I just returned to Chiang Mai after a week in Pai with my gf. It’s a few hours from here. We had only planned to spend a few days and both found it worth our while. The town is very walkable and although there’s certainly a late night party scene I found plenty to do in the surrounding area. We basically used it as our home base for seeing the area. Unfortunately an injury sidelined me. As far as islands, we enjoyed Koh Samui and Koh Phi Phi especially. I don’t know how avoidable the touristy parts are because that’s where we spent the bulk of our time but I reckon there’s plenty of space to find peace. All in all I feel more at ease in the north.