There is a Sala in Chiang Mai

Four Seasons Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai Hotel Articles

There is a sala in Chiang Mai to which I will always return. It is perched high in the tree line, has a natural wooden walkway from which you enter into a sumptuous and commodious room and then wander through into a tastefully and comprehensively equipped bathroom. "Grace" is the word that comes immediately to mind. I laid down on the bed for just a moment, gazing at the high-vaulted ceiling and realised I was lying on the very best mattress in the world. I discovered afterwards, attention always to detail, that the resort had commissioned these special mattresses to their own specification and design. They were truly a "one-off".

This - and so much more - is The Four Seasons Resort in Chiang Mai.

Spectacularly located, the resort nestles deeply into the lush Mae Rim valley some 20 minutes north of the city of Chiang Mai, but really a world apart. Extensively landscaped gardens sweep effortlessly down to join sculptured authentic rice paddies where buffaloes roam, where waterfalls cascade, where lily ponds shimmer and where lakes glow in the rising sun whilst an infinite variety of magnificent birds adorn the air and the trees.

"Good morning, Mr. K, how are you today?" Chant the two, - yes two, liveried attendants as they convey my breakfast to my sala, presenting it within one minute of the exact time promised when I had ordered it some 25 minutes previously. They position my food for best aesthetic appeal, they bring my personal toaster from its hiding place beside my mini bar, to ensure I eat only fresh and warm toast.

"Shall I put your toaster on now, Sir?" I was asked. Not a common question in most hotels of the world.

I nodded, he spread my napkin on my dressing-gowned knees and then removed the covering from my plate, presenting my breakfast to me in the style of the best restaurants of the world. Here, alone in my own sala!

Checking that all was to my satisfaction, the two spotless attendants, uniforms reflecting traditional "Lanna" style with an understated hilltribe influence in the cut and use of natural fabric colouring, gracefully retired.

Around me the world was waking up. A peaceful world. The leaves lightly rustled in a gentle wind, the waking birds cheerfully welcomed the tardy dawn while I relished in grand five-star (at least) isolation. At peace with myself, with nature, in this wedge of discreet ostentation in a world where unqualified detailed care is not commonplace.

The trees around me are sufficiently dense to ensure privacy yet offer a tantalizing glimpse of the infinity pools chiselled into the gently reducing rice paddies, ensuring a balance and harmony with nature. I love the smaller pool that proclaims "This is a quiet area, unsuitable for children", - I just love it! Within the manicured gardens there are a selection of around 300 varieties of plants and trees, some very rare and exotic, they are embellished further by several attractive terracotta sculptures and friezes.

The entire resort has been faithfully modelled on the architecture of a traditional village in northern Thailand and in 1996 won the prestigious "Heritage Preservation Award" presented by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for its architect, Ajarn Chulathat Kitibutr. By mid-morning I am already anticipating my G&T to be sipped when dusk descends and the resort assumes a special magic all its own, as the water buffaloes arrive to graze in the near distance at the edge of the rice paddies and the 50 blue-uniformed gardeners swing their flaming torches to trigger the myriad lights of the pathways and gardens. A starlight spectacle at ground level.

In the evening I listen to the creatures of the night around my secure and private sala as my coffee percolates beside me, my romantic CD's, courtesy of the hotel, seduce the senses. I feel truly at home. I place my slippered feet at the far end of my elaborately cushioned day bed, sipped my brandy and coffee alternately and, possessed of a delightful slothfulness, wondered whether to simply curl up where I was, on this elegant sala and await the dawn. Then I remembered that perfect mattress and managed to wander the short distance to my turned-down bed and the quiescent bliss awaiting me.

I switched on my bedside light and picked up my novel to read a chapter or two before sleeping, there, in the open page of the night before, I discovered a complimentary Four Seasons bookmark - brilliant!

This attention to detail, this consideration for guest comfort and pleasure will bring me back, time and again, to my sala in Chiang Mai, where timeless surroundings are enhanced by matchless Thai hospitality and grace, where you are forced to slow down and absorb the rhythms of nature.

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