Indigo Chiang Mai Holidays

"Wai Khru" dance

What’s there to do on Friday night in Chiang Mai? A lot of visitors head for the Kawila Boxing Stadium to watch a Muay Thai (Thai boxing match). Now, I’m not really into boxing, but I had an opportunity to accompany some guests to watch some real Muay Thai, and I found it to be very interesting, and quite artistic, the boxer (nak muay) movements very graceful, almost like a dance. 

Now, I’m saying that the boxing matches were “real” because you tend to wonder when entering the stadium, there were only tourist faces to be seen. However, there were also a crowd of Thais on one side of the ring placing bets. That has to be a good sign. 

A Muay Thai match contains 3 sets. A night at out at Muay Thai might consist of several bouts. The one we watched had
8 fights from various weight divisions, from various Muay Thai camps starting from around 8.45pm and finishing at 12pm. Towards the end of the night, here were also a couple of bouts between children, possibly around 10 year olds. I had mixed feelings watching the kids fight, but they were remarkably good - just like watching a miniature versions of adults fighting, and it seems, with a lot of courage and heart. 

Well, I did cringe every time a hit or a kick was executed, but it also got quite exciting to watch especially when successive kicks or hits were made and the Thai crowd started screaming in excitement. 

One interesting match was between a Westerner and a Thai boxer. Judging from the first bout, the “farang” (Thai term for Westerner) seemed to be a goner, no match for the Thai. However, things turned around for the second and third fights and the farang ended up winning. Not sure if it was done for the benefit of the crowd, but the Irish boxer seemed to be pretty good anyway. 

All in all quite an interesting experience. I would say the “show” is not only for tourists’ benefits, but the fighters seem to me to be actually fighting. I remember the third match being particularly exciting. 

In order to help you enhance your experience at the Muay Thai match when you come to Chiang Mai, I’m going to give you some of the answers that may enter your mind when watching a muay thai match:

1. What on earth are the boxers wearing on their head?

The headpiece circlet is called a “Mongkon” - it represents the the strength and spirit of the gym and the master instructor. The Muay Thai fighter wears the Mongkon as he enters the boxing ring and performs the “Wai Khru” dance. 

2. Why are the rituals that the boxers follow a the start of a flight?

The fighter starts with the “Wai Khru” dance - symbolising the fighter’s respect for his teacher, sport and country. After the ritual dance, the nak-muay returns to their corners for the removal of the circlet ritual where the boxer and his trainer pray together before the mongkon is removed. 

3. How are points scored?

The judges look to award the win to the stronger fighter. Points are not awarded for the technique alone, but also for the effectiveness of the blow on the opponent. 

4. At what age do kids start to learn Muay Thai?

Kids (boys and girls) can begin training at an early age, but the training is approached as a sense of fun and play. The training becomes more serious at the age of 12 or 13 and the child often compete at his/her first stadium bout. 

Interested in adding watching a Muay Thai match or take lessons during your trip to Chiang Mai? Contact us now.

Many of our guests comment: “I love Chiang Mai. Every meal is good!”. This has inspired us to create a series of itineraries especially dedicated to the foodie. Being food lovers ourselves, we take you to the best restaurants and eateries that we ourselves enjoy going to. The first of these series is the Grand Shopping & Gourmet Tour. Of course, if you have special interests that you would like to combine with your Gourmet Tour, please let us know. 

Grand Shopping and Gourmet Tour (3 days 2 nights)

Do you enjoy shopping and eating Thai food? If the answer is “yes”, then this is the perfect tour for you. “Chiang Mai’s Grand Shopping & Gourmet Tour” features the best of Chiang Mai’s handicraft, silk and ceramic shopping, as well as enjoying wonderful meals from some of Chiang Mai’s best restaurants and eateries. 

The Itinerary:

Day 1

Arrive in Chiang Mai. Airport pick up and check into hotel - Holiday Inn (4 stars) or equivalent.

Our tour begins with a scrumptious lunch at one of my favourite Thai restaurants for some very nice modern Thai food - a fine dining experience in friendly atmosphere. Take your time here, as the best way to enjoy the food here is to eat slowly to savour the flavours! 

After lunch, pay respects to one of Thailand’s most important temples, Wat Phratat Doi Suthep. Enjoy the atmosphere of the beautiful temple watching believers come to pay respects and make merits. There is also wonderful bird eye views of the Chiang Mai city from here.

Relax this afternoon with a two hour relaxing massage at one of Chiang Mai’s best spas.

We will be having dinner at a lovely Thai/Northern Thai Restaurant. This restaurant is beautifully decorated in Lanna style and over looks Suthep Mountain, and is another one of our favourite restaurants in Chiang Mai. 

The rest of the night is free for you to explore town. Perhaps visit the famous Night Bazaar or if a Saturday or Sunday, the lively Walking Street (street markets). Shop for souvenirs, see the talents of Chiang Mai’s students and young artists as they display their art works and handicrafts for sale. 

Day 2

Shopping!

Today, we will be visiting various handicraft, silk and ceramics factories on the famous San Kamphaeng Road. If you are interested, we can also take a look at Gems Gallery - a huge jewellery store, as well as teak wood furniture factory. In all these places, you’ll be able to see a demonstration of how products are made.

We will have lunch at a local restaurant on San Kamphaeng Road. This is a lovely restaurant in an open air garden setting. You’ll be enjoying traditional local lunch time noodles and rice dishes.

After lunch, we will resume shopping!

Note: If you have special things you’d like to shop for, please let us know when you book. 

Dinner tonight will be your choice. Whether you feel like Chinese, Thai, French or Italian, we will take you to enjoy some delicious food!

Day 3

We will head south of town to Baan Tawai Wood Carving Village, famous for wood products, as well as more handicrafts, antiques and art works. 

We will then return to town for a Khao Soy lunch. Khao Soy is the famous Chiang Mai curry noodles - extremely delicious, and often cited by our guests as “the best meal in Chiang Mai”! 

The tour ends here. We will take you back to the airport for your flight home.

Price:
Price per person:

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The price includes:

• Twin share accommodation at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Chiang Mai, or equivalent. Single supplement applies for a single room.
• Admission fees
• Air conditioned vehicle and services of a professional English speaking driver. Petrol also included in the price. The vehicles are fully insured with medical insurance for passengers.
• Complementary welcome massage at one of Chiang Mai’s best spas.
• Two breakfasts, and two lunches on the second and third day

If you have any questions, or would like to book the tour, please contact us.

Pork leg stew and mantou

Mitmai Yunnanese Restaurant is quite an institution in the centre of town. Opened 30 years ago, the restaurant has been featured in quite a few publications, including the Lonely Planet. The food is certainly quite good there, and is worth going if you feel like some Chinese food, or have a break from Thai food!

Don’t expect that your dishes will be rushed out quickly though, because we had to wait a little. When we were there was only one waitress serving 3 tables. 

The waitress recommended Ka Moo with mantou (Pork stew in five spice and chinese steamed buns) - The pork leg was good, and not too much fat, but what made it special was dipping the mantou in the sauce. We had both the steamed mantou and the deep-fried version, and decided that both were good. The steamed mantou was smooth in texture - not the best I had, but certainly right up there. The deep-fried mantou was great, and very nice when dipped in the sauce. 

We also had Deep-fried Chinese Mushrooms (very nice and tasty), Stir-fried Chayote shoot (also very nicely done) and a dish called Tom Som Yod Ma Praw (Coconut shoot with prawns in spicy and sour soup). The soup was quite different, and perhaps needs a bit of getting used to. I noticed later that the soup is also listed a “to try” item in the Lonely Planet. I, however, would recommend it only if you feel a bit adventurous and want to try something a bit different. Don’t get me wrong, the soup wasn’t bad, and I can probably get to like it - it just had an interesting flavour!

The total bill came to a reasonable 550 baht for 5 people (no alcohol).

If you’ve been to Mitmai, please let us know what you think via the comment section below. What dishes would you recommend?

by Electrostatico

Chiang Mai’s flowers burst out in full bloom during the month of February and the town celebrates with the annual Flower Festival. 

The highlight of the festival is a grand parade on the Saturday morning. It will be a spectacular sight as colourful flower covered floats make their way from the Railway station to Nawarat Bridge, Thapae Road and around the moat to the Nong Buak Hat Park. You’ll also be able to see pretty girls competing in the Flower Festival Beauty Pageant sitting on the floats as well as performers in traditional Thai and hill tribe costumes dancing their way through the streets. 

Beautiful orchids

Nong Buak Hat Park will also be the scene of floral exhibits displaying various beautiful flowers from the exotic orchids, to chrysanthemums, carnations orchids and many other flowers. 

February is a great time to come to Chiang Mai. The weather is still cool and the city is awashed with colours. The Flower Festival is an event not to be missed. If you would like to attend, please book your flights and accommodations quickly as this festival is extremely popular.

Please contact us to book a private customized tour and accommodation during the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. You’ll definitely have a wonderful time!

Chiang Dao - City of Stars, really does live up to its name, at least in terms of stars. Away from the bright lights of the city, there are plenty of stars to light up the night sky. People goes to Chiang Dao to relax and to enjoy nature. There are a lot of attractions and activities in the area such as trekking, visiting Chiang Dao Caves, and eating some wonderful food! You can spend your time just relaxing at the resort, enjoying the cool mountain air, or get out there and explore. Only about 1 hour from Chiang Mai, it’s perfect for a day tour or a weekend getaway.

We went on a little family vacation (2 days 1 night) to Chiang Dao. This is what we did: 

Doi Angkhang (Fang District, Chiang Mai)

Doi Angkhang Agricultural Research Station

From Chiang Mai, we decided first to visit Doi (mountain) Angkhang, approximately 3.5 hours north of Chiang Mai town and around 1.5 hours north of Chiang Dao. The road up Doi Angkhang is very steep and there are a few steep hair-pin turns, but quite spectacular. If you decide to drive yourself, please be very careful driving down as many people have burnt their breaks coming down the mountain. In fact, there is a couple of traffic officers stationed after the first hair-pin turn to stop cars with smoke billowing out of their wheels as they head down (as well as a strategically placed fruit stall!). Alternatively, we can organise a car with professional driver for you at reasonable rates (comparable to hiring a car and driving yourself). Please Contact us for more information. 

Doi Angkhang actually borders right onto Burma, and at an elevation of 1,939m, is Thailand’s 6th tallest mountain, and is cool all year round, with the average temperature being 17 degrees celcius. One of the main attractions at Doi Angkhang is the Royal Agricultural Station - the first research station of the Royal Project established by the king and queen to help promote crop substitution to hill tribe farmers. The farmers used to grow tea and opium, now they grow tea, organic vegetables, flowers and fruit crops. Today, the the Doi Angkhang Research Station does research into growing temperate climate fruits, flowers, vegetables and medicinal plants, and can be visited.

Hill tribe market, Doi Angkhang

There is also  a very interesting Hill tribe market right on top of the mountain in front of the Research Station. As Doi Angkhang is home to various hill tribe groups, the market sells hilltribe handicraft products, fruits, vegetables and freshly prepared food. The vendors are very friendly, and if you ask, they are very happy to let you have a taste of their cooking before you buy. 

We had lunch at a “local” Yunanese Restaurant. Every dish was delicious, one of the reasons, no doubt, being the fresh produces from the mountain. The stir-fried chicken with ginseng leaves was very nice, Black Chicken and Gingseng soup (also very good), and Yunanese BBQ pork from a stall in the market. The BBQ pork was marinated with ginger, lemongrass, ginger and ginseng, and was one of the most delicious roast pork I’ve ever eaten. It was worth going all the way just for the pork alone!

Marisa Boutique Resort & Spa, Chiang Dao

View from Marisa Resort

After a very satisfying lunch and visit to the Doi Angkhang Research Station (a couple of hours could be spent there), we returned to Chiang Dao and checked in at Marisa Resort. It turned out to be a good choice, and I would probably describe it as a “nature” resort even though the “jungle” is really a very nice garden with lots of beautiful trees.

Marisa Resort has extensive grounds complete with lots of trees, lovely gardens, streams and a small lake. Guests live in comfortable beautiful wooden Thai houses, and the rooms are very clean. What I love most about the resort is that we are able to roam the grounds, enjoying the gardens and fantastic views of nearby mountains. One downside was that the hot water system wasn’t working when we were there, so we had to take lukewarm showers in the cold weather - but I believe the problem is being looked at.

As the resort provides 2-3 bedrooms villas and bungalows, it is very family friendly. In fact, there were a lot of families with children staying at the resort and the children were having a great time roaming the grounds and riding on bikes around the resort. Please don’t be put off though, if you are a couple on your honeymoon or just want peace and quiet. The bungalows are quite far apart from each other. All in all, I think it’s a great place to stay for a family holiday, or for people wanting to take a break from the “busy” Chiang Mai. 

Chiang Dao Nest 1, Chiang Dao

Fantastic Western Food at Chiang Dao Nest 1

The famous Chiang Dao Nest 1 was our chosen location for dinner. Chiang Dao Nest 1 is a resort with a fantastic restaurant serving Western food. The food was fantastic. Wicha, the owner and head chef, was trained in the UK. I had Grilled Chicken with Blue vein cheese and creamy pasta - very interesting and and delicious! The other dishes also looked really good too. For dessert, we had Cream Brulee, which was divine…and Devil Chocolate Cake and ice-cream. The cake tasted good, but I think it would have been better if it was warmed up a little. 

View of Doi Luang from Chiang Dao Nest 1

We also had an opportunity to inspect one of Chiang Dao Nest 1’s huts. The accommodation is very basic, with no TV, but it looked very comfortable and clean. We will possibly stay there next time to try them out. The resort is quite small - with the gardens not as big as Marisa’s, but there are some lovely views of Doi Luang from the resort. In case you were wondering, we returned the next day to take the photos and had a look at the huts. 

There is also a Chiang Dao Nest 2. The restaurant here serves Thai food.

Chiang Dao Caves

Built in AD 191, this pagoda is in front of the entrance to Chiang Dao Caves

We visited Chiang Dao Caves the next morning. These caves are actually located in a temple not far from Chiang Dao Nest 1 & 2. The interesting things about these caves is that the caves are not lit up like you’d get in the “Western World”, but rather, you go in with a guide by the lights of a kerosene lamp. A rather unique experience. The entry fee goes to the Temple, and there is a charge of 100 baht per group for the use of the kerosene lamp. Guides are actually unpaid volunteers and help to protect the caves from sticky hands of people who likes to take souvenirs from the caves. Please support them by giving them a “tip” after your tour so they can continue doing their important work protecting the caves and preventing you from getting lost, or falling down a big hole in one of the caves! 

Visiting Chiang Dao Caves also require a bit of crouching and crawling (part of the fun!) to get into some of the caverns. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too strenuous. Wear good shoes when you go, even if the locals do it all in their flip-flops. The floors are uneven and some parts quite slippery. 

Chiang Dao Town & Ka Moo (Thai stewed pork leg with five spices)

Ka Moo - Thai Pork Leg Stew

After exploring the caves, we were quite hungry, so we went into town for some “Ka Moo”. Chiang Dao is actually quite famous for its Pork leg stews. There are several shops along the main street. Stewed Pork legs are normally eaten with rice and a bit of chilli sauce. Yum! 

One interesting thing about Chiang Dao town is that the local hill tribe people still dress up in their traditional costumes as they go about their business in town, so a great opportunity to see the hill tribes out and about doing their daily activities out of touristy situations.

We all had a fantastic time. All of us really enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the cooler weather, and of course, great food! 

When you come to Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao would make an enjoyable day or couple of day trip for the whole family or your group of friends. We can arrange transport and accommodation for you, as well as helping you put together a customized itinerary for your vacation.

The cost for a 2 days 1 night private trip to Chiang Dao for 2 people, including accommodation at Marisa Boutique Resort and Spa and transport, starts from around 2,050 baht per person. 

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Contact us now for more information!

There are so many wonderful restaurants in Chiang Mai. Here are my personal suggestions of places try during your vacation in Chiang Mai. It’s not in any particular order - just what comes first to mind. By the way, I don’t get paid by the restaurants, just writing about places I enjoy going to. Hope you will enjoy them too! 

If you have suggestions or recommendations yourself, or any comments on the restaurants on the list, please make a comment! 

Please contact us for a cultural/gourmet tour of Chiang Mai!

Saenkham Terrace

Mushroom som-tam salad

Fantastic Thai & Northern Thai food. The restaurant is nicely decorated in Lanna style and overlooks Doi Suthep Mountain. Fine dining experience in warm and friendly atmosphere. Some dishes to try: Deep-fried shiitake mushroom (really, really nice!),  Pad Thai, Mee Grob (Thai crispy noodles), Green Curry - order some roti with it. 

Price range: 100-200 baht per dish

Location: Nai Fan Village Club House (Canal Road - towards the south). Tel: 053 838 990

There’s another branch at Hillside 2, 183 Nimmanhaemin Rd, Chiang Mai

Ruan Pae II

Fish cake

This Thai restaurant is  next to a lake on the 2nd Ring Road. Decor quite simple and you’ll be sitting in plastic chairs. Lovely lake views and relaxing atmosphere though, and very nice food. Try: my favourite - Gaeng Som Pla Chon (deep fried serpent head fish in spicy & sour soup), Nam Tod (deep fried pickled pork), Tod man pla (Thai fish cakes). 

Price: 50-100 baht per dish

Location: 2nd Ring Road between Ruam Chok Plaza and Mae Rim intersection. Tel: 053 115 194

There’s another branch (Ruan Pae I) near San Kamphaeng Rd, so this would be an ideal stop for lunch if you’re over that way shopping.

Satesinlp Restaurant (lunch)

Yummy satays

This is one of my favourite lunch time restaurant. Satesinlp (pronouned Satesin) is an open air garden restaurant. Air-conditioned rooms also available. The menu offers standard Thai lunch time dishes - various noodle and rice dishes - pad thai, various fried rices, etc, as well as yummy appetisers. Meals are simple but high quality and delicious! They’ve recently extended their menu - more of a reason to keep going back! If you’re worried about hygiene, don’t. It’s super clean. 

Price: most dishes are about 45 baht, but can be up to 100 baht. 

Location: San Kamphaeng Rd - another ideal place to go when you’re out that way shopping. 

Pongyang Ang Doi

Gaeng Hung Lay - Burmese style pork curry

This is the place to go if you’re in the Mae Sa area. The restaurant is in the Pongyang Ang Doi resort. It’s an open air restaurant overlooking a waterfall. Wonderful atmosphere! The food is great too. My favourite is the Deep fried sun-dried pork strips - a Northern Thailand dish. They make it so well the pork is lovely and tender. Gaeng Hung Lay (Burmese Pork Curry) is also very nice here - tastes very different to the other restaurants.

You’ll be able to go down to explore the waterfall as well. 

Price:  dishes are around 100 baht up. 

Location: Mae Rim. Tel: 053 879 151

Udommit

Crispy Morning Glory Salad

This is fast becoming one of my favourite restaurants. Extensive menu with modern Thai cuisine as well as traditional dishes. Great food and great atmosphere (and great price!). See our review. 

Price: most are around 60-85 baht

Location: 2nd floor, Nim City Daily (near Airport Plaza) Tel: 053 201 788

Hong Taew Inn

Fried Naem

Nice Northern Thai restaurant with nostalgic 20s setting on trendy Nimanhaemin Road. Great place for dinner or lunch. Try the Pomello Salad, Fried naem (deep fried pickled pork). 

Price: around 80-100 baht per dish

Location: Nimanhaemin Road opposite Nimanhaemin Soi 1. Tel: 053 218 333

Lemon Tree

Nice and bright restaurant with yellow and blue theme. Great food and great value! Try Gaeng Paa Luk Tung Gai (Jungle curry with free-range chicken) - warning- very spicy, but delicious!; Stir-fried vermicelli with salted egg.

Price: 65-140 baht per dish

Location: 26/1-2 Huay Kaew Rd, not too far from the shopping centre. Tel: 053 222 009

Ban Suan Mae Rim

Prawn spring rolls

Charming restaurant by the Ping River with great views. They also do Western food and Western/Thai Fusion. The food is great and the restaurant played host to the Thai Royal Family and President of Singapore. 

Price: around 150 baht-1000 baht per dish. A little bit pricey, especially for Chiang Mai, but worth it. 

Location: North of city by the Ping River (access via 2nd Ring Road near Mae Rim exit). Tel: 053 854 169

Khao soi from Khao Soi Samoer Jai

Khao Soy is one of those famous Chiang Mai dishes that you must try when visiting Chiang Mai. It’s as an egg-noodle dish served with chicken, pork or beef, in rich curry broth and topped with crispy noodles. Very delicious! 

This blog gives a mouthwatering description and detailed information about Khao Soy & some great photos!

Kao Soy restaurants are everywhere in Chiang Mai, and the dish is served in many restaurants. 

Here are some specialty places you might want to check out:

Khao Soy Lamduon 

This is undoubtedly my personal favourite Khao soy restaurant. The curry broth is rich and full of flavour - so delicious! 30 baht/dish. 

Faharm Road, Chiang Mai. 

You’ll also be able to enjoy their Khao Soy at Central Airport Plaza’s food court.

Khao Soy Samoer Jai 

Another local favourite, just down the road from Khao Soy Lamduon. Also very good and delicious Khao Soy. 30 baht/dish.

Faharm Road, Chiang Mai

Just Khao Soy

This is a very nice restaurant. The food is of a very high quality, and makes Khao Soy more accessible to the Western palate who may not be able to handle the richness and spiciness of the typical local Khao Soy. There are two types of broths to choose from, and you are given condiments that you can add to suit your taste. Each dish is around 100 baht, but still great value considering the serving is more than twice of what you’d get with “local” Khao Soy dishes. You’ll also be getting air-conditioning and nice service! See our review.

108 Charoen phratet Road, Chang Klan, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai boasts a huge number of fantastic restaurants. This is Thailand Tattler’s recommended restaurants from the book  ”Thailand Tattler’s Best Restaurants 2008″. This is a quick summary (in alphabetical order) of the original list.

Of course, in my opinion, there are a lot of other worthy restaurants that deserve to be on the list. I’ll be putting together my own recommendations in a later post. In the mean time, get salivating and start planning your “gourmet” holiday to Chiang Mai. Of course, we are always there to help you - just a contact form away!

If you have been to these restaurants, please feel free to add you comments below. : )

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Chiang Dao Nest Mini Resort - European Food

144/4 Moo 5, Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 456 242

About 1 hour from Chiang Mai in a picturesque mountain.

Signature dishes:

• Home made liver pate parfait with home pickled beetroot
• Seared tuna with spicy green apple salsa
• Stuffed pork tenderloin with sundried tomato pesto and mozzarella with pine nut crust

Price: Dinner for two will cost no more than 1,200 baht without wine.

Alice’s tip: Chiang Dao (”City of stars”) is a nice little town and makes a nice day trip from Chiang Mai. There are a few lovely resorts so and overnight stay would be ideal. Attractions & Activities include: Chiang Dao Caves, hiking, bird watching, rafting, temples, elephant riding, and just sitting back and enjoy nature!

Farang Ses - French

Dhara Dhevi, 51/4 Moo 1, Chiang Mai-San Kamphaeng Rd, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 888 888

Set in the amazingly beautiful Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, this restaurant rates 10 for Food by the Thailand Tattler.

Opens only for Dinner 7pm-10pm Tuesdays to Sundays.

Signature Dishes:

• Lobster bisque
• Glazed dover sole with chive sauce
• Braissed pigeon with black pepper sauce
• Atlantic sea bass with light saffron sauce

Price: At least 10,000 baht for a 3-course a la carte menu without wine for 2 people.

Fujian - Chinese

Dhara Dhevi, 51/4 Moo 1, Chiang Mai-San Kamphaeng Rd, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 888 888

Set in a Sino-Portuguese-style mansion - very beautiful!!

Signature Dishes:

• Juliienne of abalone
• Deep-fried pigeon with lime juice and spiced salt
• Wok-fried lobster
• Fujian peking duck

Price: Average meal for 2 people without wine costs around 2,500 baht

Alice’s note: We went there to celebrate Chinese New Year 2008 - as you would expect, the food was fantastic. There were 7 of us and we went for the a la carte menu instead of the set banquet menus. The bill came to around 6000 baht.

Georgio - Italian

2/6 Prac Hasamp Han Rd, Chang Klan, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 818 263

Lively restaurant in town (near Night Bazaar)

Closed: Sunday (except for Dec-Feb)

Signature Dish:

• Saltimbocca al la roman
• Spaghetti egg shrimp with garlic
• Artichoke with cream cheese

Price: Meal for two with out wine costs around 1,000 baht

Alice’s note: This is one of the most popular Italian restaurants in Chiang Mai. I haven’t managed to eat there yet. We don’t really plan ahead with dinners and just go where we feel like at the time - the few times we turned up at Georgio, we were not able to get in - so booking recommended!

Le Coc D’or - French

11 Soi 2, Koh Klang Rd, Nonghoi, Muang, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 282 024

Elegant colonial-style restaurant, once the city’s English consulate.

Signature Dish:

• Pan-fried foie gras with peach sauce
• Maine lobster from Boston
• Roasted rack of Australian lamb
• Warm chocolate cake with a soft centre

Price: A meal for two without wine costs about 4,000 baht

Alice’s note: This restaurant provides free transport to and from your hotel in the form of an old london taxi!

Le Crystal - French

74/2 Patan Rd, Patan, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 872 890-1

Lovely restaurant in a wood Lanna style building.

Signature Dish:

• Foie gras
• Ceasar salad
• Langoustine bouillabaisse
• Phuket lobster thermidor
• Kobe sirloin

Price: A meal for two without wine from 4,500 baht

Mi Casa - Mediterranean

60/2 Moo 14, Soi 4, Wat Padaeng, Suthep Rd, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 810 088

Signature Dish:

• Mi Casa mixed tapas
• Spanish seafood paella
• Duck leg confit
• Lamb shank
• Roasted tomatoes with goat cheese

Price: around 1,500 baht for two people without wine

Piccola Roma Palace - Italian

144 Charoen Prathat Rd, Chang Klan, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 820 297-8

City restaurant near the Night Bazaar

Signature dishes:

• Mixed grilled seafood
• Antipasto Piccola Roma
• Scallops flambed with port
• Spaghetti with seafood
• Linguini with porcini and fresh truffle

Price: 3 course dinner for 2 without wine - around 1,500 baht

Rio - Brazillian

Sofitel Riverside Chiang Mai, 33 Chang Klan Rd, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 999 333

Signature dishes: 

• Skewered grilled meats and seafood
• Fried curried potato tortilla

Closed: Lunch

Price: fixed charge of 819 baht per person or 1,638 baht for two without wine.

Saenkham Terrace - Thai

199/163 Mae Hea, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 838 990

Lovely restaurant decorated in Lanna style, situated inside a residential estate. Great views of Doi Suthep Mountain.

Signature dishes:

• Deep-fried shiitake mushroom
• White curcuma salad (Thai style)
• Deep-fried seaweed spring roll
• Burmese-style pork curry
• Fried vermicelli with salted egg

Price: A meal for two without wine costs less than 1,000 baht.

Alice’s note: This is one of my favourite Thai restaurants in Chiang Mai. Excellent food, wonderful atmosphere & great value. Each dish costs between 100-200 baht. Deep-fried shiitake mushroom is fantastic- we have it every time we go! Last time we went for lunch though, I thought the fried rice I had was a bit oily. The ice-creams are very nice too & interesting flavours!

Terraces - Italian

Four Seasons, 502 Moo 1, Mae Rim-Samoeng Rd, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 298 181

Beautifully decorated restaurant at the beautiful Four Seasons Resort. Nice views of the Doi Suthep-Pui mountains.

Signature Dishes:

• Broiled seafood and lemon vinaigrette
• Antipasto of cured meat cheese with grilled vegetables
• Grilled river prawns capunata with soave white wine

Price: Meal for two without wine will cost less than 3,000 baht.

The Rachamankha - Thai/European

6 Rachamankha Soi 9, Pha Singh, Muang, Chiang Mai. Tel:053 904 111

Situated in one of the loveliest little hotels in Chiang Mai’s old town.

Signature dishes:

• Mung bean crackers
• Taro spring roll
• Naem nung Tai Yai
• Pla phad takrai
• Krua kung

Price: An Asian meal for 2 without wine - will not cost more than 1,200 baht. More expensive for Western dishes

Alice’s note: We went to check this restaurant out when I saw it listed on the Thailand Tattler’s list. It’s a very interesting restaurant with an interesting menu - the decor is of Chinese style. I actually thought it was a Chinese Restaurant, but it actually serves Asian (Thai, Tai-Yai, Burmese) as well as Lanna Fusion and European food. Our table was in a lovely little courtyard inside the hotel. I think it would make a great place for a romantic dinner!

The food itself was quite nice. We had the Mung bean crackers and Pla phad takrai (deep fried fish with herbs) that were on the Thailand Tattler’s article. They were both quite nice. The other dishes we had were: Yum Tea Leaves (salad) - it was very interesting and I haven’t decided if I like it yet; and Gai Huk (chicken stir-fried with herbs). 

The whole meal came to around 1,600 baht for the 4 of us. 

The Restaurant - Thai/International

The Chedi, 123 Charoen Prathet Rd, Chiang Mai. Tel: 053 253 333

Located in the Chedi Hotel, with city with views of the Ping River

Signature Dishes:

• Yum samum prai (Herb salad)
• Yum som-o (Pomello salad)
• Goat cheese salad
• Duck leg confit
• Thali manasahari

Price: A meal for two without alcohol should be less than 3,500 baht.

So, that’s it from Thailand Tattlers. Don’t forget, if you have been to these restaurants, please feel free to add your “reviews” via the Comments section.

Temple ruins

In the 1984, an ancient city was discovered underneath a suburb just south of Chiang Mai’s old town by local villagers. Actually, to be more precise, the villagers found some votive tablets in the grounds of Wat Chang Kham. The Fine Arts Department archaeologists then began excavation of the site and surrounding areas and found “Wieng Kum Kam”.  Up till then,  presence of this ancient city has always been part of Lanna legend and its location unknown. 

Wiang (”Fort”)  Kum Kam was the original capital of Lanna (”million rice field”) Kingdom, ruled by King Mengrai (1259-1317) of Yanok (in Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai Province). At the time, King Mengrai captured Lamphun (now a small province south of Chiang Mai province). However, the then city was prone to severe flooding, and he headed north, and found a small village and temple near the banks of the Ping River, now thought to be the current ruins called Wat Huan Nong.The city Wiang Kum Kam was founded in 1286 or 87.

Ping River

At a time when the only means of transport and communication in the mountainous north was travelling by boat, it was important for the capital to be on a River bank. The site of Wieng Kum Kam, proved to be a good strategic location, in terms of defenses to the city and trade. The old course of the Ping River provided protection from the North and East and the King began to build city walls and moats on the West and South to protect the city. Temples were then built. However, each year, this city, being at a low-lying area next to the river, was prone to flooding, forcing the king to search for a better location for his new capital, now Chiang Mai (”new city”), which was officially founded in 1291. 

After the capital of Lanna was moved to Chiang Mai, Wieng Kum Kam became a satellite town. However, sometime during the Burmese occupation of Lanna (1558-1774), severe flooding caused the city to be buried under mud and sludge.This reason, and that the changing of the course of the river to the west side of the city, led to the abandonment the Wieng Kum Kam. Over the years, the city was forgotten and became a part of Lanna folklore.

Today - a Historical Park

Wat Chedi LIam

The ruins of “Wiang Kum Kam” Historical Park are not in one single excavation site, but, are actually spread out, and situated amongst homes in a rural suburb of Chiang Mai and rice paddy fields.  

For our tour, the first stop was the Wiang Kum Kam Information Centre where we can get an appreciation of what Wieng Kum Kam was like in ancient times. 

We then toured the site riding horse drawn carriage driven (tram also available for larger groups). It turned out to be very pleasant and enjoyable drive through the leafy villages and countryside. The temple ruins were very interesting. Some of them are now nothing but brick platforms, but we were able to get right in to explore. 

There are some interesting sights, including the still functioning Wat Chedi Liam, which was not affected by the flooding. The soil dug up when King Mengrai built the moat to protect Wieng Kum Kam was used to make bricks for the temple’s chedi (pagoda). The chedi is a replica of Chamadevi Temple in Lamphun Province. Each of the 4 sides of the chedi have 15 buddha images standing in the arches, making a total of 60, said to be in honour of the king’s 60 wives! 

Other interesting sights include: Khan Tom Temple, thought to be the home of the spirit of King Mengrai; Pu Pia Temple and I-Kang Temple.

Horse-drawn carriage

I would recommend this tour for people who are interested in learning about Lanna history and culture, or even to spend a pleasant, leisurely morning or afternoon in Thai countryside away from more touristy places. Wiang Kum Kam is indeed a place “off the beaten track”. There are few tourists here (for now), especially Western ones! 

This is an easy-paced tour and is suitable for everyone, including families with children. Kids will particularly love a ride on the horse-drawn carriages and being able to roam around and explore the ruins!

Map of Wiang Kum Kam

Map courtesy of TAT

Tours available to Wiang Kum Kam:

Private Day Tour - Wiang Kum Kam, Lunch & afternoon shopping tour (San Kamphaeng Rd or Baan Tawai Wood Carving Village - take your pick!)

9am-5pm

Special: 1 child under 12 free with 2 paying adults! Extra child under 12 - half price.

Cost per person:

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To book the above tour, or for more information about tours to Wiang Kum Kam, please contact us.

3 Kings Monument

Chiang Mai was founded over 700 years ago by King Mengrai, previously ruled from Chiang Saen on the banks of the Mekhong River, Fang and Chiang Rai. As his kingdom expanded south, he started looking for a new location for the “new city”.

The original chosen capital of the Lanna (”land of million rice fields”) Kingdom was actually a place know as “Wieng Kum Kam”, founded in 1286 or 87. However, this new capital was frequently flooded, so the site was abandoned in 1292. Wieng Kum Kam’s existence has always been known, but its location remained undiscovered until the 1980s. Wieng Kum Kam can now be visited during your vacation to Chiang Mai.

When the fate of Wieng Kum Kam was known, King Mengrai, King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and King Ngam Muang of Phayao worked together to find an appropriate location for the “New City”. Today, we can find a memorial to these three kings in the old town.

Finally, in 1291, Chiang Mai was founded as the new Lanna Capital, and in 1296, the new city was completed with a surrounding city wall and moat. This city then became an important cultural and religious centre of the Lanna Kingdom.

From this time the Kingdom of Lanna prospered, with the golden age being the 15th century. At that time, the kingdom extended as far as north-western laos, the eastern Shan states of Burma and Xishuangbanna, south of Yunnan, China.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Kingdom of Lanna fell under several invasions from Ayutthaya and Burma, alternately being ruled by Burma and Ayutthaya for 200 years. Chiang Mai was returned for a short period between 1727 and 1763, but then returned to Burmese control.

In 1774, King Taksin recognised the strategic importance of Chiang Mai, finally succeeded in regaining Chiang Mai with the help of a nobleman from Lampang, Chao Kawila. Chiang Mai became a vassal town and Chao Kawila then became the town’s regent and rebuilt Chiang Mai in the 1800s. Chiang Mai eventually became a province in 1933.

For more information on holidays to Chiang Mai, customized tours for groups and families, accommodation bookings, and car/van hire with driver, please take a look at our website or contact us.