Has anyone been in Chiang Mai for the Songkran? I'm seriously considering traveling for the festival and would love to hear about other's experiences... Any sites to reccommend? Favorite spots to stay? Travel tips?

Thanks!!

The Songkran festival is great for about a day, but then you get tired of being constantly drenched every time you go out...well, some people get tired of it. Also, it is just crazy, they throw water on people riding motorbikes and cars....there must be a lot of accidents!
Anyway they are the downsides, not really major, and i would DEFINITELY recommend Chiang Mai, even if you can't make songkran.
Chiang Mai is full of lovely hostels, so cheap, the shops are great, the city isn't that busy or bustling compared to Bangkok or here...it has a peaceful feel to it. You can hire a mat and spend the day lazing in the park, or hire a bike and go up into the hills to visit the hill tribes. or take a bus and visit Bai, an incredible mountain village with hot springs and an artists colony.
Chiang Mai does cater for the tourists, so there is a fair amount of overpriced westernised cafes and haggling vendors, but I found Thai people to be so amazing and laidback that a simple "thank you" and a smile would result in a shrug and a back way instantly. Plus, because they have so many tourists, they always have outdoor shows set up, and loads of temples...there was barely a day that I didn't see monks chanting and praying, or women doing that amazing Thai dance....
ANwyay, I could go on and on about Thailand, PM me if you want more detailed information as I spent a year there. I LOVED it. Plus, thai food is great.

Great Irvinelinds! Thanks for the info....sounds like it will be a lot of fun. Now I'm so excited about the trip! Do you have a favorite website or a source to find hostels and local info?

We are traveling with a toddler. Do you think the water dunking will be too intense for a small child? We usually wear her in a travel backpack so she would also get splashed a bit if her parents get drenched. We have traveled a little bit in Thailand with our daughter and have it easy since the Thai culture loves children and many of the people are very friendly with kids.

i think your daughter should be okay. They do love to drench each other, but it is just throwing buckets of water and using water guns, and you probably know how great Thai people are - if you expressed clearly that you didn't want them to soak you, then they wouldn't, especially if you pointed out your baby.
So I am sure you will love it. Chiang Mai is very different from the Bangkok area, and also different from the southern beaches....I think it is a bit more cultural, so many ethnic groups, so close to Myanmar, lots of mountain tribal villages to visit. the hot springs are great!
I didn't use a website, I would say that if you find a hostel nearby Tai Pei gate, this is like the centrepoint of the city, and the big long road that leads directly from it inside the old wall (Tai Pei road, i think!) has many small lanes that are really quiet and have lovely tucked away hostels. it is near the american embassy if i remember correctly. There are loads of great restaurants too. A lovely 'bagel and bite' cafe which has really authentic and cheap bagels and delicious pastries for breakfast....plus you can buy sticky rice and mango for snacks...but be careful of buying from street vendors (as i am sure you already know) - i was sick from some pre-sliced fruit. they have a great salsa cafe, which does delicious mexican food, and lots of outdoor reggae bars for some reason, which built little bonfires near the stage in the summer...
most people speak english. they have a famous night market, which is actually a bit too busy for my liking - i would recommed the chinese market, it is a big market near the river and everything is cheaper as locals go there. also by the river are some lovely bars and restaurants, although beware of the mosquitoes!
i am sorry i cant really remember the names of anything, it was over a year ago that i lived there and i remember everything BUT the names!

i should also add that you might want to prepare for the rain. i think you will be there before the monsoon season starts and will probably have lovely hot weather, but just in case - when it rains, it REALLY rains, very heavy although still warm.

for something a bit different, Chiang Mai has a very active community of non-profit workers, and they run fair trade shops and little centres, where you can contribute or meet some refugees etc - something a bit different.
ok, enjoy! I am jealous!