All I can say is WOW!!!! During my 2 week trip to Thailand, Thaton and Old Tree's House were by far my favorite experiences.

Thaton is a small village about 3 hours north of Chiang Mai on the border of Burma (Myanmar). It looks to be a one road town with a handful of roadside cafes and B&Bs. We found Old Trees House on Tripadisor and after reading the reviews, we had to check it out. The reviews are spot on.

We stayed in a poolside bungalow. By far it was the most sophisticated asthetic I found in Thailand. Very clean and simple with a FANTASTIC bathroom. It was such a nice break from dribbling showers and holes to poop in. All of the bungalows have a mini fridge stocked with water, pepsi and beer (FOR FREE) and a tv with a dvd player. We didn't use the tv. The scenery was way too pretty to be bothered. If I were there a week though, I'm sure I would've taken advantage of Paulo's and Nid's dvd collection.
Our bungalow had a porch with comfy chairs and a separate covered spot to lay with a headrest. Oh, did I mention that there is an amazing pool (though too cold to swim while we were there).

The owner, Paulo, was incredibly friendly, as were the fellow guests. 7 other French visitors were the only other guests. Paulo took us all to dinner at a local Korean bbq where many of the locals frequent. We had a fun night with laughs and an interesting dining experience. Evidently, Paulo's wife, Nid, usually cooks but she was out of town for the night. There is a staff on hand to fill in during her time off. They prepared us a bite to eat when we arrived and a full breakfast the next morning.

The other guests went on day trips and tours with Paulo. He is supposed to be a well versed guide in the area.

Due to our limited stay we were unable to participate in any tours, but the staff took us to the top of a hill with the most breathtaking wat that I saw while on vacation. This place really blew my mind. But even better (hard to believe) is the view of the village and bordering Burma. I could've stayed there for hours.

Paulo and his staff were beyond accomodating. And I didn't feel like I was being pumped for money. Paulo and his wife are generous people that have created a wonderful place to stay -- a truly peaceful spot to enjoy.

Unfortanely, I was only able to stay one night here. I would actually come back to Thailand, in most part, just to come back to this spot. Pure heaven... Do yourself a favor and stay at Old Tree's House.

We chose to stay at Old Trees House, having travelled to Thailand many times before, as we wanted to see this area for the 1st time, and show our kids a relatively unspoilt part of the country.
We flew to Chiang Rai and next morning were picked up by Paulo's driver who drove us the 1.5 hours to Thaton.
Thaton is a small border town, but has several little places to eat (some with English menus), shops, ATM and small market. It also has a fascinating and unusual temple, and the surrounding countryside and hill tribe areas on the Myanmar border were fascinating.
The accommodation at Old Trees House is in a beautiful garden setting, with a lovely swimming pool, and simple but extremely well equipped bungalows. (very spacious, nice bathroom, TV, DVD, Stereo, WIFI, etc). Breakfast each morning was great and there was also a nice lounge area with DVDs, info etc.
You can take an interesting 5-10 minute walk down through the local village, school & temple into the main part of Thaton.
Paulo looked after us fantastically well throughout our stay, taking us on a tour through the hill tribe villages and to the school he has set up in a nearby village, and an amazing lunch on bamboo rafts - his time and friendliness were all the more amazing as his wife is currently in hospital in Chiang Mai - our thoughts are with you Paulo.
We loved Old Trees House, and the Thaton area, Paulo looked after us so well, and we would love to come back again.

This Guest House is strongly recommended to travellers who like to have kindly and genuine contacts with people.
First of all, everyone is nice and helpful in the house, Nid and Paulo, the owners, but also all the staff. You can speak French with Paulo, English with Paulo, Nid and a part of the staff, ThaÏ (!) with the rest of them anyway everyone will be helpful.

Rooms are very nice, all equiped with TV, DVD Player and Satellite, the swimming pool is small but very pleasant.
Nid and Paulo will do the best to explain you Thailand, the life in the North, their on-going project of school. Don't miss one (or more) trip with Paulo, he will take time to explain some details that nobody else would tell you.
If you have children, don't miss a one day trip with Renato, a Karen friend of Paulo, unforgetable for them ...
In short, Old Tree's house is the best base camp to visit the North of Thaïland. Think to book in advance, Nid and Paulo are not interested to build more bungalows to keep a friendly atmosphere, so the Guest House is often full.
Don't repeat it, but Paulo will be very pleased to share the bottle of wine you will bring from your country !

I was eagerly looking forward to my stay at Old Trees House based on the reviews that I had read on Tripadvisor but left with very mixed views!

On the positive side, Old Trees House is situated in a very picturesque location approx 20 minutes walk into Thaton itself (the distance is not that far but the steep hill and heat do sap the energy out of you). The 5 individual bungalows are set in a picturesque garden and our bungalow in particular had a fantastic view out over the Mae Kok Valley. The bungalows are spacious and comfortable and the free mini bar (equates to one can of beer, one pepsi and one bottle of water per guest per day) and laundry are a nice touch. Breakfast was rather limited (but entirely satisfactory) and consisted of bacon and eggs, pancakes, toast and/or fruit. Old Trees House was also a good base from which to explore the Golden Triangle and we particularly enjoyed our day out on the river to see the elephant camp outside Chiang Rai.

The swimming pool was also refreshing but quite small, ideal for the children but not big enough or deep enough to swim in.

On the negative side, I never felt particulalry welcome at the Old Tree's House. I'm not sure whether this was a cultural thing or not but I expected the owner to introduce himself to us, welcome us to the resort, enquire as to what we wanted to see and do etc but he paid us very little interest. This might be fine and even desirable in other locations/hotels but I chose Old Trees House in part because I thought the owner would be a friendly, genial sort of chap who would enjoy introducing us to the delights of Northern Thailand.