it warm in the cold weather. We were quite surprised because Chiang Mai is in the mountaneous region and couldnt have served such a fresh seafood. But we were convinced. =) Steam Red Snapper and Fried Crab Roll
Elephant Rides
by AshleeS
This was a debate amungst our group, some of us were really against this activity. Going to it was not as bad as anticipaited. It was so touristy and just seemed so cruel. The rides itself wasn't that bad and feeding them was fun, but still not one of the best expereinces of the whole trip.
Questions and Answers
Q: Guesthouse question "Hello VT , does anybody know a nice guesthouse with a/c in the old city for 350 to 450 baht ? . I would like the opinion of those..."
A: "see tripadvisor.com for reviews"
Read 4 Replies »
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