5 Chiang Mai Five Star Hotels for under USD212 in December is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

5 Chiang Mai Five Star Hotels from December 19th, for less than USD 212.

(including 4 for less than 134 dollars per night!)

Concluding the series of posts that have run every Monday since the middle of October, today I am highlighting 5 beautiful five star hotels in the stunning northern capital of Chiang Mai.

These hotels can be had for less than 212 US dollars in the middle of the peak season, with four of them available for USD150 and less. These rates are for five nights from December 19th.

I chose to focus on this date as it is one of the busiest for arrivals in Thailand during the Christmas/New Year vacation period.

Many of the hotels listed below offer free wifi to guests, and these properties are indicated by the mark.

• Siripanna Villa Resort & Spa Chiang Mai From USD 212.
• Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Hotel From USD 105.
• Shangri-La Chiang Mai From USD 134.
• Rati Lanna Riverside Spa Resort From USD 127.
• Rachamankha Hotel From USD 150.

The Dusit D2 and the Shangri-La are located close to the famous night bazaar, while the Rachamankha is situated in the Old City area of Chiang Mai.

While there are less hotels listed here in Chiang Mai than in other areas listed in this series, there is no dearth of spectacularly luxurious 5 star properties in the northern capital. Standouts include the perennial favorite, the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Azaya Villas Resort, and the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Devi Hotel, which was recently featured in a round of the TV reality series, The Bachelorette.

Getting here is easy as there is direct flights to and from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Seoul and Laos. Domestically, plenty of airlines service the airport from Bangkok, Phuket, Ko Samui and other regional areas through budget airlines Nok Air, Bangkok Airways, Air Asia and One-Two-Go

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The Bachelorette takes over Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

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.

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Chiang Mai 2011: Events and Festivals is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

In part two in a series of scheduled festivals and events in 2011. This week we look at the northern capital, Chiang Mai. Part one last week was Events & Festivals in Phuket 2011

Events in Chiang Mai 2011

Tucked up in the northern mountains of Thailand, Chiang Mai is proud of its uniquely northern slant on Thai culture. 2011 promises to be an interesting and varied one, with a wide range of events and festivals to cater for all tastes.

Kicking off the year, in mid January, is the Bor Sang Umbrella festival, where the locals parade with the bright colors of the Sa parasols and fans, throughout the ‘Umbrella Village’, on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. Later in the month, in the village of Tawai, is the wood-crafting fair, a celebration with stalls and local craft, including hands-on demonstrations.

Amateur Golf week takes place in Chiang Mai from 23^rd to 29^th January 2011. The schedule for the week takes in the following venues; the Summit Green Valley Club which is designed by Dennis Griffiths, of Thai Country Club in Bangkok fame; the Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club, situated in gently undulating countryside, which has a very good reputation and is an equally challenging course for the amateur and the professional golfer; the Mae Jo Golf Club located in a working fruit orchard in the grounds of an ancient agricultural college; and the Alpine Golf Resort, which is cradled in a valley in between mountain ranges, in the breathtaking San Kampaeng forest – this can be counted as one of the most popular courses in Chiang Mai.

At the beginning of February a delicately scented and vibrantly colored procession takes place on Tha Pae road – to celebrate the Chiang Mai Flower festival. It is at this time of year that the flowers of the region are in full splendor. Mid-February also sees both the wonderful Chinese New Year’s festivities, and also the unique Lanna Wedding on Elephant Back. Many people travel to Chiang Mai to get married at the Elephant Conservation Center for this romantic event with a twist!

Taking place in April 2011 is the Poy Sang Long festival, a three day event where young Shan men are paraded around the streets in preparation for Buddhist monkhood. They are dressed in a princely fashion, like the Lord Buddha, before being taken to the monastery for a period to learn the ways of the monks. The Thai New Year is also in April and this inevitably involves a lot of fun and plenty of water spraying – prepare to be drenched!

With the first full moon in November comes Loi Kratong, also known as Yi Peng, a ritual where banana leaf boats are floated down rivers with candles and incense. This is all part of the worship of the Goddess of Water; the air is also filled with a breath-taking dazzle of lights, as thousands of khom fai sky lanterns sail serenely over the city. This is definitely an event that will be a magical highlight of your visit to Thailand.

The Hilltribe Cultural Festival also takes place throughout November; this is where the distinctive hill tribes of northern Thailand display their crafts and culture, not to mention indulging in much merriment, with their distinctive food, drink and live music.

There are plenty of Chiang Mai hotels from which to base your northern adventures in 2011

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Loy Krathong Festival 2010 is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

The annual festival of Loy Krathong (Loi Kratong) is celebrated throughout Thailand on the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar. It usually falls in November, and in 2010 Loy Krathong falls on November 21st, a Sunday.

The festival is a very popular attraction for tourists but it has a deep spiritual significance to local people and is a very beautiful and romantic ceremony to watch.

In Thai, ‘loi’ means to float and ‘krathong’ is a tiny floating raft about 7 inches (17cm) long. Traditionally these krathong are made of banana tree trunk and are decorated with flowers. More modern versions are made of Styrofoam and decorated with flowers made of bread. The most beautiful krathong are made of intricately folded banana leaves and decorated with real flowers, candles and sticks of incense. These of course are also much better for the environment as they are biodegradable, unlike the Styrofoam versions.

The festival tradition is for these rafts to be released onto a river during the full moon. Restaurants will also host Loy Krathong celebrations on their own ponds.

The origins of the festival may be in the Hindu festival when floating lanterns were released on the Ganges as thanksgiving for the deity of the Ganges giving life throughout the year. This festival was adapted by the Thai Buddhists as a ceremony to honor the original Buddha. As the candles float away they symbolized the letting go of grudges and anger. Some people cut their hair or fingernails and add them to the krathong as a symbolic letting go of the bad parts of their lives. Many Thais believe that floating a krathong creates good luck and they do it to honor the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha.

The events which precede the raft floating ceremony are even more fun. Beauty contests are held and are known as ‘Noppamas Queen Contests’. Noppamas was a beautiful consort of the 14th century King Loethai of Sukothai where the first Loy Krathong festival was held. Vegetable carving is another skill associated with the festival. Huge markets are held before the festival and Giant Krathongs are paraded around the streets before being floated.

In Chiang Mai the festival is known as ‘Yi Peng’. Before the festival you can see many beautifully made krathongs for sale in the Chiang Mai markets. The banana leaf krathongs are floated on the waterways of the city to honor the Goddess of Water. Sky lanterns, called ‘khom fai’ consist of a rice paper balloon-like shade with a candle suspended inside. They are carefully lit and launched to float in the air making a picture of serenity as they rise up into the sky like silent boats heading for another world.

Where to celebrate Loy Krathong 2010

Loy Krathong is celebrated nationwide, but is particularly delightful in the provinces of Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok, where the celebrations are perfect for tourists to get a glimpse of a beloved Thai tradition.

Sukhothai

Among the highly recommended places to participate in the Loy Krathong celebrations is Sukhothai, which, as the birthplace of the festival, remains a focal point of the festivities. The Sukhothai Historical Park provides a dramatic setting for an amazing light and sound show that is truly spectacular.

Chiang Mai

As mentioned above, Chiang Mai is also a very popular destination for Loy Krathong celebrations, where the largest krathongs are colorfully lit and paraded through town on trucks on their way to the river.

Bangkok

Being the major waterway in Bangkok, The Chao Phraya River is one of the main destinations for Loy Krathong celebrations on Bangkok. Many Bangkok riverside hotels hold special celebrations and some have Loy Krathong packages and dinner cruises.

Places to stay during Loy Krathong 2010

Sukothai Hotels |  Chiang Mai Hotels |  Bangkok Hotels |  Ayuthaya Hotels

Have you ever experienced Loy Krathong in Thailand? Do you have any recommendations for places to celebrate the festival? If so, please feel free to leave a comment below and share your experiences.

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7 Thai National Parks you probably don’t know about. is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

Thailand is not only all about tropical beaches and cheap markets in Bangkok. The country is also blessed with beautiful mountain ranges, rivers and forests, many of them enclosed in national parks.

Thailand began its National Park conservation quite late compared to most countries, but it has made up for lost time and now has 102 national parks including 21 marine national parks. The biggest threat to Thailand’s flora and fauna is not poachers but deforestation. Fifty years ago around 70% of the country was forested; now the figure is thought to be less than 20%. Logging and agriculture were clearing the slopes at an alarming and unsustainable rate but since the opening of the first national park in Thailand in1962 around 11% of the total land area is now protected, which is a higher rate than most other countries.

For visitors to Thailand, a visit to the forested mountains or along the rivers is an opportunity to see the ‘real’ Thailand. A visit to a National Park is a good way to enjoy the natural flora and flora of the country. The following are some highlights to be enjoyed and explored:

Khao Yai was the first national park to be established in Thailand, back in 1961. It is in the Sanlambeng Mountains, to the northeast of Bangkok. It is the second largest national park, covering 2168 km ² and is known for its abundant wildlife and 50 km of hiking trails. Guided walks are available for visitors who may see birds such as red junglefowl, hornbills and green peafowl among the 320 species of birds. Black bears, elephants, gibbons, deer and tigers all live in this area. The main waterfalls are the impressive 80m high Heo Narok and the Haeo Suwat which was where ‘The Beach’ was filmed. One fun trip to do is ride a pick-up truck which offers night-time wildlife spotting, when many animals including civet cats come out to hunt and eat.

Doi Inthanon, Sri Lanna, Chiang Dao and Huay Nam Dang National Parks are all within easy reach of Chiang Mai, one of Thailand’s most popular vacation areas. Doi Inthanon, called ‘The Roof of Thailand’ is 80km (50 miles) southwest of Chiang Mai and is Thailand’s highest peak. The surrounding forest area is home to the most bird species in Thailand. If you visit this lovely area you will come across two blue and gold chedi which were built to honor the 60^th birthdays of the king and queen in 1987 and 1992 respectively. Somewhat incongruous in the jungle landscape, they are part of the charm and surprise of this lovely country. Chiang Mai hotels.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park lies just south of Hua Hin, a popular beach vacation destination. Known as the ‘Mountain of 300 Peaks’ this marine national park has a series of limestone hills with freshwater marshes in between which are home to many shore birds. From the peaks there are panoramic views of the southern coastline of Thailand. It is a popular place to spot Irrawaddy dolphins playing. The Phraya Nakhon cave is illuminated by the collapsed roof where you can see another unexpected sight. The Kuha Karuhas pavilion was built inside the cave for the visit of King Chulalongkorn in 1890. Hua Hin Hotels.

Not all Thai national parks are mountains and rivers, there are many marine national parks as well. One final recommended national park in Thailand is the island of Koh Samet. This island retreat is 6km offshore from Ban Phe in Rayong province. It has secluded sandy coves and coral reefs which make excellent snorkeling and diving sites to see turtles, tiger sharks and manta rays. Ko Samet hotels.

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The Tamarind Village Hotel is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

The Tamarind Village Hotel is located in a secluded spot set off the road, right in the middle of the old Chiang Mai city center, allowing guests to bask in tranquility while also enjoying the convenience of being situated very close to many attractions in historic Chiang Mai. The property is only 10 minutes by tuk tuk or a 15 minute walk to popular riverside restaurants and the famous Chiang Mai night bazaar. There are also a large number of culturally significant landmarks within five or ten minutes walk from the hotel, including Wat Chedi Luang, The Lanna Architectural Museum and the Tha-Pae Gate.

The hotel takes it’s name from an old majestic tamarind tree that is more than 200 years old and sits in the middle of the complex, proving shade to the series of garden courtyards that make up the grounds of this beautiful and stylish hotel.

The Tamarind Village hotel comprises 42 guest rooms ranging from 20-25m² (25 rooms) to 25-35m² (17 rooms), 2 suites (51-54m² ) and one Spa Suite (60m²). Guests staying in the Spa Suite receive complementary foot bath on arrival, daily 60 minute spa treatment for 2 as well as a complimentary first stock of the mini-bar.

The rooms are decorated in a contemporary style while drawing influences from the rich cultural heritage of the ancient Lanna ethnic peoples native to the Chiang Mai area.

The swimming pool is set in a courtyard shaded by tropical plants and flowers. Measuring 7.65 by 17.60 meters and surrounded by comfortable recliners with parasols, this is the perfect place to relax with a book, take a refreshing dip and recharge after taking the many historical sites of Chiang Mai. The Ruen Tamarind restaurant provides a selection of drinks and cocktails served on the pool terrace.

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New featured hotels in Chiang Mai is a post from: Thai Hotels Blog.

We have added four hotels to our featured Chiang Mai hotels section recently, covering all price ranges from cosy but comfortable boutique bed and breakfast, to one one of the most luxurious hotels in not only Chiang Mai, but all of Thailand.

The Four Seasons Chiang Mai is renowned as one of the most beautiful hotels in all of Thailand. Situated amongst luscious rice terraces, the hotel offers a variety of accommodation choices from 64 elegantly appointed pavilions with mountain, rice terrace or gardens views, each with a private covered veranda.

Sixteen private residences of up to 524 m² (5,640 sq ft) with one two or three bedrooms with private pools are also available. Guests can enjoy themselves with many recreational activities like taking a Thai cooking class, or pamper themselves at the world-renowned spa.

The 3B Boutique bed and breakfast Chiang Mai is a 3 star family run inn conveniently located 5 minutes from the center of the old Chiang Mai city center and 2 minutes from the airport. Rooms feature balcony, refrigerator, air conditioning, mini bar and TV and pets are permitted! Rates are from USD 38.

Kantary Hills hotel Chiang Mai has rooms from USD 47 and all rooms feature a CD player and a balcony in addition to the usual items like A/C, tea/coffee maker and TV. They also have 1 and 2 bedroom apartments as well as studios, and an outdoor pool and jacuzzi, fitness center, steam room and sauna.

The Chedi Chiang Mai is a beautiful 5 star hotel with a lot of features which make it ideal for both the business traveler and the leisure traveler, and perfect for the guest who wants to combine a bit of both. Take a look at the beautifully appointed rooms and you may not want to leave them to spend time in the pool, or get a massage at the spa. High speed internet access, 24 hour room service, a nursery and airport transfers are all available.

This is what a recent guest had to say about his stay at the hotel.

“I liked the personalized service. The hotel is small and they remember you. I got good advice on touring that allowed me to do what I wanted and they saved me money.”

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