Chiang Dao Nest Chiang Mai

My family and I stayed in Chiang Dao nest over the Easter this year. The location is great as a base for treking - there are some interesting caves nearby and the countryside surrounding is pretty. The accomodation itself consisted of simple but clean bungalows in a garden setting, spotless bathrooms and a lovely garden. All the bungalows were well spaced out giving the surroundings a relaxed feel. It is a good spot for those with children as there is plenty of space to run around and play without bothering those who dont have children. The highlight of staying in this location though has to be the food which is excellent and far superior to many of the the much grander hotels one can choose to stay in. This resort represents great value for money. Through the owners we organised our own two day trek in the mountains with our own guide - everything was organised according to our instuctions and we had a very enjoyable trip.

We booked 3 nights at the Chiang Dao Nest Mini-Resort over the internet for our Easter holidays 07. As soon as we go there, we loved it! It is in a very remote, mountainous area which is very peaceful and quaint. We stayed in a lovely, basic bungalow with it's own bathroom and comfortable queen size bed. The service was brilliant and the food was amazing. You can choose from a first class western european menu at Nest 1 or walk 10 mins down the road to Nest 2 and indulge in excellent quality Thai food at a very cheap price.

We hired mountain bikes the first day and explored the area, then took day tours the 2nd and 3rd day. You can trek, visit local villages, have lunch at a waterfall, visit hot pools etc.. The tours were well organised and they were friendly.

We will definitely go back there again and highly recommend anyone to stay there. If you want an authentic experience away from the touristy areas - you should stay at Chiang Dao Nest - 5 stars *****

Chiang Dao Nest is a little off the beaten path about an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai. The Nest is a collection of huts that surround a central social/dining area in the hills outside of the main village area.

I loved this place.

The owners were extremely friendly and helpful, and Wicca, the owner/chef, is am amazing cook. The meals here were definitely the highlight of our stay. While the rooms here only cost us about $16 US per night, we easily spent 3 - 4 times that each night on food/drinks - and it was well worth it. Don't expect much Thai food on the menu here - Wicca, though Thai, was trained in Europe. (I certainly enjoyed my octopus on a stick in Bangkok - but French influenced dishes in the Thai hills is very pleasant as well.)

The central dining area also serves as a a meeting place at night for most of the guests, and we lingered late into the evening here around the fire while enjoying some Thai beer. (As an American traveler, it was nice not to run into many American here. Most of the folks we saw were from Europe and Asia.)

The only drawback here was the beds. I think they were made of straw - and afforded the comfort level you''d expect on straw. But hey, the rooms are cheap, the company is good, and the food is delicious - so I'm not complaining.

Our stay in Chiang Dao was probably the best part of my 3 week trip in Southeast Asia. This place is incredibly beautiful and natural. We stayed in a bungalow at Chiang Dao Nest 2, and it was right in the middle of a valley with beautiful flowers and scenery. The tours that they arranged for us were very nice for the most part.

There are two reasons why I would not give this place 5 stars. First, the service at Nest 2 seemed to be lacking. The owners spend most of their time at Nest 1, and the staff at Nest 2 are not as good. We were given no information about the area when we arrived. Many times when we needed things, there was no one available who spoke English to help us.

The second problem was that the bungalows could be a little better appointed. The beds are ROCK HARD (maybe harder). There is only 1 light in the room, so it is hard for you to read or do anything at night. Also, while the bathroom is large, there should be a counter or piece of furniture to put your things on.

That being said, the food is wonderful at both of the restaurants, and this area is wonderful to visit. I do not believe that there are many other places to stay up there, and this one is certainly reasonably priced. I would highly recommend that you make the trip up to Chiang Dao.

Huts set in beautiful hilly countryside. Huts contain very hard double bed and small bedside table only so everything else on the floor. Bathrooms clean and adequate. Good service and food for breakfast and dinner at good prices. Very friendly. 5 mins walk to chang dao cave which isamazing and a must see. You go in a short way that is lit-then pay a few bahts for a guide and light for a 30 minute adventure crawling through small openings,amazing caverns and stalactites. trips from nest to elephants etc

This year in July my husband,me and our 3 teenagers age 13,14 and 15 stayed 2 nights in Chaing Dao Nest 1 - then had a lovely trekking trip for 2 nights arranged by the owners of Nest 1+2 - and then came back "home" to nest1 for another night.

The staff and owners are so nice, helpfull and you get the fealing af "home". so peacefully - nice bungalows, in thai stryle and best of all - GREAT FOOD makedī by wicha and her great staff !! European food in Nest1 - and when we wanted thaifood - we just walked 700 meters to Nest2 - -where her sister did the BEST THAIFOOD we ever had...and this was my 6 time to Thailand !!

The nature walks we had was so nice - and the staff organises motorbikes for us to a super price - a map...and told us speciel places to go !!

We are comming back to this nice place - It reminded me of Thailand in 1988 - when I had my first trip!!

if you need peace - great nature - and lovely food - you must go there !!! Eva Bryld, Denmark

After the wonderful reviews that we had read on Chiang Dao Nest, we expected more. What it has in its favour is that it is only 2 years old, so the rooms are pretty decent and clean. On the other hand, the lack of varnish on the balcony railings and bench has resulted in fungi sprouting out which makes you think twice about leaning against it. However, the setting is quint enough for you to just almost forget about it. Go for Chiang Dao Nest 1, when we checked out Chiang Dao Nest 2, the grass was long and overgrown.

The Thai staff working there are nice and friendly although if you are looking for warmth and some mothering, you'll do better going to Malee's Nature Bungalow next door. Although we were not her guests, Malee was extremely helpful and caring.

The food is good but over-rated by homesick Westerners and it is does not come cheap. However, if you are dying to get your teeth on a steak, then probably this would be your best bet. If you are looking for great Thai food, you will probably pay one third of your meal price at Malee's.

We went for the 3 day trek with 2 caves, a waterfall and hilltribe villages and the first day is spent going for an elephant ride which for more than two thirds of the ride is really a jungle next to a tar road and then the elephant is put through a steep muddy trough just to make it more exciting for the tourists. The bamboo raft was also dissappointing, the river was totally open with hardly anything of interest other than the bird's nests and a man excavating sand from the river bed for concrete mix. We had more entertainment from the boatman who told us that he had 5 girlfriends! The rest of the day is a series of tribal villages. The night was spent in a bamboo hut with no mosquito netting although we were assured that there would be one. The second day was spent going to the cave with two guides who spoke no english (the english speaking guide does not follow you as you go back to the village before heading off for the waterfall). The trek to the waterfall was probably the highlight of the day before back trekking to where we were dropped off on the first day and walking on red laterite road for the most part to the next village. The third day was the best of the three as there was no back trekking and even though the guide spoke minimal english, they were great in pointing out interesting things like dung beetles, bamboo worms etc. The next time, it would be easier to just contact the village chief who organised the 3rd day's trek, Mr. Nikhon (hse: 66-09-9030083, hp 66-09-9980712). He and his wife operate a lovely homestay with the best views in Chiang Dao and they are great hosts!

We trekked in Chaing dao through the people that own Chaing Dao nest (----). The trek was amazing and very well organized. we spent the night after the trek in the nest and had lot of fun. the place is beautiful, the staff is very nice and warm and we simply felt at home. highly reccomend staying there if you need to spend the night around that area. rooms had hot water but no AC. there are lots of bugs around, but hey, that's true for all Thailand....

We stayed at the Chiang Dao Nest in between the time we went on our trek, and it was pretty much what you would expect staying in the middle of Chiang Mai! The place was clean, no AC in the rooms (but they do give you a fan), but I have to say that the food was above par -- great cooked food!

Not a luxurious escape by any means, you are indeed isolated (which can be good or bad!) If you're comfortable with your partner, look forward to long hikes around the area (definately recommend going the Wat right around the bend and hiking up the 500 or so stairs to see the view -- breathtaking!!), than this could be a great place for you.

Enjoy the travels!

Just returned from a 3 week holiday in Thailand and Chiang Dao Nest 2 was definitely a highlight. The food was the best Thai food I tasted and the location was breath taking - can't recommend it enough, just go.

Only thing is be prepared to go to bed early because they stop serving at about 10.00 and it is about 10kms from the village.