The first time we went to Thailand was for a visa run for our jobs in Korea. We stayed for a month and traveled the whole country. Back then Chiang Mai was a sleepy town that we were able to bicycle around with ease. Though we went back to Thailand easily a half a dozen times it took us ten years to make it back to Chiang Mai. We found a town transformed. It seemed the population had doubled, and all of that excess population arrived in cars. But it still managed to be quaint and comfortable. So, we decided to head back for the month of December 2019.
For transportation bicycles were out for several reasons. In 2014 we’d walked. A lot. Not as viable an option with a four-year-old. We did rent a car for a few days and, if your accommodation has parking, this is a workable and affordable option if you don’t mind dealing with the traffic. Mostly we used Grab, Songthaews, and tuk-tuks. In the past we’d mostly avoided tuk-tuks because they were expensive and negotiations too often messy.
Songthaews, the red trucks you see circling around, are the local public transportation and have their prices posted. They come in different colors depending on the route. When it comes to kids, some charged full price, some charged half fare, and a few didn’t charge for our 4yo at all. Happy Days Travels has a page dedicated to figuring out the system. But it comes down to hail, say a landmark or point to a location on a map, if the driver agrees hop on. No need to negotiate, prices are posted. The driver will find a stop close to your destination. Hop out, pay him/her, enjoy your day.
We actually ended up using tuk-tuks quite a bit this time around. Despite it being high season Chiang Mai was strangely quiet due to the spread of a mysterious illness that would come to be known as Covid-19. SM came down with a cough in HK that lingered for weeks and both LB and I spiked fevers with our cold symptoms. I don’t know about LB but my fever was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I literally sweated through my clothes and sheets over the course of the night. Fortunately, the ailment LB and I suffered however intense, did not last long. In the end, we all recovered fully. The dearth of travelers meant that prices were much more negotiable for just about everything, including tuk-tuks. The drivers also seemed more chill. The price difference between a tuk-tuk and three people in a songthaew for a short trip was negligible and tuk-tuks are far more direct.
Most of all we used Grab, the Uber of Southeast Asia. Grab is prepaid, reliable, direct, and every car we rode in had air conditioning. To get the best use out of Grab you will need a smart phone with data, but plans are easy to find and so very, very cheap. There are at least two kiosks at the airport that sell sim cards and data. There are no car seats. Sometimes no seatbelts. But compared to the Hail Mary straps of a songthaew or tuk-tuk, Grab is probably also the safest option for littles. Though considerably less exciting.
For the first couple of weeks we stayed as first MD House and then at MD Boutique Hotel. The two guesthouses share grounds within the Old City, including a couple of pools. Anything in the Old City is a good location within walking distance of restaurants, shops, and most of the markets. MD House is the lower cost option. At MD House we stayed in the family suite while at MD Boutique we had a standard room. The cost was about the same. The family suite was basic, but also large and included a small fridge. The bathroom was even more basic. The rooms were not only clean on arrival but cleaned daily, which was a pleasant surprise. The family suite consisted of two large rooms. The living area had a sofa, television, desk, and wardrobe. The bedroom was huge with two, roomy, double beds with nightstands and a built-in wardrobe/closet. It was dark, the windows opened up to a view of the walls of MD Boutique, and the suite would benefit from an upgrade in lightbulbs, but I found it quite comfortable.
At MD Boutique Hotel our room off the pool was divided into a narrow receiving area with the bedroom behind it and a bathroom behind that. The bedroom had a king size bed, a flatscreen TV with English channels, and the bathroom that was a huge improvement over MD House. The bathroom was bright, spotless, and the roomy shower had river rock flooring. We were on the ground floor in both hotels and I appreciated that there was an interior deadbolt at the top of the door out of reach of headstrong littles who insist they already know everything, like how to swim, and might find the pool tempting. The front room at MD Boutique had a window but there were none in the bedroom. If I remember correctly breakfast was included but we never actually ate there so I cannot speak to the food. We did eat at the attached restaurant and found it typical of tourist focused fare.