Chiang Rai

Cheap, central and walkable to the night market, but the walls are thin and the front desk is hit or miss.

Big riverside lawns and ancient rain trees, at the price of bathrooms that haven't been touched in years.

A clean, no-frills bed within walking distance of the Night Bazaar, and that's really the whole pitch.

Centrally located Chiang Rai hotel offering spacious rooms, a pool, and generous complimentary extras.

A colonial-style house on the Kok River where the garden, the food and the prices all run higher than average.

Air-conditioned escape with a cheap food court, an outdoor bazaar worth an evening, and immigration upstairs.

Pay the 60 baht, come early, and treat the garden as the main event rather than the coffee.

A workhorse hypermarket for stocking up, not a place you'd travel across town to eat.

Free to enter, electric blue from floor to ceiling, and quieter first thing in the morning.

All white plaster and mirror glass, dazzling in the sun, and packed with people from the moment it opens.

A 79-metre Guan Yin you can climb inside, plus a nine-storey pagoda and hilltop views, all free to enter.

A working tea estate where the terraced views, the cafe and the winding road up all pull their weight.

Come hungry, grab a table near the stage early, and treat it as a whole evening rather than a quick browse.

Saturday nights only, a long street of food and stalls that takes over an hour to walk both sides.

A proper local wet market north of the city, best in the morning, and no concessions to tourists.

A big air-conditioned supermarket near the airport, best used for snacks, gifts and a cheap food court meal.

Stand where three countries meet on the Mekong, then decide if the 1.5-hour drive was worth it.

A 30,000-rai tea estate you tour by golf cart or bike, but mind the rental time limits.

In January it's a sea of flowers with free entry, the rest of the year it's just a park.

A royal summer home in Swiss chalet and Lanna style, kept as it was, with a flower garden that steals the show.

A welcoming Irish pub and restaurant in central Chiang Rai, open daily from morning until midnight.

A large-scale live music venue and nightclub on Chiang Rai's main strip, drawing locals and tourists alike.

A lively local bar and club in Chiang Rai with live music, a dance floor, and a young crowd.

A garden bistro and cocktail bar in central Chiang Rai, popular for breakfasts, cold drinks, and live music.

A working vipassana centre, not a spa: come for meditation and quiet, not for a massage table.

Riverside calm with frogs and birdsong as your soundtrack, charming rather than glossy.

Plain room, serious hands: the kind of Thai massage people rebook twice before leaving town.

A straightforward Thai massage stop on Sanambin Road, open late enough to fit after a day of temples.

Small, calm and quick to get through, but eat before security because there's almost nothing airside.