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Over the past 6 months I’ve repeatedly come across adoring articles about this exclusive property in Northern Thailand. Located just outside Chiang Mai, this place is not without serious competition when it comes to exclusive luxury properties, some of them located just 15 minutes down the road. So naturally I was curious to find out what makes Howie’s stand apart from some of Thailand’s most fashionable hotels.
On arrival I was immediately met by the owner Howard and his wife Jerri. Boston-born, Howard moved out to Thailand 20 years ago and has since dedicated his life to making Chiang Mai his home. Howie’s Homestay is exactly as the name implies – you are staying at Howard’s home, as Howard’s guest. Originally the land was bought for the purpose of building a private home, with maybe one or two rooms for visiting guests. However the idea of an all inclusive experience soon developed, and with the help of the highly talented Bill Bensley, Howard designed the ultimate, highly exclusive ‘’homestay’’. The private property can only be booked by one group at a time, so whether you are a couple or a group of 10, the place is yours. But it is clearly built for a group, with a huge al fresco dining area and numerous other outdoor spaces that are perfect for drinks and other gatherings.
As soon as you walk in you are greeted by some of the most stunning views in the area. The open-plan living area and pool look out over beautiful gardens decorated with colourful flowers and bamboo trees, stretching out for miles into the bamboo forests and mountains in the distance. And all inclusive apparently really does mean all inclusive, from the airport transfers to breakfast, lunch and dinner, to those added extras we always seem to find added to our bill at the end of the stay. Alcohol, he told me, is the only one he keeps an eye on!
From first impressions, I would definitely recommend this for a family or group of friends who really want that exclusive experience in their own tropical ‘’home away from home’’. Whether it will hold up against such properties as the nearby Four Seasons, only time will tell.