The flipside to both the hectic metropolis that is Bangkok and the beach holiday destinations of the south, the northern outposts of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provide a more cultural, reflective experience. Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city, draws in tourists with its elegant temples, rich cuisine and inviting craft shops whilst providing good value accommodation. Visit the local museums, learn Thai cookery or traditional massage and take in the beauty of the Wat Phra Doi Suthep temple glittering in the sun up on the mountainside. Together with Chiang Rai, which is gradually establishing itself as a more upmarket tourist destination with stunning riverside hotels and guest houses, both locations are an excellent base from which to explore the region. The local terrain is perfect for trekking over gentle hills or tough mountain slopes in search of the numerous hill tribes; if you've forgotten your hiking boots you can also travel by elephant, an experience in itself, or sign up for a mountain bike trip through the local villages - having thankfully been bussed up to the top of a mountain so it's downhill all the way.
If you'd rather take in the local scenery whilst trekking after the golf ball you've shanked into the jungle, the north of Thailand has a wealth of top class golf courses where you can indulge yourself. Of the Chiang Mai golf courses, those in search of a challenge can take on the sharp dog-legs and island greens of the Gassan Khuntan course or enjoy the sight of waterfalls, lush foliage and abundant wildlife at the Royal Chiang Mai Golf Resort, where accuracy rather than long hitting, is at a premium. On a Chiang Rai golf vacation, you should really try the Robert Trent-Jones II designed Santiburi Country Club which is a feast for the golf connoisseur, set as it is in lush green foothills with the stunning mountain ranges as a backdrop.
Note: The cool season, the best time to play golf, lasts a little longer in the north, from October until the end of February, with average temperatures around 21°C. The rainy season lasts from June to September, but that shouldn't put too much of a dampener on a Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai golf holiday as most of the rain falls in the afternoon or overnight, making northern Thailand a perfect year-round destination for golfers.
