This small hotel located just off the main street in the Old Town area is a true gem. The rooms are large and while they don’t have great views, they have fantastic space and are always clean with nothing looking old or faded. The staff is lovely and though the swimming pool is small it offers a great place to cool off. In terms of value for money, this hotel is the best in Chiang Mai!
Upside: Large clean rooms that still have Thai charm. A great deal!
Premier Deluxe Room
Downside: The pool is smaller and some of our guests have said that breakfast was a little sparse, though I found it just fine.
Insiders tip: They have an on-site bakery so all the bread is made fresh daily as is the yogurt and jams! Try their Young Coconut Jam, a unique and local flavor.
This is a small hotel, with just 19 rooms, but they didn’t skimp on the amenities! From the world-class spa to the pillow menu this hotel really does pay attention to the details. The only room I didn’t like was the Royal Grand Deluxe where the front door enters onto the bathroom area. The other rooms have the front doors into the main rooms and I preferred the rooms with balconies as they had that outdoor area as well. I loved the breakfast and pool area and the library and lobby are a great mix of colonial charm and Thai history. This hotel is perfect if you want to truly feel that you’re in an exotic destination and you want a boutique option that still includes the nice extras we all like.
Insiders tip: The Nakara Spa, Wellness from Within, is a joy, try the Indian hot oil massage!
The in-room spa in the Royal Grand Deluxe roomThe fantastic poolA twin deluxe roomA Grand Deluxe room
There’s nothing wrong with this hotel at all, but it just didn’t excite me. The best part of the rooms are their great views of Doi Suthep and their swimming pool also overlooks the mountain which makes it stunning. Other than that the rooms are a good size and the spa and pool are lovely, but I felt that this hotel could have been in any city and I missed the charm that is available at so many of the boutique hotels in town. I also heard from my guides that the staff just don’t go above and beyond and the customer service isn’t to the usual Northern Thai standard. So while I haven’t stayed here and just visited I can’t really comment, I do think it’s worth mentioning.
Again, nothing wrong with it, but in a city with so many options, maybe not enough right with it either.
exterior of Le MeridianDeluxe king roomJunior Suite bedroom
Insiders tip: Go to the second floor and look down on the lobby…the carpet is actually a map of Chiang Mai.
We just finished a week of guide training in Thailand and it was a great week! Guide training is important because the guide is the heart of the tour as they are the person who shows the country to the guest. The guide must be knowledgeable, informative and service minded, which is why we need to have guide training: to keep the guides fresh and to let them know how important they are and we couldn’t do a good tour for the guest if we don’t have them.
My week was absolutely fantastic as Andrea and I did many things such as hotel inspections, survey for new tours, and guide training when we spent the day with all the guides.
The guides also had a blast! They like that Journeys Within thinks that they are important. They like that they have a chance to meet with the owner and they get to know each other more and more as Andrea does guide training every year. They love to hear that the company is growing and the success in of all our community projects.
The Chiang Mai guide team
As Andrea has been doing guide training since she started the company that means she knows all the guides that work for us in SEA, so she know which character of guide would best match the guest’s needs. Also she gets a good deal with the hotels management that she meets to get the special rate for the guests.
The guides love to meet Andrea and I love to spend time with her too. Oh, there are many reasons, but I will just say some of them that happened to the guides and me during training.
– She is easy going and always smiles 🙂
– She loves adventure & is brave enough to do everything!
– She always listens to other people’s opinions & is respectful.
– She is modest, honest and loves to make the people happy and helpful.
– She is creative and tries to offer new tours for the client.
And YES, she is the team builder for me!
I am so glad that we got to do Guide Training 2011 together; I know this will make everyone feel good and it makes us an even stronger team!
We were invited to dinner at the Peninsula last night and what a treat! We went to the International Buffet they serve each evening. Inside they have traditional Thai food, as well as salads, breads, sushi, soup and all kinds of smaller, and delicious appetizers. Outside they have two cooking stations, one featuring Thai food and noodles and the other featuring barbecue and other more Western options. It was an amazing meal with a lovely view of the Chao Praya River. Of course I saved room for dessert and it was incredible. Sweets and pastry can be hard to find in Southeast Asia so my ridiculous sweet tooth often has to do without…well not here. Executive Pastry Chef Yoann Mathy offers a range of desserts that will have you signing him up for Top Chef Just Desserts. I enjoyed the array so much that they called Yoann himself and I loved hearing his story of learning to be a pastry chef by chance, not intention. He was charming and explained that his 20 person team was the one I should be thanking as they did so much of the work. He was a pleasure to meet…almost as good as his desserts. Even if you’re not staying at The Peninsula taking their boat across the river and enjoying the international buffet is well worth it!
Traditional Thai food at the buffetCondiments and sauces galore!So much food and drinkLets get real though - its all about the desserts!Enjoying our dinner and dessert!
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