glorialf

I think we are going to try to stay here next year. Could anyone tell me what I should do to get the best rate? Website etc. Also do any of you have recommendations for drivers and/or guides up there -- I'd rather not book through the hotel. If it's a guide I'd want someone who knows something about hilltribes and could take us to villages that every bus doesn't go to.

Thanks

rhkkmk

i did not have good luck finding a discounted rate...

i booked directly with the hotel..

recently someone posted a driver, but they are quite scarce up there..

would you consider renting a car in chiang rai? that is what we did....it is so easy and gives you so much flexibility during your stay...through budget it cost approximately the same as a two way transfer arranged by the hotel...driving was very very easy, with little or no traffic up north...

not trying the new tented camp??

bob

glorialf

Hi Bob-- I don't drive but my friend does and she may be willing to drive. I'll ask her. She drives an hour and a half a day each way to work so driving in northern thailand may be fun for her.

Aside from the price of the tented camp I just don't get it. I mean it just seems like it should be in africa rather than thailand. I'm not a big fan of big resorts of any kind --- did not like the 4Seasons CM and loathed the Mandarin there. If everyone didn't rave so much about the Anantara I would be going for a much smaller non resorty place.

rhkkmk

let me give a small warning about the raves as we experienced it...

the place has been the best in the area for a long time....their prices are inflated i believe however for what it is...

the facility is attractive, but not more than other places you are used to in thailand...

the food is good but not fantastic...

you are very issolated there...

the rooms are nice but not really fancy...very functional...and comfortable...

we did not use the spa but i don't think that interests you anyways...

i would consider it a perfect 4*, rather than 5*...

the view from our room across the pool and to the river and mountains in the distance was very nice....

the hotel sits on a huge piece of land..

i just don't want you to go expecting something like the oriental or the penn...it is a lovely hotel but not fantastic, imo...

Kathie

Gloria, friends of mine who were recently there booked through the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Aparently, when you join that gives you the best available rate and they will upgrade you on a space available basis.

We did not drive, but arranged the hotel transfers (which I guess were cheaper then) and hired a driver for a day to go to Doi Tung, Chiang Sean, etc.

zengeos

Gloria, to RHK's point, Budget Thailand has some great driving guides, including several for Northern Thailand. The guides give recommended lodgings in various locations, detail as well as general maps, and points of interest. I printed several to bring along with us on our trip starting Saturday. I highly recommend them even if you hire a guide for the area. I hope to stop at several locations not on the itinerary, but on the same route....using the driving guide to help.

Mark-

glorialf

I was thinking of staying 4 nights so three and a half days. Is that too much? I figered we'd go to Doi Tung one day. Beth wants to do the elephants one day and I could do the cooking class then. Then I thought we could spend one day exploring the hilltribes and go to the Opium Museum. I've been in this area several times but I like it there so don't mind returning especially if there is a great, unique hotel. Do you think I should look for somewhere else to stay or reduce my time?

Kathie

Gloria, I loved the Anantara. It is a perfect place to read and write and contemplate as well as to explore the area.

I thought the rooms were really lovely. The decor has lots of Thai fabrics. It is understated and very well done. The service is warm and attentive without being intrusive. My friends, Claire and David recently returned and termed it the "best resort" they had stayed at anywhere in the world. I think we spent 5 nights there. One day we were out and about, another day we did the wonderful cooking class, one of the other mornings we went to the Opium Musem. Other than that, we stayed at the resort, read on the beautiful balcony overlooking the river and Laos and Burma, swam a bit, and enjoyed their marvelous spa.

We found the food to be very good. We told them how we wanted our food spiced at our first meal, and our food came prepared perfectly for us each meal thereafter.

rhkkmk

i think that amount of time is perfect or even add one day just for leisure....and yes do a cooking class or two....they are really fantastic and the space is quite nice....the italian rest. is good, but a bit expensive...

there is a lovely lobby for you to sit in as well but not much traffic...

make sure to take a pic of you on the elephant....we want to see that...

crosscheck

Glorialf,
I recently posted a lot of current info about the Anantara in my trip report. Scroll down to Golden Triangle section, then let me know if you have any Qs.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34955704

Website - Small Luxury Hotels - join club!
Guide/Driver - Toy and her husband - pricy but worth it

Many of the guests had also been to the 4S Chiang Mai. Most preferred the Anantara for local culture, though some liked the palatial rooms at the 4S.

The Anantara is not "fancy" like the 4S's I have seen, but it does have a certain minimalist Zen elegance. Suites are much better than single room. You can get upgraded with SLH Club Membership (free to join) if you go during a non-busy period.

KimJapan

Direct booking gave us a great rate for our needs. SLH offers the benefit of upgrade to a suite if there is one available at check in...but for our needs, direct booking worked out better. If you book through them, be sure you have checked thoroughly all of the direct rates for specials and packages, as SLH doesn't list all of the options.

Another very good way to book is through a Virtuoso agent. I just completed a stay in Florida booked by one, and I have to say we had a very good stay. Lot's of extra benefits, and the lowest rate I could find anywherre.

I've booked a suite at the Peninsula with daily breakfast for two, one time afternoon tea for 2, late check out until 4:00pm, and upgrade on arrival (in this case to Grand Deluxe Suite from Deluxe), for $400.00++, with the included benefits and good price making it the best deal I've been able to find anywhere....and I don't have to prepay anything at all.

The Anantara is a member of Virtuoso, and they are offering
*A Complimentary Room Upgrade upon arrival, subject to availability
*A Complimentary Daily buffet breakfast For Two
*Thai welcome drink upon arrival
*Complimentary tour of the Royal Opium Museum
*15% discount on spa treatments
*12 Noon early check-in, subject to availability
*4 PM late check-out, subject to availability
*Complimentary parking for duration of stay
Price for deluxe room is listed at $220.00 through April 17, 2007 and $145.00 April 17 - October 31, 2007.

All that said, the Anantara is a pretty big resort, with over 100 rooms. It's not an up close and personal kind of place as far as I can tell - we haven't been yet. The prices are very high. Breakfast is $16.00 per person I think, cooking class $67.00 and mahout training $115.00/day or $250.00/3 days. I Teaghan weren't wanting elephants so much, we'd skip it I think...but she wants elephants so much, and I want a place with a real bed! I couldn't imagine going to the TECC in August with no AC and terrible beds on top of it....I'm getting more and more spoiled as I get older I think...so we are doing the 5* elephant camp, a good compromise for each of us I think, I hope.

For sightseeing tours/drivers...rather than prebooking anything at all, we want to see how our days go there. The nearby village apparently has a couple of restaurants and shops, and we're hoping we can meet up with someone we like to take us around to some non tour bus places...we've had good luck doing this in the past...and I'm sure the price won't be nearly as dear as the hotel charges.

rhkkmk

i would not consider it to feel like a big hotel quite honestly....it feels small and compact...it is not like staying at the shangri-la in bkk or even the penn....

KimJapan

It's big in terms of room number and size. It isn't an intimate 10 room place where you get to know all of the staff and guests your first night. From past posts, I think I remember gloriaf liking that sort of atmosphere....so I wanted to be sure to mention that the Anantara isn't small and intimate.

crosscheck

I would agree with Bob. It's not like a ten-room B&B, but it is a small resort and does have an intimate feel although the grounds are so spread out. You do get to know the other guests and staff even during a short stay.

KimJapan

Then that's great news, as if it is like that, I think we'll enjoy it more. Since it has so many rooms, I was preparing myself for a more generic experience that was good in terms of comfort but maybe short on personal contact. We've always stayed in either the 10 room places or big places till last year, and even found Yaang Come Village a bit big for our taste, and it's small! Hopefully the Anantara will indeed feel smaller than it really is!

crellston

We are staying there next week - i hapoe teh smoke has clered by then. The best rate I coulds find was through Small Luxury Hotels of the World http://www.slh.com/ which bettered al the usual sites and the hotels own site. They also offer a guaranteed room upgrade on arrival, subject to availability. Booking well in advance also helped as the prices now are considerably more than I paid at the end of last year

crosscheck

Kim - One of the reasons the Anantara feels less generic is because you're doing activities with other guests - elephants, cooking school, etc., almost like camp. There is also a friendly scene at the pool and a great happy hour every day. The adults compare day trips while the kids play chess, cards, etc.

As far as prices, once you're there, it'a better to not think about money. Many services are very expensive for SE Asia, but the experience transcends the price. I don't think there's another luxury resort in the world where you can hang out with elephants during your down time (maybe in Africa, but I hear the eles aren't as user-friendly there). Just pretend you're in Europe and everything will seem like a good deal.

crellston, Are you going back to the Anantara for a second time? Lucky you!

Kathie

"Just pretend you're in Europe and everything will seem like a good deal." LOL - so true, crosscheck.

crellston

Crosscheck - I wish this was the second time! what I meant to say was that the prices quoted for booking now now are higher than when I booked at the end of 2006

MPT

We are actually en route home from Thailand (5 hour layover in Narita) with a three day stay at the Anantara. Despite the low visibility due to the fires in CM, we enjoyed our stay. It was beautiful and very peaceful and relaxing. My husband actually preferred it over the Pen and The Boathouse. I think three - four days is enough to get a feel for the North, and am so glad we chose it over CM.

I booked through SLH, which had the same specials/packages as the hotel directly, but with the added benefit of an upgrade. We paid $199 plus taxes, and received daily buffet breakfast for two and passes to the Hall of Opium.

We chose to rent a car through Budget and drive ourselves from CR to the resort. We booked online from the states, a Budget rep met us with the car at the airport, and we were off. I think we paid around $200. Driving was easy (we only had the free map Budget provided); not much traffic and many signs in English. We just had to keep reminding ourselves to stay in the left lane. Made it to the resort in about 45 min - 1 hour.

The suite was very nice with views into Burma and Laos. I'd recommend requesting a room on the Burma / rice paddy side. You'll have less of a walk to the restaurant / lobby and more light. There was a huge bathtub and ingenious division between the bedroom and living area with a swiveled tv center.

We hired the hotel's guide, Doi, for a daytrip to Mae Salong, Doi Tung, and a quick step to Mae Sai. My husband drove. You can also hire Doi and her husband (driver), through the hotel, but it is really expensive. I think we paid She is very pleasant, speaks English well, and seems to be very knowledgable of the area. We did not specifically visit any hilltribe areas, but drove past the outskirts of some Ahka and Yao villages. I haven't heard of any other guides or booking outside the hotel.

We also did the half day mahout training, which was quite memorable. We'd ridden small elephants before in Bali, but this was a totally differnt experience. This time we were sitting on their necks and very hight off the ground. The first hour was spent going into the "jungle" with the mahouts, retrieving the elephants, and watching them bathe in the Sop Ruak River. Next, we went back to camp and fed the elephants and getting to know them. We then quickly learned the commands we would use (go, turn right/left, stop, etc.). Finally, it was up on the elephant and riding around camp, then the resort. Overall, an unforgettable experience. I think the half-day was enough for me, but they also offer 3 day training.

A few last notes: the food at the resort is good - very good. I stuck mostly with the Thai dishes(chicken with cashews and traditional shredded pork curry were excellent), but even had a great burger there too. The breakfast buffet is good, with a mix of Western and Asian foods. The pool is really cold, but stunning. Mark, the GM is well aware of this, and has been trying to get a heater. He's really approachable and pleasant. The staff are polite and warm. They even made my husband a birthday cake and sang to him without me even mentioning it or requesting.

Overall, the Anantara is a great place. We'd definately stay there again.