5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Pai

Pai is Always Falling in Love

Little town Pai located in the northern province of Mae Hong Son, Thailand, or just three hours away from Chiang Mai became famous among tourists since the release of the film Pai In Love in 2009 , followed by another movie Lost in Thailand. People said they never really expect themselves to fall in love with this little town, until they arrived and decided to stay longer. Oh guess what…it happened to me and Anne too when we were there a month ago. So what is it that makes people in love with Pai ?

1. Pai is Always Falling in Love

The first impression Anne and I had as we arrived in Pai was this place loves love. Pai loves color, Pai loves to spread the good vibe to their visitors and that can be seen so well from a lot of coffee shops, resorts or farms that using a word like love. It’s cute but afterall, you know it means more than just a word as you start to fall in love with the little town. Coffee in Love and a strawberry farm Strawberry in Love are just two example of places that offer great coffee, fresh smoothies with spectacular view. You can sit for hours just admiring the beauty Pai has to offer and wish you had more days to stay

2. Night Market

Any night markets in Thailand might sound the same like others, but the one in Pai has a wide variety of food, souvenirs, handicrafts  and believe it or not they’re much cheaper. Start your dinner with a little main course and continue exploring the night market as you’ll find so many interesting food or desserts to try. I love to start mine with a bowl of khao soi - a typical dish of Northern Thailand that is similar to masaman curry or yellow curry, with ingredients such as egg noodles, pickled cabbage, chicken or beef, lemon and onion cooked with coconut milk, khao soi tastes very good but not so heavy that you can still leave a little room for mango sticky rice, smoothies, coconut ice cream even a nutella crepe is always a good idea for dessert while walking around the night market.

3. Pai Canyon

There are few activities to do while you’re visiting Pai. From renting a bicycle to getting spoiled at the hot springs, from cooking classes to visiting the Temple on The Hill, Mo Paeng waterfall and the Memorial Bridge. But there’s nothing quite like hiking the Pai Canyon. Located only 15 minutes by motorcycle from the heart of Pai, don’t forget to wear a proper shoes to hike as the canyon is a little slippery but after half an hour climbing, you’ll be surprised with the spectacular view around the canyon.

Memorial Bridge Pai

4.  Accomodation

Pai offers many kinds of accommodation for different price ranges. Starting from the famous backpackers hostel like Spicypai Backpackers well known for hand-made tree house style bunk bed, surrounded by great view of paddy field and mountains only $6 per person. If you’re looking for a nice resort with pool, Baan Krating Pai resort has not only a big pool with the river view, this boutique hotel also offer great Thai food, great ambiance with charming rooms perfect for relaxation starting from $30 per night.

Baan Krating Pai

Pool with greenery view

5.  Ambiance & Nature

What makes people keep coming back to Pai finally because of the ambiance and beautiful nature. After spending some days in the neighboring busy towns like Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Pai is just the perfect place to be for few days ( or weeks ) getaway. Green sceneries, paddy fields, mountains and waterfalls with a very laid back atmosphere, cheap accommodations and food – you know you couldn’t ask for more but simply can’t help falling in love with Pai.

Travel video of Pai 3 days 2 nights