Chiang Mai
Thailand


The Experience

A series of exotic Lanna-style pavilions set at the foot of vast rice fields and shrouded in jungle mist, the Four Seasons Chiang Mai was the first five-star property built in or near this northern outpost. Other upscale chains have raced to catch up, realizing what the owners of this property did all along: that this land—just 20 minutes by car from fast-growing Chiang Mai—is some of the most untouched territory in Thailand. But by now this resort has settled comfortably into its groove and does everything to near perfection. There's a laid-back feel, with a design that's unmistakably Thai; the resort even shelters a pair of water buffalo that casually wander the property wearing cowbells that clang in the afternoon heat, adding an air of pastoral authenticity.

The Rooms

Raised on pillars over the landscape with vaulted ceilings, rooms here feel more like suites, at a massive 750 square feet. Teak floors and Thai cottons lend local touches, while spotlit Siamese art gives each room an art-museum quality. Still, the most dramatic feature is outside: huge outdoor decks that face the mountains, perfect for a room-service dinner or reading during a rainstorm. Suites, meanwhile, are actually two- and three-bedroom town houses that sprawl across acres of blooming gardens and include touches such as kitchens, dining rooms, plunge pools and personal housekeepers.

The Service

Service here is superb: It's not uncommon to have a towel handed to you as you emerge from the infinity-edge pool or a call for room service from one of the resort's farthest "town house pavilions" to be answered within an impressive 15 minutes.

The Highlights

The spa continues the theme of a Thai oasis, something you'll sense even before having your feet washed in rose water. Return from your treatment for a swirling meal of coconut and curry at the northern Thai-style Sala Mae Rim (skip the Westernized food elsewhere), or learn how to make it at the outdoor cooking school's hands-on weekly classes. Then take a stroll through the rice paddies, past those water buffalo, to the Yoga Barn, modeled after Thailand's old-world rice barns and hidden among the colorful flowers on the resort's outskirts.

-- Kristan Schiller

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