Pai High ... 3 of the best hotels in Pai

Fancy getting away to Pai but don't see yourself bunking in the commune with the Khao San Road set? Fear not.

Pai has gentrified significantly of late, so you can separate yourself from the great unwashed, and sleep in style at a number of places, jing jing ...

The Quarter (www.thequarterhotel.com): Here you are more likely to find yourself breakfasting with a group of Thai-Chinese captains of industry from Bangkok, and their wives. A lovely oasis feeling within just a 200 metre walk of the night market. Rustic Thai villa feeling to the rooms with lots of nice heavy wood used and Thai fabrics, but with all the mod cons included. Lovely pool area to chill (although you might wait a while for a beer at sunset ... service runs on Pai time mostly).


The also have the Rain Spa on premises if you need the usual indulgence. Location is the strong suit of this hotel. You're right in the thick of it here.

Phu Pai Art Resort (www.phupai.com): Just look at the photo ... who wouldn't want to be lying there right now, gazing over the rice fields to the mountains? A superb valley location, down through the very Thai outskirts of Pai town. Charming service here. Why it's called Art Resort, no one seems quite sure, but there are a couple of paintings in the lobby. The waitress pointed to the banana leaf roofing as proof of 'art'. Anyway, young couples parade around the pool and enjoy individual villas around the padi fields. This is part of a lovely stable of evocative Thai resorts in major destinations.

The Montis (www.montisresort.com): The newest of the breed, the Montis has quickly become a favourite for fashion shoots because of its exotic Moroccan styling and faux-African safari feel. It's located a few kilometres from town, on the main road back to Chiang Mai. Views not as good as Phu Pai, but a very chic setting. Designed by a Bangkok-based architect, this is a one-off so far, although the owner might be thinking of adding a Chiang Mai property to his stable, according to one hotel staffer.