Mae Hong Son province has some fantastic places to stay, perfect for any Northern Thailand adventure. From laid back boutique resorts to village homestays and even camping in the mountains, there’s something for everyone and all with a great Northern Thailand flavour
Here’s our list of the top 10 places to stay in the province – in no particular order and all chosen for the unique overall experience.
Fern Resort, just outside Mae Hong Son town
Not only a superb place to stay in Mae Hong Son but one of the best places to stay anywhere in Thailand. Fern Resort is around 7km South of Mae Hong Son town and is a real Northern Thailand paradise. Surrounded by forest and mountains, flanked by a stream and with it’s rooms dotted around rice paddies it doesn’t get much better than this. A fantastic sunset bar, with a very cool infinity pool just in front of it, great food in the laid back restaurant and a lovely team who’ve been working there for year and years.
The rooms are great – spacious, comfortable beds, powerful showers and no TV’s, after all why would you come here and watch TV – and Fern have for years been leading the way in providing their own homemade environmentally friendly soap for use throughout the resort.
Whilst it’s lovely just to relax and enjoy Fern as a destination in itself, don’t miss out on the 8-9km hike right from the resort itself. Taxing but well worth the effort as you head high up into the hills and past lovely waterfalls. And the dogs from the resort will keep you company making sure you don’t get lost.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used to stay here and you can see why. This is a stunning Northern Thailand experience and there is no better place to soak up the atmosphere. If you only stay in one place in the whole of the North, this is it!
Prices from 1,500THB
Lee Wine Rak Thai, Ban Rak Thai
‘The’ place to stay in Ban Rak Thai and a real experience. Not the cheapest place in the village – far from it – but with very cool rooms spread out amongst the tea plantations it’s well worth staying here. Great views over the village and the central lake, a short walk to some of the best food in the mountains of Northern Thailand and just a great ambience in the resort. And we dare you not to smile at the signs asking you not to wee on the beds – definitely a first for us and all part of the unique ‘charm’!
Prices from 1,500THB
Ban Lay Oop village homestays, Mae La Noi
A unique and very special opportunity to spend a night or two in this stunning mountain village spread along a mountain ridge. Enjoy an evening living with a local family and sharing an evening meal with them – this is about as authentic as it gets and whatever the houses lack in luxury is more than made up for by the real and very genuine warmth of the community. Whilst a homestay isn’t for everyone we think you’d be crazy to miss out on an opportunity like this!
Unsurprisingly none of the homestays have any websites but you can organise a stay either by getting in touch with The Tuk Tuk Club or simply heading to the village and asking in the main local shop in town – the community are friendly and very helpful.
Prices from 600 THB per person
Reverie Siam, Pai
A change of tack here, Reverie Siam offers a touch of laid back luxury in the mountain town of Pai. Located in a quiet part of the town – you won’t be disturbed by the late night bars – Reverie feels like an oasis of calm. Superb staff, excellent large rooms, a lovely swimming pool and a great restaurant to enjoy a bottle of wine or two after a day exploring the local area.
Perfect for a weekend break or just something a little different when you’re travelling in Mae Hong Son.
Prices from 2,750 THB
Belle Villa, Pai
A fantastic mid range option to enjoy in Pai. A little way outside the town centre, but close enough to easily explore all, Belle Villa has a lovely team of staff and a great range of rooms – we’d recommend the Deluxe Cottage room, a little more expensive that the standard rooms but worth the little bit of extra money.
A great restaurant is on site, a pool to enjoy after a day’s exploring and a really nice atmosphere throughout the resort
Prices from 2,000THB
Khun Yuam Resort, Khun Yuam
Located around 5-6km outside Khun Yuam town, Khun Yuam resort is best described as unique. Down small country lanes and finally along a small dirt track through fields, the resort is a little ramshackle but has lovely rooms with fantastic views across the mountains. Definitely choose the ‘premium rooms’ – the basic are fine but are basic – which are really well put together and with great terraces to sit and enjoy the views and soak up the atmosphere of this cool place to stay in the hills. And don’t miss out on spending some time with the owner – a lovely gentle character with a huge love for Mae Hong Son province
Note – you really do need your own transport to stay here as it’s 5-6km from town there is no real restaurant to speak of.
Prices from 1,500THB
Riverhouse Hotel, Mae Sariang
Riverhouse has a great location right by the river (surprise, surprise) in the heart of Mae Sariang. Perfectly positioned to both enjoy a cold beer as the sun goes down and also to explore the surrounding streets, very pleasant rooms with great balconies and there’s even a swimming pool to enjoy right by the river. A great place to be based for any adventure in Mae Sariang.
Prices from 1,250THB
Phu Pai Art Resort, Pai
Set amongst rice fields on the edge of a village around 5km to the North of Pai town, Phu Pai Art Resort is a lovely relaxing hideway. With large, airy rooms, very comfortable beds, great balconies to sit out on and enjoy the views there’s a real sense of peace here. And add in a superb infinity pool overlooking the rice fields and you’ve got a great place to stay. The resort run regular shuttle buses in and out of the town itself or you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the fantastic scenery all around the resort
Prices from 1,750THB
Soppong River Inn, Pang Mapha
A great place to spend a night if you’re exploring Pang Mapha and surrounding area. Simple rooms set right over the river gorge and a very relaxing environment. Perfect for anyone on a motorbike / cycling tour of Mae Hong Son. There are a range of rooms from very simple ‘bamboo’ cottages up to more modern cottage style rooms.
Prices from 700THB
The most basic of all our recommendations and this is real camping, not glamping! You can camp around the edge of the lake just outside the small community of Pan Oung under the trees. In winter the camp sites can get busy with adventurous Thai travellers adding to the whole experience – you’ll be certain to be invited to join groups to share food and a few beers.
If you don’t have your own tent, or those of the local park authorities are full, there are a few very simple places to stay in the village itself where you can still enjoy the experience of a night this high in the mountains.
Note – in winter it can get very cold indeed up here at night. Make sure you have a warm jacket, hat and trousers!
Campsite prices from 250THB
Keen to learn more about Mae Hong Son? Have a look at all our travel articles on Mae Hong Son covering everything you need to know and more about this stunning part of Northern Thailand
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