Stay…
Boutique
Tri Yaan Na Ros: A city centre boutique guesthouse with just eight rooms, each one is sumptuously decked out in bright colours and traditional dark woods. The rooms centre round a beautiful courtyard pool and there’s free Wi-Fi throughout.
www.triyaannaros.com
Expensive
The Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi: Located on the outskirts of the city, it’s literally a palace fit for a king, as it’s been painstakingly modelled on a traditional Thai palace. The 60-acre site houses private two-storey villas, each come with an infinity pool.
www.mandarinoriental.com/chiangmai/
Eat…
Budget
The Riverside Restaurant: Find this on a lovely spot down on the bank of the river Ping. Laid back and casual, it serves both Thai and Western food.
9-11 Charoenrasd Rd.
Expensive
Auberge: For high-end French food, head to Auberge to sample tempting morsels of pan fried foie gras with peach sauce, rich French onion soup or souffles with aplomb.
Mahidol Road, 122 Palm Spring Lodge,Mahidol Rd.
Must see…
Wat Pharathat Doi Suthep is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, dating from around the 13th century. Standing to the north of the city, the site was chosen by placing a relic of the Lord Buddha onto an elephant’s back and letting it wander around until it trumpted, laid down and died.
Must do…
Patara Elephant Farm is a Thai-run breeding and conservation centre for elephants, where you can become an elephant ‘owner’ for a day and get closer to these amazing animals.
www.pataraelephantfarm.com
Flight time
Five hours, 40 minutes.
Getting there
Gulf Air flies from Dubai to Bangkok for around Dhs2,000 return. A return flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Air Asia costs around Dhs450.
www.gulfair.com/www.airasia.com
Exchange rate*
Dhs1 = 8.2 TNB (Thai Baht)
* Approx exchange rate
Time Out recommends
Head to Chiang Mai in April for Thai New Year, Songkran, when the entire city erupts in a two-day waterfight. Be prepared to get absolutely soaked.
