Perched above the paddies

In Chiang Mai up on beautiful Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain, Mae Chaem surprises visitors with a stylish bedandbreakfast, one of those charming little endoftherainbow discoveries.

Huan Raem Chaem Muang is easy to find, right by the road with entrances from both Hod and the mountain peak.

Penkae and Supachai Katiyasurin have been offering guests four bungalows next to their own house for the past six years. Business is good, but they have no plans to expand anytime soon.

Each of the bungalows costs Bt1,200 a night, including breakfast, from October to February and Bt1,000 the rest of the year.

The accommodations are quite small, with no space for an extra bed. In fact, there are no beds at all! What you get instead is a lovely, large, thick mattress.

There's no television either, so that "bedside" reading lamp is going to get plenty of use. Other than that, the furnishings are a big mirror and a vase bubbling with plants.

Lanna cotton in soft pastels is used for the quilts and the curtains, a lovely touch with the wide windows.

Breakfast is served on the balcony of the main house, certainly the most atmospheric spot on the property. You have choices from rice soup to American breakfast and canned juice or soft drinks, but unfortunately while I was there, no fresh coffee - the grinder was broken.

For lunch and dinner, guests usually head into town two kilometres away.

Mae Cham district has about 10 hotels, but Huan Raem Chaem Muang is its only bedandbreakfast. It's gloriously cosy, and the balcony must be an idyllic place during the rainy season to watch the rice paddies turn from green to gold.

Guests can sit there, relax, read and watch the owners' television. Thai tourists outnumber foreigners in Mae Chaem, and this place is much appreciated by Thais from the city.

They've obviously got the wordofmouth going, because Huan Ram Chaem Muang regularly tops the popularity lists on many travel websites.

AT A GLANCE

High points: A wonderful ambience in the remote district, with a spacious balcony overlooking the rice paddies

Low points: The rooms are small for the price, and you can hear the traffic on the road during the day.

Pay for it: Bt1,200 for a room for two from October to February; Bt1,000 the rest of the year

Find it: 41 Moo 4, Tambon Tha Pha, Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai 50270

Book it: (053) 828 398, (081) 992 3242, email oomsupachai@yahoo.com