The Legend Chiang Rai  Boutique River Resort and Spa

This is one of those great Thai resorts that is worthy of the title affordable luxury. You can stay in a superior studio room in off-season for $100 a night and enjoy the amenities of a luxury hotel.
The location is idyllic on the banks of the Mae Kok River and only a few driving minutes of the Chiang Rai’s city center. The area around the resort is still undeveloped despite its proximity to the city, and there are spectacular views of the nearby mountains.
I have stayed in several rooms and have to admit that my favorite was the one-bedroom villa that had a nice sized swimming pool and a garden that led down to the river. The huge bathroom had a rain shower and a vast tub,
The complex has a pleasant swimming pool and excellent spa with treatments starting as low as 500 Baht for a 20-minute foot massage and climbing to 1,000.Baht for a 90-minute Thai massage, particularly pleasant in the outdoor sala with a gentle breeze from the river aided by an overhead fan. You can expect to pay triple this price for a similar class hotel in Bangkok or Phuket. Some of the hotel packages include treatments in the spa as well as dinners in the resort’s relaxed restaurant. Meals here are reasonably priced for a quality resort and particularly good are the evening buffets at 500 Baht which offer a range of fresh seafood and meats cooked to order.
All accommodation is fully equipped with satellite television, minibar, tea and coffee marking facilities and top quality toiletries in the large bathrooms. The multi-lingual, friendly reception staff can arrange Internet access as well as arrange excursions notably those to the Golden Triangle.
All the employees with public contact are smartly dressed and very helpful. Everyone seems to enjoy their work, which is why so many of them have been with the complex since its opening.
The hotel operates a mini-bus shuttle in the evening to the Chiang Rai night bazaar – one of the best I have visited in Thailand. The bazaar is not large. In addition to the normal shops and stalls there is a nice bar and restaurant in the center where you can watch classic Thai music and dance. There are many quality shops, something you don’t at the markets in Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai.
You seem to get better value for your money in Chiang Rai than many places in Thailand. Here at The Legend in low season, from May to October a superior studio costs $102 and a villa with private pool $231. That increases to $336 for the remainder of the year Prices increase over the Christmas holiday. Least expensive accommodation runs $200 a night and the most expensive $339.
In Phuket or Samui, you would see rates almost double this for similar accommodation. Of course, Chiang Rai does not have any beaches. But it does have access to some of Thailand’s prettiest countryside. The drive up to and the around the Golden Triangle takes you through truly rural and unspoiled countryside proving again that Thailand is a country of such countryside proving again that Thailand is a country of such great contrasts. Contact information:  The Legend Chiang Rai, 24/15 Kohloy Road, Tel. 053 910 400, fax 053 719 650 Website: www.thelegend-chiangrai.com

Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort

The 159-room Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort provides stiff competition for the longer established Legend which is described above. These properties are both on the banks of the Kok River and have easy access to both downtown and the Chiang Rai International Airport. Le Meridian has 30 new deluxe rooms which have views of the river and the resort’s lake an expansive private balcony, which provides direct access to the three-tier infinity swimming pool. All the accommodation is modern, fully equipped and offers high-speed Internet access at a daily cost of 530 Baht. The facilities include a library, therapeutic treatments at the spa, a gym and outdoor attractions include hill tribe visits, elephant trekking and river tours.  Restaurants and bars include an Italian menu at the Favola Restaurant and international and Asian cuisine at the Latest Recipe. The Latitude 19 serves snacks and drinks from morning until midnight and Chill Bar is open poolside for light meals and cocktails until the sun sets. The property is a one hour drive from the Golden Triangle – where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge. Contact details: 221 / 2 Moo 20 Kwaewai Road, Tambon Robwieng, Amphur Muang, Chiang Rai, 57000 Thailand. Telephone: (66) 53 603 333.

         The River House Resort and Spa
This resort challenges The Legend as one of the best places to stay in Chiang Rai. The hotel is not as large as the as The Legend but it does have excellent service and similar rates. The resort has 30 deluxe rooms, all 40.5 square meters, and six junior suites, that overlook the swimming pool and River Kok. In-room facilities include: Bathrooms with a separate tub and shower, in-room safe, bathrobes and slippers, minibar, refrigerator, coffee and tea making facilities and a 25-inch flat screen television with cable movie and news channels. The resort has a large outdoor swimming pool, as you can see from the picture and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Other facilities include a fully equipped fitness room on the riverfront, a jogging track and a coffee shop. The Tara Restaurant has Thai and international dishes. Internet access is available in the hotel’s library and there is a games room with a snooker table. If you want to organize a business conference or a social gathering there are two meeting rooms available. The larger can accommodate 25 guests. The hotel does operate a shuttle van every evening from 7pm until 10 pm to the very pleasant night market. Contact details: 482 Moo 4, Tambon Rimkok, Amphur Muang, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand. Tel:  +662-6730966 , fax +662-2119656.

                                  Suanthip Vana Resort 

You have got be a nature lover to like this place. Here is luxury in a forest that is remote as you can get. There are 30 rooms, six of them special hill tribe villas. The other rooms are in pavilions, three on top and three on ground level. All the accommodation is spacious and splendidly decorated in true Northern Thai Lanna style. From March thru October, the deluxe rooms cost 3,500 Baht and a hill tribe cottage 4,500 Baht. The rest of the year, considered high season those rates rise to 4,500 Baht and 6,500 Baht. The prices do include a full American breakfast but not taxes and services, which add approximately 20 percent. Price for lunch in low season is 500 Baht and 600 Baht for dinner. In high season, those rates are 550 Baht and 700 Baht again subject to tax and service. You need to budget the meal prices in to the cost of your stay. There is nowhere nearby to eat unless you take a long drive or bring y our own sandwiat unless you take a long drive or bring your own sandwiches. There is a good selection of food, both Thai and European. If you are thinking of a get-back-to nature group meeting the resort has three function rooms that can accommodate up to 100 people. Other services available are in-room massages, laundry and dry cleaning and the 24-hour reception can arrange airport transfers either to Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai airports. The cost of a transfer for two people from Chiang Rai is 1,400 Baht and from Chiang Mai 1,800 Baht. You can avoid paying that if you take one of the package deals the resort offers on its website. The packages also include meals and other goodies. There is a swimming pool but remember it can get a chilly up here. The major attraction is the trekking around the forest as well as great cycle tours on country roads. Good thing about the cooking classes they have is that you actually go shopping at a local market and then select vegetables from the resort’s organic farm. One minor fault is that not all members of the staff – as helpful and friendly as they are – speak good English. Even if they do not understand what you say, they have the Thai habit of smiling and saying: “Yes.”  It is their way of being polite so be prepared to order again if the drink you ordered does not arrive in a few minutes. Contact details: Suanthip Vana Resort, 49 Chiangmai-Chiangrai Road, Tambon Takok, Amphur Mae Suay, Chiang Rai 57180, Thailand. Tel: 05372 4226-9, www.suanthipresort.com