3 sweet Loy Krathong escapes

Give the crowded Chao Phraya a miss and head north for this year’s "Festival of Lights"

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Hundreds of thousands of krathong are set adrift in rivers and waterways around the country every year on the full moon of the 12th lunar month.

Loy Krathong, Thailand’s annual festival of lights held on the full moon of the 12th lunar month, falls on a Monday this year. With the exception of Songkran it's probably the country's most popular event -- though not a national holiday -- and a fine excuse for a long-weekend getaway.

Look out for our round-up of the best places to float your krathongs (floating offerings that are usually made of banana leaves) in Bangkok on November 2, but for those able to get out of the city, a trip north is worth it. The Tourism Authority of Thailand website has a full calendar of Loy Krathong events, including a backgrounder on its history -- but here are our top three:

1. Sukhothai

One of the best places in Thailand to spend Loy Krathong is easily the ancient former capital and cultural hotbed, Sukhothai.

The Sukhothai Loi Krathong three-day celebration includes Thai performing arts, music, Muay Thai demonstrations and parades. There’s a display of traditional Thai fireworks and the whole thing ends with Krathong floats being set adrift in the pools and ponds within the Sukhothai Historical Park.

Sukhothai is filled with decent three and four-star hotels. One of the newest on the scene is the Sukhothai Heritage Resort, which opened in 2007.

2. Chiang Mai

Thailand’s second largest city has planned a three-day Loy Krathong celebration from November 1-3 that includes the traditional Lanna ritual of launching floating lanterns (khome loi or khome yi-peng). During the festival the entire city is decorated with lights and lanterns, and there’s a giant krathong parade depicting the story of the life of the Lord Buddha, Thai literature, history and Thai art in addition to the usual concerts, contests and religious festivities.

If you really want to do Loy Krathong in style, Chiang Mai’s Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi "Enchanting Loy Krathong" package is the way to go. For 23,900 baht couples get two nights (November 1-3) in a Colonial Suite, buffet breakfast, round-trip airport transfer in a private Mercedes-Benz limousine, tour of a northern Thai-style market, cocktail and buffet dinner on November 2 at the Colonial Lawn with khome loi balloons and krathong banana leaf floats and 80 minutes of traditional spa therapy.

3. Loy Krathong Sai, Tak

Further off the typical tourist path is the ancient city of Tak, near the Myanmar border about half-way between Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

The city’s residents celebrate Loy Krathong on the Mae Ping River, and though they follow the nation-wide tradition of setting ornately-decorated krathong adrift, they’ve replaced the usual banana-leaf floats with coconut shells. These are threaded together and launched simultaneously to appear as long chains of glittering lights.

It’s a very cool scene and accompanies a parade, Loy Krathong contest, traditional rituals, light-and-sound performance and musical entertainment.

Hotel pickings in Tak are somewhat slim. Among the city’s top hotel offerings is the Rajaburi Boutique Hotel, which isn’t too far from the festivities and equipped with those important Loy Krathong essentials -- WiFi and satellite TV.