Fang Hot Spring

This is the opposite of a spa. Geothermal pools steam away in the open air, temperatures vary from one to the next, and the whole point is drifting between them until you find the one that suits you. No treatments, no programme, no one hurrying you along. The setting does the work.

It draws a mix of local families and travellers who've wandered off the standard northern loop, and the mood is casual because of it. If you want loungers and a robe, you'll be disappointed. If you like the idea of sitting in hot mineral water with hills around you and not much else going on, this is your kind of stop. Cooler months are the sweet spot, when the air is crisp enough to make the heat feel like a proper reward. Modest swimwear, as everywhere in rural Thailand.