I have a splitting headache right now so I'm not sure if any of this will make any sense. Please forgive me if I ramble on....
We checked out of the MO yesterday and are now at Trisara in Phuket. We were both very sad to leave the MO as the experience was wonderful. We are already planning a return trip for November. Here are some final notes on the property and staff:
The Room
We loved our room and found it to be very comfortable. The best part was definitely the outdoor living area where we spent most of our time. We never did find out if the pool could be heated as every time we thought of it we were afraid that a member of the engineering staff would be rousted out of bed to come and turn it up. In the coming summer I'm sure that it will be just fine.
I posted a note above regarding bathroom amenities so please refer to that if you are interested. The bathroom was a large open space with two separate vanities so we never felt like we were crowding each other. The shower was large (at least 6' x 6') and included a "rain" head in the ceiling, a handheld nozzle on the wall and a set of wall mounted (horizontal) nozzles. We had a good chuckle over the labeling of the controls as the first time I go in I turned the wrong knob and shot water out of the shower into the bathroom.
The bedroom was large and comforatble with a small desk and sofa. There was a TV and stereo system opposite the bed. The mattress itself was very comfortable and not rock hard like the one in the Peninsula.
The negative aspects of the room were few, but worth noting. First off, as I mentioned before the doors and screens needed to be latched from the inside so upon leaving the room the screen over the front door was open. In addition since all of the doors were double (half doors) opening in the middle there was a gap in the center. Compound this with the materials warping and there were numerous entry points for mosquitos. At night we would see a number of the little *******s all over the room. The hotel provides bug spray and mosquito coils which seemed to do a pretty good job of keeping them at bay.
The second negative was the fact that all aspects of the room were assembled with an eye for design. I've found that many interior designers will often make choices that look amazing but are functionally hadicapped. This was definitely the case here. Although overall we were very satisfied we found that the lighting in the room was very annoying. The entire room was lit with small low voltage spotlights which made for a very dramatic effect, but also made many parts of the room very dark (such as the vanity area and the closet). The light in the bathoom was so bad that I had trouble shaving and my wife just gave up on applying makeup. We will be writing a long letter to the GM with feedback and this will be at the top of the very short list of things that need to be changed.
The Spa
The spa isn't finished yet, but will be a destination on its own upon completion. We did get massages in one of the double treatment suites and were very impressed. The therapists were excellent and both very sweet. The treatment room was nicer and larger than most hotel rooms I've been in to date. In addition to a full bath with steam shower and jacuzzi tub there was a separate room with a table carved out of a single slab of granite that will be used for the various wrap and scrub treatments. The massage room was very peaceful with two double bed-sized massage tables/beds. The exterior of the spa is modeled after the Mandalay Palace in Burma and is and amazing feat of woodworking.
The Grounds
Again... it's not done yet, but were still very beautiful and peaceful. When the landscaping matures you would never know that you are in the middle of Chiang Mai. We saw constant work by a crew of farmers and two water buffalo to get the rice terrace into shape. Although a little sparse now I think that given a few months it will be very lush. All of the buildings are very beautiful and very tastefully done. The quality of the facilities (furniture, artwork, etc) was also very high. This place must have cost a fortune to build... I do wish that they had diverted a little bit of that money into a rennovation of the MO-HKG...
F&B
Food and drink quality were both excellent. We ate at the Rice Terrace Restaurant and Le Grand Lana and couldn't find fault in either. The starting point for the food was obviously for western tastes, but they were happy to make it a little more authentic for the more adventerous. One of the best meals that I had was actually from room service. Again the food was excellent, but the service was the best I've ever seen. Two attendants showed up at the room and set the table outdoors with a full service including tablecloth, placemat, silver, flowers, and cold towels. They wouldn't leave until I sat down (one attendant pulled out the chair and the other draped the napkin on my lap) and made sure that the food was to my liking. They probably would have stayed while I ate had I asked.
The Staff
Best staff ever... hands down. As I mentioned before they are still settling in, but the level of service never suffered. We found some of the nicest and most genuine people on the hotel staff (from the concierge to the rice farmers). Our guide in Bangkok told us that the Northern Thai people are "very sweet" and we found this to definitely be the case. At most expensive hotels the staff members are always very gracious, but this went a step further. The staff at the MO were personally concerned with the quality of our stay. Compliments were always taken with genuine pleasure and followed up with an honest "it was my pleasure."
As I mentioned before the staff seemed to be telepathic and this didn't change as our stay progressed. One morning upon leaving the room we discovered that the shower was leaking through the ceiling onto the patio below. We had intended to mention this when we passed through the lobby, but got side tracked and completely forgot. Upon returning to the room I went to take a shower and noticed that part of the tile had been re-grouted and caulked. We are assuming that the housekeeping team noticed the leak and had facilities come to fix it while we were out. The shower never leaked again. We have numerous stories like this and just can't say enough good things about the staff.
The high point
When the rice farmer asked my wife (a real animal lover) if she would like to ride the water buffalo.
The low point
The mosquitos. Once the landscaping matures and needs less water this should take care of itself.
Compared to the FS
I spent a few hours on the grounds of the FS while my wife was in cooking school. As expected the grounds were more lush and manicured. What I didn't expect was that I prefered the grounds of the MO. At the FS everything is very deliberate, but at the MO (more so once it grows in) felt much more like the forest that we visited on the elephant ride. This is all a matter of taste, but the MO just seemed a little more natural. The rooms at the FS are 4 to a building with 2 per floor. We really preferred having some space and privacy that we would not have had at the FS. The staff at the FS were very good, but seemed somewhat indifferent as to whether or not I was enjoying my lunch.
When we return home we plan to write a letter to the GM at the MO with feedback (mostly positive) on our stay. I will recommend the MO without reservation, but keep in mind that until the resort is finished some may not like the state of the grounds or some of the construction noise (which didn't bother us).