Where to Stay in Pai, Thailand: 3 Best Areas & Hotels

Planning a trip to Pai and wondering which part of town is best to stay in? We’ve got you covered!

We absolutely fell in love with Pai when we visited. But although it’s a small place, where you stay can make a big difference to your trip, especially if you’re deciding whether you want to be able to walk everywhere or wake up surrounded by mountains and rice fields.

In this guide, we’ll break down the three best areas to stay in Pai, with details on what’s nearby and the hotels we recommend. Whether you want to be close to Walking Street or somewhere much more peaceful, we’ll help you figure out the best base for your trip.

Where to Stay in Pai Map

Overview of the Best Areas to Stay in Pai

Pai is a small mountain town in northern Thailand, so wherever you stay, you’re never too far from the action. It’s a hub for backpackers thanks to its hippie vibe, and it’s surrounded by natural beauty.

Most travelers arrive from Chiang Mai by minivan or private transfer. The mountain road is famously winding, so bring tablets if you’re prone to travel sickness!

Once you get here, you’ll be able to walk to all of the bars and restaurants if you stay in central Pai or along the riverside. However, you’ll need a scooter or a driver to get to most of the hot springs, waterfalls, and viewpoints. 

Here’s a quick look at the best areas and hotels in Pai:

• Pai Town Center – Best for first-time visitors – This is the most convenient place to base yourself, because you’ll be able to explore the town on foot and walk to the bars and restaurants in the evening. We think Ai Pai Hotel is spacious and stylish, with a great location near Walking Street.

• Pai Riverside – Best for a relaxing & convenient stay – We like this area because it’s leafy and peaceful, but you can still walk to the town center easily. Pai Village Boutique Resort is a gorgeous boutique resort with a tropical feel.

• Mae Yen – Best for nature lovers & mountain scenery – If you want a more secluded stay surrounded by nature, choose Mae Yen! Pairadise Hotel has an authentic Thai feel, with stunning views of the surrounding rice fields and mountains.

Where to Stay in Pai

Pai Town Center

BEST FOR FIRST-TIME VISITORS

Pros

• Walking distance to bars, restaurants, and Walking Street
• Easy to stay here without renting a scooter

Cons

• Can be noisy at night
• Less peaceful and scenic than the riverside or countryside

If it’s your first time in Pai, the town center is the easiest place to stay. Everything is close together here, so you can walk to pretty much everything! It’s easy to stroll from your hotel to a restaurant or bar, and there are plenty of tour offices around town which are handy for organizing excursions.

In fact, this is definitely the best area to stay if you don’t want to rent a scooter. As well as arranging tours from town, there are also plenty of taxis around, and lots of hotels offer shuttle services. It’s also easy to find a private driver if you want someone to take you to the waterfalls and hot springs outside of the center.

Walking Street is the heart of the town, and it really comes alive in the evenings. Here, you’ll find food stalls and lots of little shops, as well as tons of bars offering live music and acoustic sessions. It’s the best area for a fun night out!

The main downside is that central Pai can get pretty noisy at night, so it’s not the best choice if you’re looking for total peace and quiet. However, you can’t beat it for convenience, and we personally love the lively backpacker energy around here.

Ai Pai Hotel – $$

If you want to stay right in the center of Pai, Ai Pai Hotel is our top pick. It’s right next to Walking Street and super close to the bus station, so the location really couldn’t be much more convenient!

With just 30 rooms, it still feels like a boutique hotel rather than a huge resort. There’s an outdoor pool that runs right along the front of the property, so you can even upgrade to a swim-up room! That’s always been a dream of mine.

Prices start around $150 USD during peak season, which is great value for a place this nice!

If Ai Pai Hotel is fully booked, The Quarter Pai is another excellent option just a short walk from the center. It has a gorgeous outdoor pool and feels like a little tropical oasis, but you’ve still got Walking Street just a few minutes’ walk away.

Atlas Central – $

If you’re looking to keep costs down, Atlas Central offers fantastic value right in the middle of Walking Street. It’s steps from Pai Night Market and just a minute from the bus station, so you really won’t need to worry about transport if you stay here. In fact, we think this is one of the best-value places to stay in Pai Town for the location alone!

This place is fairly simple, but it’s modern with an outdoor pool and a restaurant and bar. There are dorm beds, which are handy if you’re keeping costs to a minimum, but you’ve also got private double and family rooms with en-suite bathrooms available. 

Dorm beds start at around $20 USD per night during peak season, while private rooms begin at around $60 USD.

Another budget-friendly option is Pai Cherkaew Boutique House, which is tucked just behind Walking Street. It’s only a couple of minutes from the action but still feels peaceful, and there’s even a small plunge pool for cooling off during the day.

We also like 23 PAI HOUSE if you want somewhere simple and central. It’s around a 3-minute walk from Walking Street, with air-conditioned rooms and balconies overlooking the garden or town.

Pai Riverside 

BEST FOR A RELAXING & CONVENIENT STAY

Pros

• Quieter and more peaceful than the town center
• Still within easy walking distance of Walking Street

Cons

• Fewer bars and restaurants right outside your door
• Some riverside properties feel a little removed at night

Pai Riverside is our favorite option if you want somewhere more peaceful, because you don’t have to give up the convenience of staying close to town. It offers the best of both worlds!

The Riverside area is leafier and quieter than Pai Town Center, with boutique resorts and bungalows dotted along the river. It’s a great area for couples and anyone who wants a relaxing trip, rather than lots of partying. 

That said, it’s still easy to walk into town from here. It’s quiet, but it’s not miles away from everything. Depending on your hotel’s exact location, you can walk into town in 5-15 minutes, so you don’t need a scooter or taxi to head out in the evenings.

Having the Pai River right on your doorstep is also amazing if you want to spend lots of time on the water. You can step outside of your hotel and go SUPping or kayaking, or even float down on a tube! 

There aren’t as many restaurants and bars right outside your hotel, but you’ve still got a few great spots here. We especially loved Nigiri House Restaurant and Om Garden Cafe.

Reverie Siam – $$$

If you want to splash out, Reverie Siam is easily one of the most beautiful hotels in Pai. It sits right on the river and has a really distinctive vintage style inspired by early 20th-century Southeast Asia, so it feels much more special than your average resort. There are only 18 rooms, so it feels very peaceful and intimate.

The property has two outdoor pools, a lovely restaurant, and mountain views throughout. We also love that the hotel runs a free shuttle into central Pai, so you get all the benefits of staying somewhere secluded without having to organize a taxi every time you want to head into town.

Rooms often start from around $200 USD per night during peak season, which is definitely a splurge for Pai, but we think it’s well worth it for a place like this.

Pai Village Boutique Resort – $$

Pai Village Boutique Resort is another amazing property in the Riverside area, and we love it because the location is SO good. It sits beside the Pai River, but it’s also right at the foot of Walking Street, so you get the leafy resort setting without sacrificing any of the convenience of staying in town.

The accommodation has much more character than a standard hotel room, with traditional-style cottages surrounded by gorgeous tropical gardens. There’s also an outdoor pool, massage treatments, and The Blue Ox restaurant right onsite. And judging from the incredible reviews, we’re not the only ones who think this place is a winner!

Prices start from around $110 USD during peak season, including one of Pai’s best breakfasts.

If Pai Village is fully booked, Family House Zen Boutique Resort is another lovely choice nearby. It has a peaceful garden setting and outdoor pool, and you can easily walk across to Walking Street.

We also really like The Riverfront Reserve if you want something a little more upscale. The cottages sit right beside the Pai River, but you can still walk to the town center in just a few minutes.

RimPai Cottage – $

If you’re looking for somewhere affordable without giving up that riverside setting, RimPai Cottage is such a good find. It sits right on the edge of both the Pai River and Walking Street, so you can walk into town in basically no time at all.

The real highlight is the riverside infinity pool, which looks out over the river and mountains. There are also pretty gardens and a mix of simple rooms, including river-view options, so it feels much nicer than the price tag would suggest.

Rooms can start from around $65 USD during the busy season, making this one of the best value stays in the area.

If RimPai Cottage is full, Pai Homey is another fantastic budget choice. It has simple bungalows surrounded by gardens and mountain views, but you’re still only around a 5-minute walk from the bus station and Walking Street.

We also recommend Pai Country Hut if you want something really simple and laid-back. The little wooden cottages have a lovely rustic feel, and breakfast is included, so it’s excellent value if you’d rather spend your money on exploring Pai than on an opulent stay.

Mae Yen

BEST FOR NATURE LOVERS & MOUNTAIN SCENERY

Pros

• Surrounded by rice fields and mountains
• Hotels tend to have more space and beautiful grounds

Cons

• You’ll usually need transport to get into central Pai
• Not much nightlife nearby

Mae Yen is where we would stay if we wanted to get out of town and make the most of Pai’s gorgeous mountain scenery! It’s much more rural than the other areas in this guide, with resorts tucked between rice fields and lots of greenery, so it feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Walking Street.

The scenery is really the main attraction here. Instead of stepping outside your hotel straight into cafes and bars, you’ll be gazing out over fields and mountains. And the hotels here feel like destinations in their own right, with larger gardens and pools where you can relax all day. You’re also only a short ride away from Pai Canyon!

Of course, the trade-off is convenience. Mae Yen isn’t the place to stay if you want to wander into town every evening without thinking about transport. You’ll generally need a scooter or a taxi to get into central Pai and back again. Some hotels do offer shuttle services or will gladly arrange a driver for you, so it’s not the end of the world, but it’s not as easy as being able to walk.

But if nightlife isn’t a priority and you’d much rather stay somewhere quiet with beautiful views, we think the extra effort is worth it. This is the side of Pai that really makes you feel like you’re in the mountains.

The Oia Pai Resort – $$$

If you want somewhere really memorable, The Oia Pai Resort is easily one of the most unique hotels in Pai. The whole place is built around water, with pools and waterways running through the resort, and some of the rooms even have direct water access.

The hotel has a fun, nautical theme, and the staff even dress up like sailors! A morning “fruit boat” comes around in the morning so that guests can enjoy fresh fruit first thing, and the pool is so big that guests can even kayak around it! 

And on a practical note, we also love that there’s a complimentary shuttle to Pai Night Market. This hotel is perfect for families and anyone who appreciates lots of pool time.

Rooms often start from around $150 USD per night during peak season, which is a lot for Pai, but we still think it’s good value for such a distinctive resort.

Pairadise Hotel – $$

Pairadise Hotel is our top pick in Mae Yen because it really nails that peaceful countryside feel without keeping you miles away from town. It’s only around a 10-minute walk from central Pai, but it feels a world away from the hustle and bustle, with bungalows surrounded by trees and ponds.

The bungalows are simple but charming, and there are options for couples, families, and larger groups. One of our favorite things about this place is the spring-fed swimming area, which feels much more in keeping with Pai than a huge resort pool! 

Rooms can start from around $120 USD per night, making this fantastic value for such a beautiful setting.

If Pairadise is fully booked, Chang Pai Hill is another gorgeous option, especially if mountain views are high on your wish list. The rooms have balconies overlooking the surrounding scenery, and there’s an outdoor pool for cooling off after a day of exploring.

We also recommend Pai Panalee The Nature Boutique Hotel if you want somewhere quiet and green. It’s not super flashy, but it has a beautiful garden and comfortable family rooms, as well as an on-site restaurant.

Pai My Guest Resort – $

If you want to keep costs down, Pai My Guest Resort is a brilliant budget option surrounded by mountains and greenery. Rather than standard hotel rooms, you’ll stay in private villas with their own terraces, so it feels much more peaceful and private than you might expect for the price.

There’s also an outdoor pool and garden, and Wat Mae Yen is only around 500 meters away. This place feels like a bit of a tropical retreat, and we love the pool. It’s small, but it looks right out at the jungle and mountains.

Rooms start from $60 USD per night during peak season, so this place is a great example of just how far your money can go in Pai.

If Pai My Guest Resort is full, Pai Vieng Fah Resort is another affordable option with an outdoor pool and lovely mountain views. The rooms are brightly decorated and full of character, and there’s a bar and restaurant on site serving huge frozen cocktails.

We also love Pai Panalee The Nature Boutique Hotel if you’re looking for an affordable stay away from the backpacker scene. It offers simple rooms and a lovely indoor/outdoor restaurant, so it’s great if you want a serene stay that won’t break the bank.

Related Read: If you’re spending some time in Chiang Mai before Pai, see our Where to Stay in Chiang Mai blog for our top hotel and neighborhood recommendations.

Thanks for reading!

We love that Pai has a variety of areas and activities to appeal to any type of traveler. Whether you want to enjoy Pai’s secluded, nature-focused side or be in the heart of the action and backpacker vibe, you can find it here. Don’t forget to book your favorite hotel in advance, as the best places get snapped up!

Before you go, check out the rest of our Thailand blogs. We have more where to stay guides to help you pick the best hotel no matter where you go, as well as full itineraries and top things to do. Here are a few related blogs to get you started. Cheers!

How to Spend THREE DAYS in Chiang Mai, Thailand: 3-Day Itinerary

How to Spend THREE Days in Bangkok, Thailand: 3-Day Itinerary

Where to Stay on Koh Samui, Thailand: 4 Best Areas & Hotels

Where to Stay in Krabi, Thailand: 4 Best Areas & Hotels