Our friend picked Fern Paradise for our group and I was a little hesitant about staying in a converted rice barn, until we drove down the beautiful driveway into paradise. It is an absolute haven hidden away from the real world.

Om and his family looked after our group of 14 and were absolutely fantastic. Om provided every service possible including finding an esky full of ice for our drinks under the barn before dinner each evening and then arranging dinner for us all.

Newat gave us the “talk and tour”, providing us with the history of Chiang Mai and in particular the history of Fern Paradise and a tour of his fernery and nursery. He shared with us his passion for both Chiang Mai, Thailand and his ferns. A very interesting, delightful and passionate man. I would recommend all travellers who have the opportunity to stay at Fern Paradise program the talk and tour into their stay.

The rice barns are very charming, quite basic, but everything you need is provided. I strongly recommend you take tropical strength insect repellent with you as there are mosquitoes around. Usually they love me but I was not bitten because I was diligent in applying repellent.

Fern Paradise is a little out of town, but Om arranged transport for our large group whenever we needed it. The tuk-tuk ride back is great fun. Om will provide you with the address written in Thai to show to the drivers so it is not a problem getting back there.
Fern Paradise is unique and is indeed a hidden paradise.

I would not stay anywhere else in Chiang Mai. It is run by a delightful family who are passionate about their home, their land, their ferns and their visitors.

Thank you Om, Newat, Ad and the family for a wonderful, unique and memorable stay.

WOW WOW WOW.. What can you say about this place and the peole who run it? Nothing short of DELIGHTFUL.

This place needs to be seen to be believed. It is purely magical.

Treehouses set amost hundreds of ferns, makes it one of those hidden childhood magival gardens that you read about in books.

The people who run this place, will do ANYTHING to ensure you have a wonderful stay, they are amazing truely beautiful people.

One holiday I will never forget thats for sure.

Thank you so much for making our stay so unquie and one to remember for many many years. Will definatly be one that I will show my Grandkids pictures of when I am old.

I hope to return one day!

Every traveller has a different criteria when it comes to lodging. Fern Paradise might not be for everyone, but for many it is a beautiful home-away-from-home that sits outside the city of chiang mai. I hope that for Dr, Niwat and his family, that the visitors that do decided to stay there are of the this persuasion. We found Fern Paradise by shear luck. trapped in an airport with a long layover. We impulsively decided to go up to chiang mai without having any plans in place. Fern Paradise is outside the main gates of chiang mai. a bit off the beaten path, but not isolated at all. Dr. Niwat and Om and the rest of the family were beyond accomodating. If you are lucky enough to catch a few moments to sit down and get to know them, you will find that this is an amazing family. The food is excellent. Breakfast is served down by the water, or dinner was served as an option underneath your room. It was our favorite place to stay in Thailand. not to mention one of the most beautiful (the fern collection is AMAZING!)

Fern Paradise really is as good as the reviews suggest. Jen and I are in our early 50s, and this was our first holiday without kids since 1984. After 5 nights in the bustle of Bangkok (which we loved) we were ready for some rural peace & quiet, and Fern Paradise was just what we were looking for.
We stayed in rice barn No 9, a beautifully refurbished original Thai farm building, with ensuite and air-conditioning. Huge bed, lovely linen. The barns have louvre windows from floor to ceiling and are fully fly-screened, so you can sleep with the aircon off if you want.
Morning saw us enjoying a delicious breakfast by the canal. We chose our breakfast from the menu the night before, and each morning we would be introduced to a new exotic fruit.
If you are lucky enough to have the tour of the grounds hosted by the resort’s architect and owner, Dr Tantayanusorn, you will learn a great deal about the rice-growing culture of northern Thailand, and about ferns from all over the world. The grounds are a living nursery and museum.
Some reviewers have commented that Fern Paradise is a bit out of town. The road on which it is situated is a busy thoroughfare so we had no trouble catching a ‘Green Car’ (a pick-up made into an oversize Tuk Tuk) into Chiang Mai CBD for a fixed fare of 17baht (about 50c). We felt that the peace and tranquility of Fern Paradise more than compensated for the little extra effort to get into town. All the day trips we went on were happy to pick us up from the ‘Bus Stop’ at Fern Paradise.
These reviews always mention Om, and rightly so. He is a Legend! Om is the perfect host and nothing is too much trouble. He really makes you feel like a welcome guest at his home. If you order dinner, Om organizes it from a restaurant, and serves it to you under the stars on the canal. He booked several day trips & activities for us, and they were all brilliant, so take his advice when looking for something to do.
There is a small library with good books, magazines and DVDs, the IT department is the most relaxed in the world, and the grounds are great for an evening stroll.
We were sad to leave this place of peace and friendship. It is definitely on our short list of places to revisit one day.