Intricate vegetable carving accents Thai cuisine

A fun holiday in Chiang Mai for anyone who loves Thai food, even if they have little or no talent in the kitchen. Choose from our great gay-friendly hotels and take five days cooking sightseeing and great Chiang Mai nightlife.

Everyone gets their own wok
and prep station

Experienced chefs offer lots of tips for cooking back home

Best of all, you can eat your homework!

Includes
hotel accommodation with tax, service, and daily breakfast beginning on day 2, private airport transportation, hotels transfers to/from the cooking school, ingredients, food and drink during the classes, and complimentary cook book. Alternative activity options instead of cooking school: old city tour with guide (please buy lunch for the guide), elephant safari includes hotel transfers and lunch, day tour with guide (please buy lunch for the guide, and pay massage fee and tip). Not included: airfare, local transportation, other meals or drinks, gratuities, features not specifically mentioned in the itinerary, or items of a purely personal nature. Classes are on a joiner basis.

Club Sanook Members who use our packages in Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai can use a Club Sanook mobile phone free during your trip if you make arrangements with me in advance. We will give you the number before you depart so you can leave it with friends and family. There are a few rules, of course, but I will send you details before your trip. Please make your arrangements in advance.

 

 

When you arrive in Chiang Mai we will whisk you to your holiday home so that you can settle in as quickly as possible. Spend the rest of the day exploring this ancient city, filled with charm, crafts and cuisine. Our local guide will meet you at 6pm to recommend a great local restaurant to eat, followed by a tour around the famous night bazaar. Afterwards, rest up for tomorrow's activities, or explore Chiang Mai's vibrant nightlife.

We'll pick you up at your hotel at 9:30am. Each day of classes is different, with at least six dishes to be prepared before you return home at 4:30pm. Along with the preparation of food, each day will focus on a different aspect of Thai cuisine: introduction to Thai ingredients and alternatives you can substitute back home, how to make savory curry pastes used in a multitude of dishes, touring Chiang Mai's fabulous fresh market, learning to carve vegetables and fruits into sensational attention-getting artworks. If you have a friend or spouse joining you who would like to do something else while you are in class, we provide an alternate activityoption each day. Today's alternate activity: join our guide to explore Chiang Mai's walled and moated inner city, home to dozens of peaceful temple compounds, historic monuments, quiet shady lanes, plus local shops and bustling markets.

Cooking class resumes this morning. Today's alternate activity: depart at 8am for an enchanting elephant safari through lush wilderness, visit a Lisu Hilltribe village for an unforgettable oxcart ride, after lunch, board bamboo rafts for a relaxing afternoon cruise on the Mae Taeng River.

A third day of cooking instruction until mid-afternoon. Today's alternate activity: join our guide this morning for a visit to Chiang Mai's fantastic fresh market, brimming with everything from hill tribe teas and sweets to colorful festival banners and offerings, for lunch, sample some of Chiang Mai's tasty specialties like kao soi chicken coconut curry, wrap up your afternoon with a luxurious 2-hour traditional Thai massage.

Extend you stay for up to two more days of unique cooking classes or enjoy easy-going Chiang Mai life until we drive you to the airport. Or stay longer to enjoy one or more days of new adventures in and around Elephant City. From Chiang Mai it is a short plane ride to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Luang Prabang, one of the Wonders of Asia. Or, connect to Phuket Island for some fun in the sun, or back to Bangkok.

PRICE PER PERSON FOR ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE
(DOLLARS/EUROS/POUNDS/BAHT)
BASED ON YOUR CHOICE OF HOTEL

Standard: Raming Lodge, Deluxe Room Through October 08 Double 354 225 177 11,480 Single 454 288 226 14,700 November 08 through February 09 Double 385 245 192 12,470 Single 506 321 252 16,385 March through October 09 Double 354 225 177 11,480 Single 454 288 226 14,700 Superior: Centara Hotel, Superior Room Through October 08 Double 442 281 220 14,325 Single 576 366 287 18,675 November 08 through March 09 Double 512 325 255 16,575 Single 715 454 357 23,175 Delectable: Lana Mantra, Deluxe Room Through October 08 Double 500 318 249 16,200 Single 763 484 380 24,705 November 08 through April 09 Double 591 375 294 19,140 Single 926 589 462 30,015 May through October 09 Double 493 313 246 15,960 Single 739 469 368 23,940 Deluxe: Tamarind Village, Deluxe Room Through October 08 Double 653 415 325 21,141 Single 1,059 673 528 34,317 1 November through 20 December 08 Double 750 477 374 24,302 Single 1,236 785 616 40,049 21 December 08 through 10 January 09 Double 829 527 413 26,854 Single 1,394 885 695 45,153 11 January through 30 April 09 Double 750 477 374 24,302 Single 1,236 785 616 40,049 May through October 09 Double 677 430 337 21,924 Single 1,098 698 548 35,588 Faaabulous: The Rachamankha May through October 08 Double 638 405 318 20,655 Single 950 604 474 30,780 November 08 through April 09 Double 773 491 386 25,060 Single 1,193 758 594 38,640 May through October 09 Double 663 421 330 21,465 Single 1,017 646 507 32,940 VIP: Chedi Chiang Mai, Deluxe Room Tthrough October 08 Double 927 589 462 30,030 Single 1,629 1,035 812 52,780 November 08 through October 09 Double 1,047 665 522 33,930 Single 1,870 1,188 932 60,580 Ultimate: Chedi Chiang Mai, Suite Through October 08 Double 1,177 748 587 38,125 Single 2,137 1,358 1,065 69,250 November 08 through October 09 Double 1,354 860 675 43,875 Single 2,492 1,583 1,242 80,750 Extra Days of Cooking Classes per person 68 50 34 2300

choose from these great gay-friendly CHIANG MAI HOTELS Standard: Raming Lodge  Superior: Central Duangtawan Delectable: Lana Mantra Deluxe: Tamarind Village Faaabulous: Rachamankha VIP: Chedi Chiang Mai Ultimate: Chedi Chiang Mai Where We Shine: Purple Dragon specializes in Chiang Mai and we survey the city and surrounds personally throughout the year. We save our guests precious time by recommending the best, newest, and most popular attractions. Our Chiang Mai manager and staff all speak excellent English. Your tour is private and you have the undivided attention of our guides. You'll never be herded around on a bus with 40 strangers. Our guests often remark that the highlight of their holiday was the charming company of our trained guides and their superlative insights into Thai culture. You can take an instant discount when you combine any Purple Dragon Chiang Mai package with either our Krabi or Koh Samui packages. More details are on the Club Sanook website. Holiday surcharges and compulsory meals may also apply to the rates above. Christmas/New Year rates may also apply to Chinese New Year and Songkran Festival. Prices are based on exchange rates of 1 July 2008 and may be subject to change, although no changes will apply after you reserve and pay. Cooking classes are not available separately from this all-inclusive package