All you need to know about the land of silk and smiles
De Naga
Within a year of its openin
g this friendly boutique resort in the center of Chiang Mai became one of the most popular places to stay. And after touring the property it is easy to say why so many guests are impressed with this hidden away gem.
You should be able to get a room here for 3,000 Baht and you will not be disappointed. It is quite incredible how they have squeezed so much quality into a slim piece of land in the city center. Everything is Lanna style décor at its finest from the lobby up to the majestic Naga Suite (pictured here) which is a bargain at 7,000 Baht a night with its own little gate entrance. There is enough space here to host a cocktail party for 100. The bathroom is bigger than some Chiang Mai hotel rooms.
There is a pleasant pool and bar area, tempting restaurant with both Thai and European cuisine and a crew of well-trained employees anxious everyone has an enjoyable stay.
The hotel comprises 22 deluxe rooms, 17 premier deluxe rooms, 15 gran
d deluxe rooms and the Naga suite.
All of the rooms have a 26-inch widescreen LCD television with cable channels, DVD player, in-room safe, full-size bath and shower, hairdryer, IDD telephone, tea and coffee making facilities and a work desk with Internet access. Items included with the room rate are impressive breakfast buffet, covered parking with elevator access to all floors and wireless Internet access.
Who is Naga? This was a serpentine creature in Northern Thai mythology who helped the good kings build this city.
Contact details: 21 Soi 2 Ratchamanka,
T. Pra Sing, A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50200. Tel: 05320 9030, fax 5320 8598. www.denagachiangmai.com
Rawee-Waree Resort and Spa
Another new luxury boutique resort has opened its doors in the Chiang Mai countryside. This one has 49 luxury villas set a
This is a five-star property that provides friendly and efficient service from a professional team of Thai workers, many of whom speak good English.
I am writing this from my room at this resort shortly after its opening. Since it is new there are a few minor blemishes which will hopefully be remedied shortly.
This is the ideal retreat for couples or families wanting to enjoy the northern Thai countryside with its paddy fields and handicraft villages. The property is close to several working elephant camps where you can go trekking through the jungle or taking a bumpy ride in a cart pulled by oxen. If you want a change from the quiet country life the front desk can arrange for a limousine to more lively action in the city.
Accommodations have all the modern conveniences including wireless high-speed Internet access, satellite television with news and movie channels in English, IDD telephone, tea and coffee making facilities, refrigerator, modern bathroom with a separate tub and rain shower, air conditioning, electronic in-room safe and a private terrace with an outdoor daybed. There are three categories of accommodation – superior villas, deluxe villas and executive vi
I am staying in an deluxe villa which is alongside the extended swimming pool. The main living area is divided by a large flat panel television which swivels to enable viewing in bed or from the sitting area. The English TV programs include BBC World and CNN.
The resort also has a children’s pool, Jacuzzi, spa, fitness center and a pool bar. The on-site restaurant is open throughout the day and provides room service. The menu is quite extensive for a small resort and there is a good choice of both Western and Asian fare. The steaks are excellent and the prices are reasonable. There is a good selection of wines, and again the prices are not excessive. I can highly recommend a Chilean Merlot that sells for 1,000 Baht which include tax and service. It is worth ambling over to the coffee shop for both the elaborate drinks and fantastic views or the river and the elephant trekkers. The picture on the right was taken from the coffee shop terrace. The small images you can see in the background are in fact big elephants treeking wiht tourists. The young ladies at the 24-hour front desk – who are pretty, friendly and speak English – have information on all the location attractions and arranges excursions into the city to see the sights and enjoy the famed night market. Since the resort is new, the prices being offered on their website are extremely attractive. But act now – those low prices will not last long once words gets around about this quality property. The resort is located at Amphur Mae Tang along the Chiang Mai – Fang highway a 50-minute drive from
Contact details:168 Moo. 2, T. Keudchang, A. Mae Tang, Chiang
This is a different idea for the long-stay visitor to Chiang Mai,. These new serviced apartments are the brainchild of Marc and Luxami Dumur Utaipol, long-time executives in the Thai hotel industry who have constructed the property to be more of a home away from home than a hotel. 
Frangipani Serviced Residences
This is a great location, tucked away in a tranquil leafy lane with very little through traffic, well away from noisy highways. The apartments are an easy stroll from many shops, cafés, restaurants, local markets, a post office, the Thai Airways downtown office, Chiang Mai City Art and Cultural Centre, The Th
A laundry service is available through the room maids at a reasonable cost, with items normally returned t
od delivery service from local restaurants, 24-hour on call medical service and 24 hour paramedical care for disabled gu
Contact details: 11/1 Soi 13 Praprok-klao Road, T. Sriphoom, A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50200 Thailand, Tel: 053 225 000, fax 053 215 338. mobile +66 81 885. www.chiangmaifrangipani.com
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Baan Deva Montra 
Here is a perfect retreat for country living in the foothills of Chiang Mai's
The resort has 14 villas with small pools and 11 garden cottages. In off peak times you can have a villa for 1,200 Baht ($37). At peak times the rates climb to over 4,000 Baht ($123) a night for a pool villa but that includes a good breakfast – everything cooked to order, not those buffet spreads that dominate in most hotels today - and transfers to and from the airport. The villas are well spaced out in massive grounds that are well maintained, full of fruit trees and ideal for country walks. If you are more adventurous there are bicycles to tour the surrounding countryside. The restaurant provides a good variety of European dishes at low prices. Room service is swift and dinner in your own poolside sala provides an ideal end to a day in the country. The villas are all set in tropical gardens and walls provide total privacy. Nice touch in the pool villas is an outdoor bathtub ideal for a relaxing bathe in the balmy night air. Fresh flowers were placed in the room each day and added that extra special touch.
Families with children can offer their young one an exciting ighttime camping experience. The resort staff will gladly convert the sala into a place to spend the night with the aid of mosquito netting and bedding. If you have to keep in touch with the outside world, wir
eless Internet is available in the resort lobby and each villa has cable television.
The Baan Sookjai Spa at the resort offers a complete range of treatments. Spa prices are a fraction of the cost of similar treatments in the upmarket resorts.
Two Chiang Mai attractions are close to the resort and are well worth visiting. Chiang Mai Night Safari houses hundreds of different animals and is just minutes away. Adjoining that is Ratchaphruek 2006, the Royal Flora Horticultural Exposition for the King which provides a fantastic display of flowers and plants from
Baan Deva Montra in Thai translates to the village under the spell of angels. And that says it all.
Contact details: Baan Deva Montra, 9 M. 11, T. Namphrae A. Hang Dong,
Holiday Inn Chiang Mai
This 528-room property remains an elegant hotel with plenty of style and comfort. It has gone through several name changes. It was the Sheraton and before that the Westin. Throughout it all, it has kept impeccable service and some of the best dining in the city. It claims to have the largest rooms in Chiang Mai. That claim must apply in the city rather than the pro
vince. The city of
The place to enjoy a meal here is at the River Terrace, which overlooks the
The
The property is one of the best places to stay in the city without breaking the bank. If you catch the Internet specials, you can get one of the best rooms for 4.000 Baht a night. And it will be substantially less in low season.
A friend wanted to stay an extra week here and asked the front desk if they would match a much-lower rate offered at another hotel. The hotel agreed and included a full American breakfast.
The hotel is south of the city and on the east bank of the
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
This incredible resort complex only went into full operation in 2005 and has to be THE place to stay in
Each of the suites, handcrafted in keeping with traditional Lanna architecture, has its own museum-quality artifacts and antiques. Some have their own plunge pool. Clients have the choice of private two-floor villas, colonial-style suites or one of the grand residences. All have separate sitting areas and generously proportioned bathrooms. All accommodation enjoys 24-hour butler services, two IDD telephone lines, cable television and DVD and CD players both with an extensive library of discs, a well-stocked private bar, and large in-room safe. In-room dining is available around the clock and fresh fruit and flowers are delivered daily. You get a choice of two swimming pools, neatly landscaped betwe
en formal gardens and expansive lawns, and four separate restaurants. Moreover, if you have not seen enough of them there is a traditional Lanna temple, complete with hand carvings and religious artifacts on site. There is a vast spa, modeled on the ancient palaces of
The Buddhist-inspired designs did create problems before the hotel opened when local monks complained that use of religious architecture in a commercial building degraded Buddhism. A hotel spokesman said the hotel did not wish to offend Buddhists but wanted to bring local culture to an international audience. The resort was intended to be a living museum, built in a traditional method by local craftsmen, where cultural performances and lectures would be held.
It is difficult to find anything not to recommend here. During the construction period many of the executives were told that money was no object. The owners just wanted to create the finest – and that they have achieved. Contact information: 51/4 Chiang Mai-Sankampaeng Road. Road Moo 1 T. Tasala A. Muang,
www.mandarinoriental.com/chiangmai
The 42-room Yantarasiri Boutique Resort is just steps away from Nimmanhaemin, Chiang Mai’s most fashionable street. The architecture, décor and impressive landscaping were inspired by the culture of the 
Yantarasiri Boutique Resort
Regular low season room rates start at 5,000 Baht a night for a superior room and rise to 18,000 Baht for the special presidential suite. Check their website for up to date offers.
The property is within walking distance of numerous top quality stores, art galleries, restaurants and spas. The airport, international hospitals and the 
Facilities offered by the resort include a salt-treatment swimming pool, reading and sun-bathing sala, health spa, and a full service restaurant offering Thai, Chinese and international cuisine. The rates include transfers to and from
Contact information: 24/17 Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 6 Tambol Suthep, Amphur Muang Chiang Mai, 50300. Tel:
Veranda Chiang Mai – The High Resort
This luxury spa retreat opened its doors in mid-2008 in a private valley with spectacular panoramic views over the forested hills of northern
The boutique hideaway on the outskirts of Chiang Mai has 69 rooms, in four different styles, all with large private balconies and stunning views over the forest, mountain streams, rice and tea terraces. These include 56 valley deluxe open-plan rooms overlooking the valley, six Jacuzzi pavilions with sunken spa Jacuzzis, six rice terrace pavilions overlooking rice terraces with private plunge pools, and an exclusive presidential pool villa with two bedrooms, a living room with piano, pantry and dining area, a private study, swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
All air-conditioned accommodation is equipped with modern amenities including LCD television, DVD player, iPod dock, free wireless Internet access, IDD telephone and fully stocked minibar. Rooms have either king or twin beds, open style bathrooms and balcony day beds.
Dining options include The Higher Room, a fusion of contemporary northern Thai design, set high above the valley, serving international cuisine with an extensive wine cellar and Rabiang Cha, on the lower plains of the valley, surrounded by rice and tea terraces. Both restaurants offer al fresco outdoor dining allowing guests to take in the stunning scenery.
Afternoon tea is served daily at Rabiang Cha from 3pm–5.30pm while The Lobby Bar with an open terrace serves cocktails, smoothies and fresh coffee. Meeting and banquet facilities are available for groups from 10 to 200. The resort’s infinity-edged swimming pool is located high in the valley, commanding panoramic views of the forests below.
The Veranda Spa offers deluxe pampering in a relaxing forest setting. Its private cottages are self-contained spas with large sunken baths, steam rooms, showers and twin treatme
nt beds ideal for couples. The Ozone rooftop infinity pool affords sublime mountain views.
Daily activities include Thai cooking classes, T-shirt or handkerchief tie-dye instruction, yoga, stress release massage classes, Tai Chi, and northern Thai banner craftwork. A kid’s club keeps youngsters entertained with educational toys and indoor and outdoor activities. The resort operates a mini-bus shuttle services ferry guests to and from both the airport and Chiang Mai city centre for shopping and sightseeing. The resort’s sister property is the Veranda Resort Hua Hin.
Contact details: 192 Moo 2, Banpong Hangdong,
| The Chiang Mai Hotels Listed | ||
| Name of the hotel | Where to find it | Prince range |
| Amari Rincome Hotel | C M hotels 2 | Moderate |
| Baan Deva Montra |
This page | Moderate |
| Baan Saen Doi | C M hotels 2 | Moderate |
| Belle Villa Resort | C M hotels 3 | Moderate |
| Best Western Chiang Mai | C M hotels 3 | Budget |
| Centara Duangtawan Hotel | C M hotels 3 | Expensive |
| Chiang Mai Gate Hotel | C M hotels 2 | Budget |
| De Naga | This page | Expensive |
| Four Seasons Chiang Mai Resort | C M hotels 2 | Very, very expensive |
| Frangipani Serviced Residences | This page | Moderate |
| Holiday Inn Chiang Mai | This page | Expensive |
| Le Méridien Chiang Mai | C M hotels 3 | Expensive |
| Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi | This page | Very, very expensive |
| Novotel Chiang Mai | C M hotels 3 | Budget |
| RatiLanna Riverside Spa Resort | C M hotels 2 | Very expensive |
| Rawee-Waree Resort and Spa | This page | Expensive |
| Siripanna Villa Resort | C M hotels 2 | Expensive |
| Taraburi | C M hotels 2 | Moderate |
| The Away Maerim | C M hotels 3 | Expensive |
| The Castle | C M hotels 3 | Budget |
| The Chedi Chiang Mai | C M hotels 2 | Very, very expensive |
| U Chiang Mai | C M hotels 2 | Expensive |
| Veranda – The High Resort | This page | Expensive |
| Yaang Come Village | C M hotels 3 | Moderate |
| Yantarasiri Boutique Resort | This page | Moderate |
