on my way to Chiang mai and coming from Mae Hong Son, I decided to stay one night at Soppong and get the chance to see the Lisu tribe which lives in the hill nearby the town... well, to call it a town is a bit large, but it is however a nice place to stop by.

The River Inn was absolutely heaven, for 500bht I got a small bungalow with private bathroom, immaculately clean, and with the sound of the river nearby a perfect place to take a much due rest.

the manageress, Choy (or similar) was in fact a lovely woman who spoke a rather fluent english (kind of rare in that area), and liked to joke around (she loved the fact I am Italian).

food at the Inn was really good albeit a bit expensive, if you're on a budget, try the place next door, kind of a bit rough but they do a smashing pad thai for 30bht which kept me full for all morning.
if you want a bit of real sights, cross the road and venture toward the Lisu tribe villages, I mixed with them and helped do some daily chiores, which i found rewarding (also one realizes how hard they work)

over all a wonderful experience

Stayed one night on route from Pai to Mae Hong Son. Soppong itself has not many attractions. Breakfast at Soppong River Inn is excellent, however the staff though helpful to an extent were not very hospitable. The restaurant manager whom I dealt with most of the time looked blank whenever I made a comment ... maybe it was a language issue, but she seemed to lack the energy to respond and that made my stay less enjoyable. Also, the breakfast was great at 100 Baht and the feeling that I got was that a tip was expected - but I did not feel very welcome and though the food was great the hospitality could have been vastly improved.

Soppong River Inn is a small resort just in the middle of Soppong (halfway MHS and Pai). The best area for caves and hilltribes in the north. Our room was just perfect to accommodate a family of four,big tv and dvd set, fridge full of different kind of beers. The bathroom is outdoor and it's so fun to take a hot shower in the rain. Our clothes were muddy after the trekking and in a couple of hours were ready clean for us to reuse. The breakfast great and lunch and dinner scrumptious and cooked with the freshest of ingredients. The resort is set in a tropical garden and has great access to the river, just few stairs down. The deck on the river is amazing, with comfortable chairs and books all around, great place for relaxing, breath and take in the beautiful scenery. My kids just loved it especially when we took a walk with their enormous black dog Ninjia...
Not to be missed

We stayed at Soppong River Inn for 2 nights at River Rim Cottage. And we loved it. This is a perfect place to escape the hustle & bustle of the city - we came there from Chiang Mai and had a wonderful stay. The place is so peaceful and relaxing, the staff is cheerful, friendly and very helpful – they even chased the giant spider that decided to spent a night on our roof. The room is nice, there’s a fridge and mosquito net over the bed. The outdoor bathroom is a lot of fun, including the morning showers. The balcony hanging over the river is perfect for a beer in the evening (but take some repellent with you) while listening to the sounds of nature. You can also enjoy exploring their garden – lots of flowers, butterflies, tropical grasshoppers. My wife even saw a snake once. Practically, we catered only at Inn’s café and cannot say a bad word about the food and drinks. If you’d like to spice up your meal at the café: order a beer and a plate of roasted cashew nuts with fresh chilies – it’s simple but great! For a change, you can try a local food stall just around a corner.
To add to all the above raving – their website is full of information, the photos show exactly what’s there, the communication was very good. I was trying to find some drawbacks but did not find any… Some may complain about the accommodation price but in our opinion it’s one of the places that you don’t regret spending little more money, because you are greatly rewarded with hospitality and you leave that place fully relaxed. If we ever happen to come back to Soppong, we’ll be staying at Soppong River Inn without doubt.