Here is a photo of the mountains in Chiang Mai.
You can get a direct flight from Phuket to Chiang Mai.
The city is crazy. Very busy with cars and motorbikes.
I hired a bike and went in to the mountains. It was very different to the Phuket area. The mountains were very high but it was very beautiful.
It is well worth a trip to Chiang Mai.
Also, the hotels were very cheap. I stayed in a hotel called the Pornping. 700baht per night including breakfast. The best bit was when I wanted some female company I didnt have to go to the girly bars and put up with all the usual crap such as 'whats your name, where you come from etc.' . The hotel had a 'private massage' service for 500 baht. Job done !!
Dirty Mike