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Tammarind and Rachamankha recommended !!!
Tammarind Village has 40 keys and Rachamankha (www.rachamankha.com) with only 29 keys are strongly recommended. Both properties designed by the same designer. You'll enjoy the real Thai look and ambience of both places. In Chiang Rai, FS is going to open its first tent concept nearby the Golden Triangle. Both FS and Anantara in Golden Triangle are very nice to stay.
Good luck.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandal
Tammarind Village has 40 keys and Rachamankha (www.rachamankha.com) with only 29 keys are strongly recommended. Both properties designed by the same designer. You'll enjoy the real Thai look and ambience of both places. In Chiang Rai, FS is going to open its first tent concept nearby the Golden Triangle. Both FS and Anantara in Golden Triangle are very nice to stay.
Good luck.
Where are you getting this information about the Four Seasons? Is there any other info you have/have a link to? What other FS are going to be opened in the future in Thailand?
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Bangkokpost source!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by aa4ever
Where are you getting this information about the Four Seasons? Is there any other info you have/have a link to? What other FS are going to be opened in the future in Thailand?
Thanks
I've read from the Bangkok Post quite sometimes ago. They'd interviewed the CEO of the RGR group (owner of FS Chiang Mai and Bangkok) that he is going to open new FS tent concept in Chiang Rai and new FS on Samui Island.
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Luxury in Northern Thailand
Have you looked at the Anantara Hotel in Baan Boran (about a hour north of Chiang Rai). Formerly Le Meriden - it is far from the usual chain hotel. The location is excellent - particularly for hops over the border in to Laos or Myanmar
Whilst not absolute luxury it is an excellent 4.5* hotel with just about 100 rooms or so. It is also a fraction of the cost of the FS and MO
I've read from the Bangkok Post quite sometimes ago. They'd interviewed the CEO of the RGR group (owner of FS Chiang Mai and Bangkok) that he is going to open new FS tent concept in Chiang Rai and new FS on Samui Island.
An FS on Samui??? Now I have heard everything- the island has changed so much- and not for the better....
A tent concept near Chiang Rai would be absolutely beautiful- any timeline on it opening??
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FS tent definitely in 2005
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRAVELSIG
An FS on Samui??? Now I have heard everything- the island has changed so much- and not for the better....
A tent concept near Chiang Rai would be absolutely beautiful- any timeline on it opening??
FS tent concept nearby Anantara Chiang Rai supposed to opened Q1 2005, and in Samui end of 2006. Latest info, the owner want to open by Aug 05.
The choices for what one would call luxury accomodation in Lao differs, shall we say, from Thailand, and even Cambodia. The Villa Santi in Luang Prabang may qualify, though, personally I prefer the Sayo Guesthouse, especially if you can get an upstairs, corner room. Sala Prabrang on the Mekong river road is nice, too, especially the cottage in back, which is quiet.
Auberge Le Calao is also pretty nice, but somewhat out of the way at the top of the peninsula, which may be an advantage, if you don't mind a 10 minute walk to the central tourist area. There's also the ex-palace of the prince, now L'Hotel Souvannaphoum, but the location isn't that great. Three Nagas Inn is pretty well located and has a pleasant restaurant, especially for breakfast. (Best breakfast in LP, though, is at Cafe Regine, if the owner drags in to open the place. Avoid Scandanavian Bakery in LP, which isn't nearly as good as the one in Vientiane.)
In Vientiane there are a couple of places places marketed as top of the line, but I don't have any first hand experience with them, since the best values in Vientiane are guesthouses like Saysouly. In general, if you can avoid Vientiane, you aren't missing all that much. (The best reason for going to Vientiane, as a tourist, is to use it for a launch point going overland up country, say to Vang Vieng.)
By the way, you may want to avoid Lao Aviation, unless you really like E ticket rides at Disneyland or you bring along your own parachute.
Rich
Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.
Last edited by uncertaintraveler; Dec 22, 08 at 12:02 pm.
Last year when I flew Lao Airlines there was a sign posted at the airport advising that "UK Government officials traveling on business were NOT PERMITTED to fly Lao Airlines"- when I asked why I was told it was due to non-compliance with safety requirements. Be interested to know if it was still there- all in all a scary flight- but still safer than driving in Laos....
Ok, ok, Lao aviation isn't scary, just slightly disorganized. Just try to get an ATR72 and not an Antonov or YNx, though for destinations other than VTE and LPQ, you don't really get a choice.
And, yes, occasionally, the air con doesn't work, so the cabin temperature is about 40. And, occasionally, the flights are mixed up for reasons having nothing to do with irregular ops, since *everything* in Lao is irregular ops. And, occasionally, the airplane circles looking for a break in the clouds. And, occasionally, the smoke is so thick from slash and burn agriculture at the end of the dry season that the airport isn't really in sight, though the navaids may be working. Airplane is clean, as mentioned, though, and cabin crew is attentive.
I disagree about the comment about driving in Lao, though, except for whizzing through unpacified Hmong villages avoiding the possiblity of random gunshots (RIP Swiss velo tourists, unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time), I find riding through Lao, especially rural Lao, to be quite pleasant. Allow extra time in case the Beerlao truck in front of you goes off the road.
(Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Lao. It makes rural Cambodia seem like Times Square. I'd rather be in Vang Vieng, drinking a beer on a bamboo platform on the river, than just about any other place. Where's my passport, anyway.)
Rich
Ok- I'm headed to the same area in Dec 2005 and have some additional questions about specific hotel properties (I've gotten over the hump of what it's going to be like flying around!)
Luang Prabang- I found some great reviews of La Résidence Phou Vao, including that it has a nice infinity pool with a view of town. 3 Nagas seemed to be hip, but maybe not enough of a retreat given its location in the middle of town.
Thailand- Kirimaya resort in Khao Yai National Park (2 hour drive north of Bangkok), this sounds amazing from a CN Traveler review "home to elephants, tigers, and more than 300 species of birds. The 56 rooms have all the expected amenities, along with soaking tubs with mountain views, bamboo headboards, and outdoor daybeds; four palatial tented suites boast a master suite, a living room, a whirlpool, and a private deck." Anyone been here or heard more of it?
Sihanoukville, Cambodia- Sokha Beach Hotel and it sounds very nice (although maybe not quite "luxury") CN says "Sokha Beach is one of the world's most beautiful—a mile-long stretch of powdery white sand edging an azure sea. Better still, it's private" Anyone been here or heard about it?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stephem
Thailand- Kirimaya resort in Khao Yai National Park (2 hour drive north of Bangkok), this sounds amazing from a CN Traveler review "home to elephants, tigers, and more than 300 species of birds. The 56 rooms have all the expected amenities, along with soaking tubs with mountain views, bamboo headboards, and outdoor daybeds; four palatial tented suites boast a master suite, a living room, a whirlpool, and a private deck." Anyone been here or heard more of it?
sorry for digging out an old thread but i am also looking for a review on kirimaya. anybody, pls? thx!
Just an update on 3 Nagas, which I stayed at last week.
I found a very pleasant little boutique hotel. It only has 9 rooms (I think, thereabouts) so book in advance. For my under-$100 rate I was upgraded to room 4, a suite. It was very large, very nice, had a sitting area, dining area, bedroom area, bathroom area, and outdoor patio overlooking the road! Tons of room, with stairs leading up to it. Lovely wood floor, simple but elegant.
The one thing to know about Laos, though, is that it is Laos. The construction isn't going to be to German standards, say. There's always little gaps here and there in the windows, for instance, so I did get a few mosquitoes coming in at night. There was mosquito netting for the bed, but I never sorted out how it worked and was too lazy to ask.
But anyway, the bathroom was nice, and as an added bonus you could flush paper down the toilet. Good hot water, nice tub for soaking, and the mattress wasn't as hard as they were in some parts of Asia. There was even wifi available. And a minibar. No TV if you have little kids and were counting on it to entertain them.
It's not really smack dab in the center of town. The main tourist strip is more toward the market area, which granted, is like 5 minutes walking away. It was just enough secluded for me to be completely, lazily walkable.
Ditto on the Scandanavian Cafe. Try Jomo's if you're after a European style cafe, it's better (but more expensive), though way down at the other end of the tourist strip.
Good hot water, nice tub for soaking, and the mattress wasn't as hard as they were in some parts of Asia. There was even wifi available. And a minibar. No TV if you have little kids and were counting on it to entertain them.
