SkyTeam777

Is there a charge to use the shuttle to get into town?

Dr. HFH

You mean the topic of how to get around the local area when staying at LMCR? No, that's not off topic, IMO.

llandaff

No.

The shuttle runs to the Night Market and to Central Plaza shopping mall.
You do need to book, although at the moment its not busy.

drron

The shuttle is infrequent.Every 2 hours until 1800 then at 1900 and 2000.Last bus back from night market 2230.
But beware-

dsquared37

No durians.

I'd only have one at most, so no problem.

italdesign

The hotel website says someothing like 50 THB for the bus, so good to know it's actually free.

Roger Lococco

Staying here in a few weeks. Could someone let me know if SPG Gold get any benefits, including free breakfast?

drron

Plats get complimentary breakfast in lieu of points so I am not sure this would be offered to Golds.
SPG plats do get the option of breakfast in Latest Recipe or Favola-this is a good option if several tour groups in as the café can get very crowded and noisy.

Dr. HFH

Now rated #1 in Chiang Rai by TripAdvisor.

dsquared37

Trip Advisor can be easily gamed, and generally is in SE Asia, so in general I find their rankings silly.

However I had a great stay there in July and will be back in a couple of days.

drron

If anyone really believes TA rankings are always legit you should read this-
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/4...on-tripadvisor

Dr. HFH

Someone else sent this to me, -- hilarious! He made a video of this adventure, too.

Back to LMCR, I know the GM there; and there's no way he would participate in, or tolerate, any artifice to boost his rating. He's just not that kind of guy.

chad75

Any updates on this hotel in the brave new world of the Marriott era? Interested in upkeep, general service levels etc.

suitesmile

I recently posted a review of my stay here in my blog. Hope someone finds it helpful!
https://suitesmile.com/blog/review-l...luxe-pool-view



Cheapest nightly rate: 2,318 THB (2,728 after tax)
When to book: Six months in advance

Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort was built in 2007. There is a man-made river in the property along with two huge rain trees that are over a century old.

We arrived at around 10 in the morning and was told that an early check-in was not possible and we had to wait till 3 in the afternoon for a room to be available. As a Platinum member, we were upgraded to the Grande Deluxe Pool View room on the highest floor. There is only one suite in this property but the standard rooms are larger (53 sq m, 570 sq ft) than typical rooms in other hotels/resorts.


The lobby



Grande Deluxe Pool View



The large bathroom



Sink area in the bathroom



Seating area and television



Complimentary water and tea



Breakfast at Latest Recipe was superb. The buffet spread is not huge but of high quality. I met the Executive Chef, William Ong, at breakfast every day. He is always seen chatting with guests, offering suggestions on how to spend their time in Chiang Rai. It was our first time there and William even suggested where we could go in rainy weather. Outstanding employees like him always make my stays more memorable. I enjoyed the signature eye-opener drinks and dishes too!


Latest Recipe restaurant



Special ‘booster’ drinks offered at the door of Latest Recipe



Signature dishes offered as part of the buffet



Egg station at Latest Recipe



Hanging seats at Latest Recipe



Mini food stations outside Latest Recipe



There is no Executive Lounge in this property. However, guests are invited to enjoy complimentary snacks and coffee/tea in the afternoon.


Favola



Sandwich station at Favola



Desserts at Favola



Let us have a little tour around the property.


View from the lobby



View of the main building from the bridge



One of two huge rain trees



View of the swimming pool against the setting sun from our room



The gym



Live traditional Thai music playing at the lobby in the evening



There is a shuttle bus going to the Night Bazaar area, Central Plaza (mall) and Wat Rong Seur Ten (Blue Temple) every two hours. I recommend going to Wat Rong Seur Ten later in the afternoon to avoid large tourist groups. You should also visit Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) as late as possible to get photos without the crowd.


Wat Rong Seur Ten (Blue Temple) at 1730 hours



Delicious coconut ice cream at Wat Rong Seur Ten



Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) at 1700 hours



Central Plaza Mall

Conclusion

I enjoyed my stay at Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort but still wished that there was an Executive Lounge. You will find a lot of small lizards on the walls and ceiling of the corridors to your room at night. This is pretty common for properties with a lot of greenery. I was not bothered by them but it is worth noting if you are Herpetophobic. There are no good dining options around the vicinity of the property and I could not find any food delivery services that I could sign up for with a foreign phone number. You can either dine in the restaurants located within the property (Favola and Latest Recipe) or get a Grab Car or taxi downtown. The shuttle service was useful for me and the frequency was good. I am not sure if I will visit Chiang Rai again (maybe as a stopover to the Golden Triangle) but if I do, I would definitely return to this property.

Ratings

Breakfast: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Location: 7/10
Room: 9/10
Facilities: 8/10
Executive lounge: -
Elite member recognition: 8/10

3rdworldresident

Did they move Favola from riverside location to the lobby level location instead?

(The photo you described as Favola used to be the library and business center before.)