Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi featured in The Bachelorette on ABC

The episode of the American ABC reality show The Bachelorette which aired this week (season 7 episode 5) was filmed over two weeks in April on location in Chiang Mai at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, where the cast stayed.

Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai worked with T.O.T, the oft-criticized Tourism Authority of Thailand to help bring The Bachelorette to Thailand and along with it, the show’s massive global viewership and following. Ashley, the “bachelorette”,  and 12 of the eligible men still in the running for her “love” stayed at the resort in April for two weeks, to film episode five of the long running series, now in its seventh season. Another episode was filmed in Phuket.

“Hosting such a popular TV show as The Bachelorette is indeed a great honour for us,” noted Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai General Manager Greg Liddell. Set in lush grounds, with luxurious rooms and an award-winning spa, Mandarin Oriental, Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai provides a wonderful romantic retreat for couples. “The filming of the episode allows us to showcase the beauty of the resort to a wide viewership, and we hope this will also do a great deal to promote Chiang Mai and Thailand as a holiday destination,” he added.

Just a 10 minute shuttle ride out of Northern Thailand’s capital city, Chiang Mai, the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi is surrounded by paddy fields and jungle-like vegetation, giving guests the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. This is a self contained resort, so you could spend your entire vacation here, being pampered and relaxing, or use the resort as a base for exploring the city and surroundings. The villas, suites and residences are everything you could imagine.

Luxury and privacy of this level does not come cheap and rooms start at just over USD500 for a “Colonial Suite”, the basic room type, up to USD1037 for a Grande Deluxe Villas with plunge pool, and USD1464 for a Grand Deluxe Villas with pool, as seen above. The rates listed here are for a weekend stay in the middle of July 2011 and found on Agoda.