Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [367]
Spa Exotic Home (0 5306 5722; www.spaexotic.com; 86 Moo 2 Mae Hi; bungalows incl breakfast 1400-1800B; ) All of the charming bungalows here sit around a beautifully landscaped garden. A highlight is that each has a private tub in partially open-air bathrooms for enjoying the on-site thermal spring water. Service is conscientious and the overall atmosphere is relaxing. Discounts of 35% are available from March to September.
Top End
Bulunburi (0 5336 5440; www.blunburi.com; 28 Moo 5 Ban Pong; bungalows 1800-2800B; ) Set in a tiny secluded valley of rice fields and streams, the seductively bucolic location is as much a reason to stay here as the attractive accommodation. The compound’s most apparent structure, the cone-like open-air lobby, is decorated with attractive murals and boasts a central fireplace. The bungalows mostly continue the tasteful design theme established in the lobby, and are large, well equipped and stylish.
Baan Krating Pai Resort (0 5369 8255, www.baankrating.com; 119 Th Wiang Nua; bungalows 2500-3100B, ste 6000B; ) These bungalows on stilts are all beautifully decorated with white linen, rattan and teak, and have large windows overlooking manicured gardens or rice paddies. The nearby restaurant serves its home-grown jasmine rice with tasty Thai dishes.
Pripta (0 5306 5750; www.pripta.com; 90 Moo 3 Mae Hi; r 4800-6800B; ) One of the more recent arrivals, this hillside compound features eight chic white bungalows perched at the edge of the Pai Valley. Rooms are huge, with tall ceilings, and feature outdoor tubs with water supplied by the nearby hot springs. The furnishings and interior design don’t always reach the level established by the exterior, but it’s still among the more style-conscious places around. It’s about 7km from Pai, between Tha Pai Hot Springs and Rte 1095.
Eating
Pai has a pretty good range of restaurants for such a small town, but the foreign offerings are generally more miss than hit.
During the day, there’s takeaway food at Saengthongaram market (Th Khetkelang). For tasty take-home local eats, try the evening market (gàht láang; Th Ratchadamnoen) that unfolds every afternoon from about 3pm to sunset. And every night several vendors sell a variety of food along Th Chaisongkhram and Th Rangsiyanon, including all manner of food and drink sold from stalls and refurbished VW vans.
Maew Chomphu (no roman-script sign; cnr Th Khetkalang & Th Chaisongkhram; dishes 20-50B; 7am-9pm) Head to this corner restaurant for a tasty Asian-style breakfast. Go for dim sum or try kài gà·tá, two eggs cooked in a tiny wok with Vietnamese sausage.
Cake Go “O” (Th Rangsiyanon; dishes 20-70B; 8am-8pm) This Muslim-run bakery serves decent baked treats (try the oatmeal scones), coffee and light meals. There are a couple of other Muslim bakeries in town, although the others don’t have quite as many entertaining signposted house rules.
Je-In Pai (Pure Vegetarian Food; Th Ratchadamnoen; dishes 25-80B; 10am-8pm) Opposite the District Office, this simple open-air place serves tasty and cheap vegan and vegetarian Thai food. During lunch, choose from the dishes in the metal trays out front. There’s good fruit and soy milk shakes too.
Yunnanese Restaurant (no roman-script sign; 08 1024 3982; Ban Santichon; dishes 25-200B; 8am-10pm) This open air-place in the Chinese village of Ban Santichon serves the traditional dishes of the town’s Yunnanese residents. Standouts include mànt (steamed buns), here fried until crispy and seved with pork leg stewed with Chinese herbs. There are several dishes using unique local crops and other dishes involving exotic ingredients such as black chicken. Or you could always go for the excellent noodles, made by hand and topped with a delicious mixture of minced pork, garlic and sesame. The restaurant is in an open-air adobe building behind the giant rock in Ban Santichon, about 4km west of Pai.
Nong Beer (0 5369 9103; cnr Th Khetkalang & Th Chaisongkhram; dishes 30-60B; 10am-10pm) The atmosphere at this extremely popular place