Where to stay — Chiang Mai’s best hotels

By Sarah Duffy

In the past five years, Chiang Mai has seen some exclusive hotel developments spring up to cater for the increasing influx of discerning travellers to the city. Today’s visitors to Chiang Mai needn’t bunk in with backpackers while visiting this northern rose when there are ample upscale, five-star resorts offering silver service to choose from.

Choosing which chic hotel to stay at can be tricky with so much choice available. If your budget has no limits then consider checking in to one of the more elite accommodations such as the Mandarin Oriental Dhari Dhevi or the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai. But if you don’t want to break the bank in the process of indulging, any of Chiang Mai’s five-star hotels are sure to provide the exclusiveness and luxury you are looking for.

Ranking as Chiang Mai’s and perhaps Thailand’s most opulent and expensive hotel is the Buddhist temple-like Mandarin Oriental Dhari Dhevi, situated on the outskirts of the city. This choice hotel surrounded by paddy fields and nature pampers guests with its luxury spa and excellent dining options. The work that has gone into decorating the Dhari Dhevi’s contemporary Lanna guest suites is outstanding, with many featuring private pools, cosy lounge areas and sumptuous bedrooms.

Closer to town, The Chedi offers an unbeatable location just minutes from the Night Bazaar and its discreet façade makes it a real hidden gem. Offering serene, minimal architecture with a twist of colonial style, this sumptuous hotel is one of the city’s best riverside choices. Guests here can unwind at the spa, enjoy a Sunday jazz brunch buffet, spoil themselves with afternoon tea or kick back with a cocktail at the cigar lounge.

The newly opened Shangri-La hotel on Changklan Road caters to guests with all the amenities you would expect from a five-star hotel of its standing. Greeting visitors with elephant sculptures and first-class leisure and dining amenities, the Shangri-La rarely leaves business or leisure guests looking for lavishness disappointed. Relax at one of the hotel’s two stylish bars or enjoy fine Thai or international dishes from one of the hotel’s carefully-conceived menus.

Offering a different accommodation experience to other upmarket Chiang Mai hotels is the Four Seasons Resort in Mae Rim. A 20-minute drive from the Old City, this Lanna style establishment promises mountain views and flawless service as well as private pavilion and penthouse lodgings that will wow you. Guests can enjoy paddy field vistas from their verandas, making this a top choice for getting back to nature. If you are interested in Thai cooking, the hotel runs highly acclaimed Thai cooking courses taught by professional chefs.

If you prefer a more traditionally Thai hotel, we have just the ticket. Featuring uniquely decorated rooms and a distinctly Asian ambience, the award-winning Rachamankha in the old quarter of the city is a quiet retreat offering a more personable service than some of the city’s larger chain hotels. Centered around a tranquil courtyard, the hotel was established by a designer-architect team who have carefully used Lanna artwork and Asian antiques to create a serene ambience conductive to relaxation.

If you are looking for something luxurious yet more cost-friendly than the city’s most well-appointed hotels, there are some less extravagant choices that offer equally fantastic services at value-for-money rates, such as the dusit D2 hotel alongside the Night Bazaar. This upbeat choice features all that you would expect from a Dusit hotel but with a funky twist. With a contemporary Thai interior, an acclaimed health club and a prize-winning spa, the D2 succeeds in providing guests with modern ways to enjoy Chiang Mai’s laid-back lifestyle.

Close by is the upmarket Le Meridian, a recent addition to the burgeoning Chiang Mai five-star hotel scene. This modern and classy hotel provides easy access to the Old City and the Night Bazaar as well as to dozens of dining choices, if you prefer to dine outside. Its leisure facilities are first rate and its sophisticated guest rooms offer charming simplicity and style.

Outside the city proper are some increasingly sophisticated resorts and boutique hotels marketed at the city’s more affluent visitors. If you don’t mind not being within walking distance of the old quarter of the city or its night-time shopping sprawl, staying amid more natural surroundings could be the perfect key to unwinding in Chiang Mai.

Regardless of which slice of luxury you opt for, staying at one of Chiang Mai’s best hotels will provide you with an unforgettable hotel experience. So, what are you waiting for? Enhance your experience of this charming Thai city by booking into one of its stylish retreats today.

See a full list of Chiang Mai hotels and book

Budget hotels list