I wanted to explore Doi Ang Khang on my way up from Chiang Mai to the Golden Triangle. The mountain drive is spectacular, but I should have continued on to Chiang Rai. Fang has little to offer the visitor, and the Punmanee is uninspiring. A concrete block of a hotel, with paper thin walls that allow you to hear conversations 2 or three rooms away. The rooms are basic, but with a reasonable en-suite. The staff are friendly but speak virtually no english, which caused some misunderstandings over breakfast. The hotel was very reasonably priced at Baht 500 with a (small) cooked breakfast, although talking to other guests one group had paid 600 per night, and another 800, so negotiate, or better still drive on to Chang Rai.

My girlfriend and I headed out of the city and up to Fang for a quiet weekend alone. We reserved Phumanee online because of all the great reviews. The first room we got when we showed up (312) was disappointing, but we were able to switch to 311 and it was better. The place is in need of a new coat of paint and some minor maintenance, but overall it was worth the 600 baht. There was loads of information about the surrounding area and attractions, as well as a mini-museum of Lahu cultural artifacts. Oh yeah, free breakfast and wifi as well!

The experience was better than the hotel by a long shot. We were able to participate in Lahu new year with the hosts, and they took us around to several houses in a nearby village. We were received very well by the villagers, and they were very curious about us as well. It was very special! My 5 star review is for the entire experience, I would say 4 star for the hotel itself, for a score of 4 1/2 star. Everyone was so nice though, I couldn't bring myself to round down to 4 stars!