Ohhh! My! Chiang Mai!
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Whether you are looking for a three-day adventure in one of the most unique regions of Thailand or a great international city to live Chiang Mai is the place to go for exotic Northern Thai fun and fare. There’s a lot you can pack into a three day stay for your vacation holiday or to scope out relocation possibilities. It’s a great place to live and has a very large western population. Chiang Mai has an international airport with direct flights to and from many countries.
Overnight train service and many buses travel to Chiang Mai from all five regions of Thailand.
It is also the beginning of high season and special rates are offered to entice you to visit and so you will tell your friends about the value for money Chiang Mai offers.
A must-see is the new gay (gay-friendly welcome!) hotel and entertainment complex called the Lavender Lanna Hotel. With its 110 rooms it is the largest gay-oriented resort in all of Thailand and offers so much it is really a destination resort.
The Lavender Lanna Hotel is a specialty boutique gay hotel that is welcoming to friends from all walks of life. The eleven-story hotel is in a fantastic location across from Chiang Mai’s Old City and the city moat, next to Chiang Mai’s best hospital, and around the corner from one of Chiang Mai’s biggest shopping malls. The Lavender Lanna Hotel is central to everything you want to do in Chiang Mai and close to a diverse variety of dining, nightlife, shopping, and entertainment venues.
Vist their main website at www.lavenderlannahotel.com. Of particular interest on the main web page is the “Package Deals and Events” page. Look there for great ideas and special value packages.
The Lavender Lanna Hotel offers a full resort experience. Facilities include a 24-hour lobby restaurant and bar, a full service hair salon, a men’s VIP massage and spa, a pool complex with steam and fitness, a tour desk, a nightclub with free shows, and a rooftop restaurant. The Lavender Lanna Hotel also offers a free daily shuttle to the local sauna and to the area gay bars.
“We have worked hard to convert a landmark hotel of the past into a destination resort of the 21st century,” said its new manager Poppy.
Poppy offers this contact info:
For availability and reservations, please send us an email to:
reservations@lavenderlannahotel.com
We will respond as soon as possible
and always within 24 hours.
You may also call us 24 hours a day at:
053-211-100 (inside Thailand)
+66-53-211-100 (outside Thailand)
Please ask for the Lavender Lanna
Website rates when booking via
telephone.
For availability and reservations, please send us an email to:
reservations@lavenderlannahotel.com
We will respond as soon as possible
and always within 24 hours.
You may also call us 24 hours a day at:
053-211-100 (inside Thailand)
+66-53-211-100 (outside Thailand)
Please ask for the Lavender Lanna
Website rates when booking via
telephone.
You can fax us at:
053-211-102 (inside Thailand)
+66-53-211-102 (outside Thailand)
And by all accounts so far he pulled it off. Recently 300 locals attended the soft opening of the Lavender Lanna complex and the reviews were all good. And as good as the opening was soft, imagine how good it will be for the Grand Opening November 20, 21 & 22!
The centrally located gay and gay-friendly hotel is across from Chiang Mai’s Old City and in between Chiang Mai’s largest hospital and Central Department Store. The Power Boys night club offers several free shows in the evening and has a VIP male revue room open during the show.
Lavender Lanna Hotel is pleased to announce a partnership with Asian Plus Travel of Chiang Mai. Asian Plus Travel will be operating a tour desk in the lobby of the hotel and offering special tour packages and car rental. Asian Plus Travel is a gay-friendly tour company with years of experience serving travelers to Chiang Mai. For more information on their tours and to book a package during your stay at Lavender Lanna Hotel, please visit www.asianplustravel.com.
Lavender Lanna Hotel will be offering special packages for the upcoming season including for our Grand Opening Jubilee in November, for New Years, and for Valentine’s Day. They will also be the party headquarters for Songkran in 2010 and have many special activities planned. Lavender Lanna Hotel and Power Boys Chiang Mai is sponsoring a new gay guide to Chiang Mai called Out in Chiang Mai. This website will include listings for everything gay in Chiang Mai and will include current events. For more information visitwww.outinchiangmai.com.
Another accommodation choice is the venerable Lotus Hotel. The Lotusl has been a favorite for years and is located in the Hub of Chiang Mai’s Gay Entertainment Chang-Phuak area. Each room has its own distinct character, beautifully decorated with English colonial antiques. Tel:053.215.376 or 053.215.462
Another favorite accommodation choice is PJ’s Place which is a gay friendly luxury guesthouse. PJ’s is close to all amenities with nearby shopping malls, swimming pools, spas, cinemas, gymnasiums, bars, restaurants and banks. Tel: 053 404894 or 081 474 8699
An upscale gay-friendly choice is the conveniently located dusit D2 in the downtown area across from the night bazaar bars . We like it as it is a unique new generation boutique hotel in the center of it all and is located just off the famous Chang Klan Road in the heart of Chiang Mai city centre. This hotel has the bustling night bazaar, restaurants and entertainment at its doorstep. dusitD2 is a new generation of Dusit hospitality, offering contemporary Thai interiors that seduce the senses and wonderful service surprises that create a sense of delight. Visit their website http://www.dusit.com/hotels/thailand/chiang_mai/dusitd2/index.html
dusitD2 Chiang Mai provides the well-travelled guest with an experience of ‘delightful style delivered with substance’. The striking design incorporates natural materials and textures in a high-tech functional living environment, where the emphasis is on spaciousness and serenity. Contemporary patterns complement the minimalist simplicity of the hotel rooms, while bold design strokes of artwork energies the senses. dusitD2 Chiang Mai with 131 beautiful rooms was featured in Travel + Leisure (US Edition) as a “Siamese Dream Hotel”.
The experience of delight is carried across every element from the contemporary menu of Moxie restaurant to a drink over a perfectly rendered cocktail from the mix bar or just chilling in the club lounge or around the outdoor pool.
The hotel features the Devarana spa, which is the multi award winning spa inspired by ancient thai writings on a garden at heaven’s gate, DFiT is one of the best-equipped health clubs in Chiang Mai.
Getting Out and About in Chiang Mai You can hire a songtaew for around 500 baht to take you up the mountain to Doi Suthep to see the famous mountain top temple. You’ll have a choice of climbing the 309 step staircase or take the funicular (cablecar) to the pagodas. For a great experience and if your health allows take the funicular up and the staircase down. The complex offers a sweeping view of the city.
If you continue on the road past Doi Suthep, you can visit a Hmong hill-tribe village. On the way to Doi Suthep, you’ll pass Pu Ping Palace, the Royal Family’s winter residence.
At the base of the road to Doi Suthep is the Chiang Mai Zoo, most famous for its impressive Panda on display. The zoo is set on beautiful grounds and has a remarkable variety of exhibits. If you purchase a tram ticket you can hop off and on at various attractions. They also have a monorail.
There are lots of opportunities to go elephant riding in and around Chiang Mai. The Maetaman Elephant Camp is about an hour out of town. The 1500 baht program includes elephant riding, an oxcart ride and bamboo rafting. A tasty Thai lunch is included. The more adventurous can arrange overnight jungle treks and sleep in a genuine hill-tribe village.
For more of a thrill, don’t miss the ‘Flight of the Gibbon.’ (See review in this issue of SPICE!) This is a half- day program that uses “zip wires” to whisk you above the jungle canopy, much as a gibbon would do. Don’t worry, it’s quite safe.
Another suggested excursion is Doi Inthanon National Park, where Thailand’s highest point is located and they have the sign to prove it. You’ll literally pass through the clouds to get to the highest point which is 2565 meters. You can walk on beautiful trails and take stunning photos, even (or especially) if it’s misty. Nearby there are several waterfalls that you shouldn’t miss. There are also the King and Queen Pagodas which are quite breathtaking with their adjoining, beautiful gardens.
On the way back from Doi Inathanon, it’s quite feasible to visit Bor Sang, home of the local hand-painted umbrella industry. You can watch the umbrellas being constructed and buy some at reasonable prices. They even sell hanging lamps fashioned from parasols.
Do leave time to walk around the central city. Within the ancient walls and moats are several temples worth a look. Start at Thappae Gate and you’ll discover a cluster of ancient Wats nearby. At night, a trip to the Night Bazaar is a must. You’ll find all kinds of handicrafts, shoes, clothing, DVDs and almost anything else you can think of at reasonable prices. There are several gay beer bars in the Night Bazaar Complex (behind D2 Hotel) including CU Bar and Friendship bar over at the Peak Bar area. Drinks are inexpensive; the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and you’re sure to encounter more than one cute freelancer, if that’s your desire.
If you stay at the Lavender Lanna, they offer free shuttle service to the go-go bars in the Chang Puak area. The most popular are New My Way, Circle Pub and Free Man which offer a variety of cabaret and sexy shows. The long awaited re-opening of Adam’s Apple (above the Metro Bar), located across from the venerable Lotus Hotel and friendly Garden Bar has happened and is a busy place from all accounts. Old timers will remember Adam’s Apple with nostalgia as it was THE place to go for years.
Not far from the Lavender Lanna (the new landmark of gay Chiang Mai) is the Soho Bar & Guesthouse at 20/3 Huay Kaew Road and still a favorite for the locals to relax in. The new owner Scott has added a coffee shop from noon till 5pm, then it is a full bar from 5 pm till closing.
After a night out at the go-go bars and conversation bars, the new ‘in’ place for the gay crowd and their friends is the new 24-hour coffee shop in the Lavender Lanna Hotel.
Another choice for dancing the night away is Mandalay Disco, which is bigger than Hollywood Pattaya, according to some. By the way tuk-tuk drivers seem to be familiar with most of the restaurants and entertainment spots. Just name the place and they’ll take you there for a reasonable fare.
Chiang Mai has the House of Male, a very popular gay sauna set in a teak mansion with a beautiful garden, a swimming pool, fitness equipment and lots of cruising opportunities. It’s on 19 Sirimangklajarn Road, Soi 3. There are also several man for man massage places, look in our SPICE! guide for listings.
If you’re in town on Sunday don’t miss the Sunday Market which starts at Thappae Gate and runs along Ratchdamnoen Road. The street is closed to traffic and attracts crowds of foreigners and locals. There are many arts and crafts from Northern Thailand for sale as well as foodstuffs. The Sunday Market is open from 4 pm to midnight.
Chaing Mai also offers many options in the dining out category from simple to superb. This is the place to try a famous Northern specialty originally adopted from Burma at the best known eatery specializing in it called “Just Khao Soy” at 108/2 Charoenphratet Road for the best of the local popular dish of a hearty noodle soup whose flavor you personalize using the various condiments that accompanies it. Included are chili paste, sugar, pickled cabbage, lime, fish sauce (the Thai equivalent to adding salt), fresh coconut milk and bananas (to either add to the dish, or cool your tongue if you added too much chili!).
If you want great dining try Le Crystal for French style food & service at 74/2 Paton Road 053 872-890-1 or Beccofino Italian on Soi 7, Nimmanhaemin Road 053.226.590-2 (both reviewed in this issue) and The Steak House at JJ Market 053.224.123. Other popular choices are Dukes for ribs, the Gallery restaurant along the Ping river at 25 Charoenrat road is also excellent. One of Chiang Mai’s most popular restaurants is The House Restaurant serving Asian Fusion and other cuisine at 199 Moon Muang road. 053.419.011.
Another excellent choice we can recommend is Mi Casa which serves Mediterranean food from an exceptional Spanish chef at this quaint converted house with alfresco dining near the University and is open daily at Soi Wat Pa Dang. 053.810.088. For lunch try JJ Bakery, a sandwich place with quick service, tasty food, good coffee and shakes and air-conditioned at 388 Tapae Road 053.234.007. Another choice is the Amazing Sandwich at 252/3 Pra Pokklao road -053.21 8.846 as you really can create an amazing sandwich from a large selection of fillings. They also have a branch at 20/2 Huey Kaew Road, opposite the Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel and next door to the Soho Bar. Then there is the newly opened air-con 24 hour Lavender Lobby Restaurant on Bunruengrit Road, 053.211.100 in the Lavender Lanna Hotel serving Western, Thai and Chinese food, espresso, and desserts with full bar. The restaurant also has two outdoor patios.
All in all, Chiang Mai is a wonderful destination for the tourist, a lovely eco-friendly place to live or just a great get-away for visitors from around Thailand who look for a change of scenery.
053-211-102 (inside Thailand)
+66-53-211-102 (outside Thailand)
And by all accounts so far he pulled it off. Recently 300 locals attended the soft opening of the Lavender Lanna complex and the reviews were all good. And as good as the opening was soft, imagine how good it will be for the Grand Opening November 20, 21 & 22!
The centrally located gay and gay-friendly hotel is across from Chiang Mai’s Old City and in between Chiang Mai’s largest hospital and Central Department Store. The Power Boys night club offers several free shows in the evening and has a VIP male revue room open during the show.
Lavender Lanna Hotel is pleased to announce a partnership with Asian Plus Travel of Chiang Mai. Asian Plus Travel will be operating a tour desk in the lobby of the hotel and offering special tour packages and car rental. Asian Plus Travel is a gay-friendly tour company with years of experience serving travelers to Chiang Mai. For more information on their tours and to book a package during your stay at Lavender Lanna Hotel, please visit www.asianplustravel.com.
Lavender Lanna Hotel will be offering special packages for the upcoming season including for our Grand Opening Jubilee in November, for New Years, and for Valentine’s Day. They will also be the party headquarters for Songkran in 2010 and have many special activities planned. Lavender Lanna Hotel and Power Boys Chiang Mai is sponsoring a new gay guide to Chiang Mai called Out in Chiang Mai. This website will include listings for everything gay in Chiang Mai and will include current events. For more information visitwww.outinchiangmai.com.
Another accommodation choice is the venerable Lotus Hotel. The Lotusl has been a favorite for years and is located in the Hub of Chiang Mai’s Gay Entertainment Chang-Phuak area. Each room has its own distinct character, beautifully decorated with English colonial antiques. Tel:053.215.376 or 053.215.462
Another favorite accommodation choice is PJ’s Place which is a gay friendly luxury guesthouse. PJ’s is close to all amenities with nearby shopping malls, swimming pools, spas, cinemas, gymnasiums, bars, restaurants and banks. Tel: 053 404894 or 081 474 8699
An upscale gay-friendly choice is the conveniently located dusit D2 in the downtown area across from the night bazaar bars . We like it as it is a unique new generation boutique hotel in the center of it all and is located just off the famous Chang Klan Road in the heart of Chiang Mai city centre. This hotel has the bustling night bazaar, restaurants and entertainment at its doorstep. dusitD2 is a new generation of Dusit hospitality, offering contemporary Thai interiors that seduce the senses and wonderful service surprises that create a sense of delight. Visit their website http://www.dusit.com/hotels/thailand/chiang_mai/dusitd2/index.html
dusitD2 Chiang Mai provides the well-travelled guest with an experience of ‘delightful style delivered with substance’. The striking design incorporates natural materials and textures in a high-tech functional living environment, where the emphasis is on spaciousness and serenity. Contemporary patterns complement the minimalist simplicity of the hotel rooms, while bold design strokes of artwork energies the senses. dusitD2 Chiang Mai with 131 beautiful rooms was featured in Travel + Leisure (US Edition) as a “Siamese Dream Hotel”.
The experience of delight is carried across every element from the contemporary menu of Moxie restaurant to a drink over a perfectly rendered cocktail from the mix bar or just chilling in the club lounge or around the outdoor pool.
The hotel features the Devarana spa, which is the multi award winning spa inspired by ancient thai writings on a garden at heaven’s gate, DFiT is one of the best-equipped health clubs in Chiang Mai.
Getting Out and About in Chiang Mai You can hire a songtaew for around 500 baht to take you up the mountain to Doi Suthep to see the famous mountain top temple. You’ll have a choice of climbing the 309 step staircase or take the funicular (cablecar) to the pagodas. For a great experience and if your health allows take the funicular up and the staircase down. The complex offers a sweeping view of the city.
If you continue on the road past Doi Suthep, you can visit a Hmong hill-tribe village. On the way to Doi Suthep, you’ll pass Pu Ping Palace, the Royal Family’s winter residence.
At the base of the road to Doi Suthep is the Chiang Mai Zoo, most famous for its impressive Panda on display. The zoo is set on beautiful grounds and has a remarkable variety of exhibits. If you purchase a tram ticket you can hop off and on at various attractions. They also have a monorail.
There are lots of opportunities to go elephant riding in and around Chiang Mai. The Maetaman Elephant Camp is about an hour out of town. The 1500 baht program includes elephant riding, an oxcart ride and bamboo rafting. A tasty Thai lunch is included. The more adventurous can arrange overnight jungle treks and sleep in a genuine hill-tribe village.
For more of a thrill, don’t miss the ‘Flight of the Gibbon.’ (See review in this issue of SPICE!) This is a half- day program that uses “zip wires” to whisk you above the jungle canopy, much as a gibbon would do. Don’t worry, it’s quite safe.
Another suggested excursion is Doi Inthanon National Park, where Thailand’s highest point is located and they have the sign to prove it. You’ll literally pass through the clouds to get to the highest point which is 2565 meters. You can walk on beautiful trails and take stunning photos, even (or especially) if it’s misty. Nearby there are several waterfalls that you shouldn’t miss. There are also the King and Queen Pagodas which are quite breathtaking with their adjoining, beautiful gardens.
On the way back from Doi Inathanon, it’s quite feasible to visit Bor Sang, home of the local hand-painted umbrella industry. You can watch the umbrellas being constructed and buy some at reasonable prices. They even sell hanging lamps fashioned from parasols.
Do leave time to walk around the central city. Within the ancient walls and moats are several temples worth a look. Start at Thappae Gate and you’ll discover a cluster of ancient Wats nearby. At night, a trip to the Night Bazaar is a must. You’ll find all kinds of handicrafts, shoes, clothing, DVDs and almost anything else you can think of at reasonable prices. There are several gay beer bars in the Night Bazaar Complex (behind D2 Hotel) including CU Bar and Friendship bar over at the Peak Bar area. Drinks are inexpensive; the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and you’re sure to encounter more than one cute freelancer, if that’s your desire.
If you stay at the Lavender Lanna, they offer free shuttle service to the go-go bars in the Chang Puak area. The most popular are New My Way, Circle Pub and Free Man which offer a variety of cabaret and sexy shows. The long awaited re-opening of Adam’s Apple (above the Metro Bar), located across from the venerable Lotus Hotel and friendly Garden Bar has happened and is a busy place from all accounts. Old timers will remember Adam’s Apple with nostalgia as it was THE place to go for years.
Not far from the Lavender Lanna (the new landmark of gay Chiang Mai) is the Soho Bar & Guesthouse at 20/3 Huay Kaew Road and still a favorite for the locals to relax in. The new owner Scott has added a coffee shop from noon till 5pm, then it is a full bar from 5 pm till closing.
After a night out at the go-go bars and conversation bars, the new ‘in’ place for the gay crowd and their friends is the new 24-hour coffee shop in the Lavender Lanna Hotel.
Another choice for dancing the night away is Mandalay Disco, which is bigger than Hollywood Pattaya, according to some. By the way tuk-tuk drivers seem to be familiar with most of the restaurants and entertainment spots. Just name the place and they’ll take you there for a reasonable fare.
Chiang Mai has the House of Male, a very popular gay sauna set in a teak mansion with a beautiful garden, a swimming pool, fitness equipment and lots of cruising opportunities. It’s on 19 Sirimangklajarn Road, Soi 3. There are also several man for man massage places, look in our SPICE! guide for listings.
If you’re in town on Sunday don’t miss the Sunday Market which starts at Thappae Gate and runs along Ratchdamnoen Road. The street is closed to traffic and attracts crowds of foreigners and locals. There are many arts and crafts from Northern Thailand for sale as well as foodstuffs. The Sunday Market is open from 4 pm to midnight.
Chaing Mai also offers many options in the dining out category from simple to superb. This is the place to try a famous Northern specialty originally adopted from Burma at the best known eatery specializing in it called “Just Khao Soy” at 108/2 Charoenphratet Road for the best of the local popular dish of a hearty noodle soup whose flavor you personalize using the various condiments that accompanies it. Included are chili paste, sugar, pickled cabbage, lime, fish sauce (the Thai equivalent to adding salt), fresh coconut milk and bananas (to either add to the dish, or cool your tongue if you added too much chili!).
If you want great dining try Le Crystal for French style food & service at 74/2 Paton Road 053 872-890-1 or Beccofino Italian on Soi 7, Nimmanhaemin Road 053.226.590-2 (both reviewed in this issue) and The Steak House at JJ Market 053.224.123. Other popular choices are Dukes for ribs, the Gallery restaurant along the Ping river at 25 Charoenrat road is also excellent. One of Chiang Mai’s most popular restaurants is The House Restaurant serving Asian Fusion and other cuisine at 199 Moon Muang road. 053.419.011.
Another excellent choice we can recommend is Mi Casa which serves Mediterranean food from an exceptional Spanish chef at this quaint converted house with alfresco dining near the University and is open daily at Soi Wat Pa Dang. 053.810.088. For lunch try JJ Bakery, a sandwich place with quick service, tasty food, good coffee and shakes and air-conditioned at 388 Tapae Road 053.234.007. Another choice is the Amazing Sandwich at 252/3 Pra Pokklao road -053.21 8.846 as you really can create an amazing sandwich from a large selection of fillings. They also have a branch at 20/2 Huey Kaew Road, opposite the Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel and next door to the Soho Bar. Then there is the newly opened air-con 24 hour Lavender Lobby Restaurant on Bunruengrit Road, 053.211.100 in the Lavender Lanna Hotel serving Western, Thai and Chinese food, espresso, and desserts with full bar. The restaurant also has two outdoor patios.
All in all, Chiang Mai is a wonderful destination for the tourist, a lovely eco-friendly place to live or just a great get-away for visitors from around Thailand who look for a change of scenery.
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