Holidaying in Mid Jan queries

[lawrence86]

Hey guys, I will be visiting Chiang Mai in the mid of jan with my gf and her friends. Other than the information that is available online, are there any to see places that arent listed or 3-4 stars accomodation to stay in Chiangmai town area?

What are the must see places in Chiang Mai?
How is the public transport system?
What is the daily rental rate of local car hires for 6 seaters?

last question! how much the train/bus ride to Chiang Rai? is it worth it to drive there?

cheers!
student from Melbourne!

[Betti]

no public transport system at all in the city. buses and trains between cities are fairly good and efficient and cheap.

the bus to Chiang Rai is 180 baht, apparently a company put monopoly on it and they only run 1st class and VIP buses, no cheap country buses. runs every hour. a part of the drive is on winding but good quality road (about 3-4 hours). worth seeing? depends what you are after.

I don't know about car rental.

if you tell me what sort of thing you are interested in and how long you are staying, I think I could help more effectively with the must-see places.

[lawrence86]

thanks!

cause we checked how much it'll be renting a 8 seater and it turned out to be quite ex so we thought we could use public bus to travel around chiang mai to all the tourist attractions.

Scenery, flowers, temples, hot springs if possible. Cause we are planning 8 days split between chiang mai and chiang rai the days spend on each places are not confirmed yet.

[Betti]

can you ride a motorcycle? ok, that's too many people on one bike, but that's the best way to travel around and see quite a bit. or, renting a red taxi known as songthaew isn't expensive if there is a group of people.

[Betti]

I don't know how much research you have done, but here are some places to look up

near Mae Sa: Queen Sirikit Botanical garden, orchid farms (and the Mae Sa waterfall and elephant school are in this area)
Doi Suthep (temple) and Phuping Palace (for flowers)
many temples in town - walking around is ok in the weather in January
hot springs: the nearest to Chiang Mai is Sankamphaeng, but others are near Pai and Chiang Rai
the season is great to go up to Pai or Mae Hong Son if you like mountain scenery.
www.thai-blogs.com is a good place to search for daytrips.
check out daytrips here too:
http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18464

I should be adding more info and places to this one....

[KhunChin]

What is the daily rental rate of local car hires for 6 seaters?

I have rented car and van from http://www.northwheels.com/rates.html
on 3 occasions. They accept booking online and you can pick up the van or car from CM Airport. Rate is reasonable and service excellent.

[lawrence86]

cheers.. i'll compare the information with what i've gotten.

i'll call up the rent company for quotes..

are there any affordable apartments for 6 available on the net for both chiang mai and chiang rai? I tried looking for them online but to no avail :(

[Khun Don]

Very doubtful you will find an apartment for rent for such a short time-4 days- in either location. The same would apply if you decided to rent 8 days. Also holiday lets seem to be so few in the area that they would need to be booked months in advance.

[Betti]

by apartment, do you mean the kind of self-service large bungalow we have for tourists at the Mediterranean? (that's what they are called apartments in most of Europe). they are not really available around here. national parks have large chalets that house 8-12, but I don't think those come with a kitchen etc. otherwise, most hotel rooms and bungalows seem to be for 2 to 4 people.

if you are into hiking, go on a 2 or 3 day trek to Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand (100 kms from Chiang Mai). it is a very beautiful time of the year, clear and sunny (but cold up in the mountains, especially at night!) the national park has some impressive waterfalls, and it is bird watching high season. you will need a guide / sign up for a tour.

[lawrence86]

ic.. i'm just used to having a fully equipped kitchen whenever i travel for holidays. but its not really a bungalow.. but something like a condominium flat?

any special recommendations for not-too-expensive hotel rooms for 6 in chiang rai and chiang mai?