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Soaring tourist numbers—particularly young Chinese visitors with newly acquired wealth and the urge and freedom to travel—have fueled an unprecedented hotel building boom in recent years. Most of the new properties are in the traditional so-called Lanna style, and the most luxurious of them rival hotels in Bangkok. One, the Dhara Dhevi, justly claims to be among Asia's finest. Except for the high season, from December to February, prices are far lower than in the capital. Charming, modestly priced guesthouses and small hotels abound, and some are right on the water. Watch out for guesthouses that advertise cheap room rates and then tell you the accommodation is only available if you book an expensive tour. Always ask if there's a tour requirement with your room rate. All hotels and most guesthouses accept dollars, but if you are paying in greenbacks check the offered exchange rate carefully; it can be as much as 10% less than what is obtainable in banks and at exchange booths.
A sacred Bhodi tree stands sentinel outside this attractive hotel that looks out directly onto Wat Chedi Luang, one of Chiang Mai's most historic temples. A pond stocked with Chinese carp borders the airy lobby, whose lofty ceiling and plump sofas and armchairs evoke a French-Indochinese mansion. Rooms are similarly styled, with the accent on dark wood and Thai silk.
This Lanna-style boutique hotel is ideally located, with many bars and restaurants nearby. The romantic rooms have a distinctly Asian gold-and-scarlet decor, with polished teak floors, teak and rattan furnishings, and luxurious silk cushions and drapes. Lanna-style art hangs on the walls.
Adjacent to the Thapae Gate and bordering the moat, this refurbished old favorite has a terrace that hums with activity on the weekend. The hotel is also near the bars and restaurants on Thapae and Loi Kroh roads, and an easy walk gets you to the Night Bazaar. Most rooms lack a view of the moat, but they are quiet.
A showpiece of the Thailand-based Cape & Kantary Hotels collection, this large and stylish complex dominates the glitzy Nimmanhaemin Road district. With washing machines in the one-bedroom suites and ample space in all rooms to spread out, this is a great option for families. Sleeping in the comfortable beds here, you could be anywhere; the hotel decor is standard business hotel and is bland, but the rooms are large, quiet, and offer a good night's rest.
Two old shophouses were renovated into this sleek and modern boutique hotel that's a serene oasis in the heart of the Old City. The design is informed by the property’s name, which means "black" in the local dialect: the color scheme is a soothing black, white, and gray throughout. The rooftop deck has clear views of Doi Suthep, and it's a perfect spot for an enchanting sunset.
Nature lovers are well catered to at this remote lodge, a simple riverside resort isolated in woodland a 15-minute drive south of Lampang's bright lights. The basic but comfortable rooms are in Thai-style wooden pavilions near a small lake, where you can untie a dinghy from the jetty and row around among lotus blossoms, ducks, and noisy geese. The large airy restaurant is often crammed with tour groups, but you shouldn't have a problem securing a quiet corner. To get away from the crowds, meander over the swaying bridge to the riverside restaurant and bar.
Set in a half-timbered building that radiates the charms of old France, this boutique hotel hides in a quiet alley of the Old City, steps from Wat Phra Singh. The natural stone, brick, and terra-cotta elements of Le Charcoa are straight out of a fairy tale, with Tudor-style rooms named after the Lord of the Rings' hobbits. You can use one of the free bicycles to tour the city or enjoy late-night signature pizzas by the pool.
It's hard to believe this stunning riverside property was built in 2009; a masterpiece of colonial-style architecture, it's furnished throughout with exquisite antiques. Massive teak and beveled glass doors open into a marble and white stucco reception area, where a 19th-century wall clock ticks away the hours and sets the leisured tone of the public rooms. Morning coffee and afternoon tea are served in an octagonal conservatory, and a reading room has a wall-to-wall bookcase and deep armchairs for browsing and snoozing. Guest rooms, furnished in dark teak and with oriental carpets, have terraces that overlook a quiet courtyard and swimming pool.
An extremely hospitable (English-speaking) Thai couple runs this two-story teak-timbered hotel whose main building was the family home before the children left the nest. The rooms, some in a newer structure with the same wood-centric aesthetic, range in size from merely spacious to downright huge—the aptly named Grand Suite takes up 99 square meters (1,065 square feet) and has a Jacuzzi and a sauna. The restaurant serves fine authentic Lanna food, some from old family recipes, that incorporates produce from the couple's organic farm. Just off the Super Highway and handy for getting out of town and to Greater Chiang Mai, the Ruen is only a short stroll from Nimmanhaemin Road, a trendy area popular with young Thais and expats.
A Lanna-style boutique hotel in the center of the Old City, the U Chiang Mai was built around a century-old teak house, the home of a former governor. The house now serves as the lobby, spa, and reading room. The guest rooms, decorated with traditional Lanna-style fabrics and furnishings, overlook a courtyard swimming pool and shaded terrace. The open-fronted first-floor bar is a comfortable perch from which to view the busy street scene below.
