Set in a particularly picturesque valley north of Chiang Mai, Pai is a predominantly tourism-oriented town, offering a relaxed atmosphere with a broad traveller and backpacker scene. The town's permanent residents are a seemingly harmonious mix of Western hippies and Thai rastas which gives the place a unique vibe which is appealing even if it isn't authentic.
A sudden boom in guest house and bar construction from 2006 onwards has resulted in a great deal of spare capacity in the off season.— There has been a large increase in Thai people visiting after Pai was featured in a romantic Thai film. It can be hard to find a room during the busy season (Oct-Feb). There are now around 350 guest houses and hotels in Pai, and the city center has transformed into containing western style restaurants, souvenir shops, and bars that cater largely to the now significant influx of tourists and package tours.
Whilst the growth of Pai has been rapid and more or less every farm in the valley seems to offer bungalows, development so far has been largely tasteful and the town remains relatively serene during low season.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Pai
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Pai - updated Apr 2024
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Pai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
