Moving to Chiang Mai

Hello,

I'm planning to move to Chiang Mai early next year. I'm hoping to rent a 3 bedroom house ( or apartment in a small complex ) in a quiet safe neighborhood in the Old City, preferably within walking distance to good restaurants and better shops. Can anyone recommend such a neighborhood? I'd appreciate any help you can provide, thanks.

regards,
Mister Moose

[cdnmatt]

You mean there's actually a world outside of Pattaya?

[krobbie]

You mean there's actually a world outside of Pattaya?

Absobloodylutely!

[Bob]

Hello,

I'm planning to move to Chiang Mai early next year. I'm hoping to rent a 3 bedroom house ( or apartment in a small complex ) in a quiet safe neighborhood in the Old City, preferably within walking distance to good restaurants and better shops. Can anyone recommend such a neighborhood? I'd appreciate any help you can provide, thanks.

regards,
Mister Moose

Unless you've spent a lot of time here, I'd recommend you start with renting a place for 3-6 months at most. As to a "quiet" neighborhood in the Old City, I'm not sure that exists very much (all of Thailand is a bit noisier than anywhere else).

I'd recommend that you do a lot of internet searches for houses and condos to rent. I did that quite a bit for several months before I showed up here in October. You'll find, I think, very few (if any) houses for rent within the Old City. And perhaps contact a realtor or two who can look for you and then advise as to what might be available. Then book a hotel for the first 7-10 days and go on a marathon tour of available places.....and then hope to get lucky and find a place acceptable to you.

Thanks for the suggestions, Bob.

Acting on your advise, I'll be staying 3-6 months at the Frangipani serviced apartments while I get my bearings in Chiang Mai.

Its true, I'm finding no houses for rent in the Old City and very few apartments. At your suggestion, I'll contact a realtor after I get there and take my time looking.

How do you like it in Chiang Mai?

[Bob]

How do you like it in Chiang Mai?

Very well. I ended up renting (for 3 months to start off) just west of the old city for a couple of reasons. This seems to be the newer area of town and I wanted to be close enough to walk to class (thai language) at CMU. But it's also pretty noisy out here like most areas within cities in Thailand (but, given I'm hard of hearing, not that big a deal to me). I do, however, like the general area of town out here.

Chiangmai is a great city and has everything you might want excepting for the ocean. It sports a couple of saunas, five gogo bars now, a dozen or more massage joints, a few host bars near the D2 Hotel by the night market, and a few other "gay" establishments (cafes, a bar, etc., that aren't commercialized sex joints). Chiangmai is rather "laid back" from the likes of Bangkok, Pattaya, or Phuket - at least in my opinion (although I'm admittedly biased as 90% of the time I've spent in Thailand over the last decade - 2 or 3 trips a year - has been spent here in Chiangmai). Yet, the air up here is sometimes bad (especially the first few months of the year when the farmers all over northern Thailand are burning off their fields).

To be honest, I spent a couple of weeks in 2008 in Hua Hin and two months there earlier this year.....and I may end up spending the last 3+ months of this trip there also. Not sure as yet but I do miss the ocean atmosphere, some good friends there, etc.

How do you like it in Chiang Mai?

Chiangmai is a great city and has everything you might want excepting for the ocean.

Good to hear. I'll check out the west area - being close to the Uni will be good for me also.

And I'll bring earplugs. :)

I advise you to join up at the Chiang Mai chapter of the Long Yang Club.

They're a great bunch of guys with a wealth of information and helpful advice

http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/286/pictures/o6-GLBT-club.jpg

Long Yang Club Chaing Mai (http://lyccnx.110mb.com/)

It will stop you getting lonely too.

[allieb]

I advise you to join up at the Chiang Mai chapter of the Long Yang Club.

They're a great bunch of guys with a wealth of information and helpful advice

http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/286/pictures/o6-GLBT-club.jpg

Long Yang Club Chaing Mai (http://lyccnx.110mb.com/)

It will stop you getting lonely too.

Looks like a scene out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I have just spent five weeks in CM and whereas it is a lovely city, nice and cool now and in general accommodation is much cheaper than pattaya, I would have to be in a very happy relationship to live here. Plenty of go go bars with many fine guys but all the ones I picked were straight and useless in bed. The bars around the Le Meredien hotel have loads of street kid types hanging round and again mostly straight. Gay romeo wasn't much chop either, so a quiet life yes but if you like a bit of action stay in Pattaya
My only saving grace was M2M massage very professionally run.

I advise you to join up at the Chiang Mai chapter of the Long Yang Club.

They're a great bunch of guys with a wealth of information and helpful advice

http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/286/pictures/o6-GLBT-club.jpg

Long Yang Club Chaing Mai (http://lyccnx.110mb.com/)

It will stop you getting lonely too.
Thanks, Patrick. I'll do that. I'm familiar with the group from when I lived in San Francisco. Nice group of guys.

I have just spent five weeks in CM and whereas it is a lovely city, nice and cool now and in general accommodation is much cheaper than pattaya, I would have to be in a very happy relationship to live here. Plenty of go go bars with many fine guys but all the ones I picked were straight and useless in bed. The bars around the Le Meredien hotel have loads of street kid types hanging round and again mostly straight. Gay romeo wasn't much chop either, so a quiet life yes but if you like a bit of action stay in Pattaya
My only saving grace was M2M massage very professionally run.
Good, a quiet life is just what I'm looking forward to. Bars/boys/massage aren't my thing - I'll be looking for a gay urban professional, 35-45 years old for marriage.

Good, a quiet life is just what I'm looking forward to. Bars/boys/massage aren't my thing - I'll be looking for a gay urban professional, 35-45 years old for marriage.

OK. so you'll be looking for cruising at the malls and toilets.
Try these:

Airport Plaza
2 Mahidol (Highway 1141)
Chiang Mai

and

Kad Suan Kaew (Central)
99/4 Moo 2, Huay Kaew Road
Chiang Mai

Good, a quiet life is just what I'm looking forward to. Bars/boys/massage aren't my thing - I'll be looking for a gay urban professional, 35-45 years old for marriage.

OK. so you'll be looking for cruising at the malls and toilets.
Try these:

Airport Plaza
2 Mahidol (Highway 1141)
Chiang Mai

and

Kad Suan Kaew (Central)
99/4 Moo 2, Huay Kaew Road
Chiang Mai
Thanks for the suggestion - but I'll be networked through my business, the university, and a couple of wats. There's a substantial urban gay professional community in CM that are out and very well connected. No need for toilets or prostitutes.

Excuse me, gentleman...it looks like I wandered into the wrong forum. I"ll be on my way...

[Bob]

Excuse me, gentleman...it looks like I wandered into the wrong forum. I"ll be on my way...

Guess so (the one you were looking for is located at www.yuppiessuckregardlessofsexualorientation.com (http://www.yuppiessuckregardlessofsexualorientation.com)) .

Thanks for the suggestion - but I'll be networked through my business, the university, and a couple of wats. There's a substantial urban gay professional community in CM that are out and very well connected. No need for toilets or prostitutes.

Excuse me, gentleman...it looks like I wandered into the wrong forum. I"ll be on my way...

Ha ha ha ha. Yes for the first couple of months while you are the new face in town ... Then they will get bored with you and you of them.
After that you'll be on your knees in the hawng nam or getting your turds tickled on your expense account. :thebirdman: