Le Meridien Chiang Rai, Thailand [Master Thread]
Jan 9, 2011, 11:55 am
#91
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I paid Avis $283 for 4 days for a Fortuner SUV which they dropped at LMCR and I returned at CNX.
Last edited by yosithezet; Jan 13, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Jan 13, 2011, 10:34 pm
#92
Join Date: May 2003
Location: California
Posts: 185
Anantara Golden Triangle
The Anantara Golden Triangle is of a similar quality level. I'm sure the OP has already completed his stay but just in case others need options in the area. It also happens that the Anantara is owned by the same folks as the Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle. The Four Seasons offers a completely different realm of experience (costing 10X or more than the Meridien).
Jan 17, 2011, 12:10 am
#93
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Midweek report: The Grand Deluxe wing is very nice, overlooks the pool and river and each room is quite large. It's almost like having a suite. Each room has a large balcony with a divan, table and chairs. The WiFi seems to work quite well throughout the resort.
They had a Wedding show going on and we were invited to the cocktail. They had a raffle of business cards and we won a BKK-CEI-BKK roundtrip on Orient Thai airways, good til April. Not sure if we are going to be able to use it, but we will find someone who might like it.
The resort was quite empty at first, but a couple large tour buses showed up yesterday. yosithezet's advice of turning right out of the hotel and walking a few minutes to the local restaurants was perfect. The first place you hit is like a Thai TGIF or Applebees. Lots of families, cheesy music, ESPN, etc. The only differences are amazingly good and cheap food, and a table on the calm river Kok. We were the only non-locals there.
Breakfast is great as mentioned above. But it's not the best. It's tied with the LM BKK for best as IMHO they are exactly the same.
More later...
They had a Wedding show going on and we were invited to the cocktail. They had a raffle of business cards and we won a BKK-CEI-BKK roundtrip on Orient Thai airways, good til April. Not sure if we are going to be able to use it, but we will find someone who might like it.
The resort was quite empty at first, but a couple large tour buses showed up yesterday. yosithezet's advice of turning right out of the hotel and walking a few minutes to the local restaurants was perfect. The first place you hit is like a Thai TGIF or Applebees. Lots of families, cheesy music, ESPN, etc. The only differences are amazingly good and cheap food, and a table on the calm river Kok. We were the only non-locals there.
Breakfast is great as mentioned above. But it's not the best. It's tied with the LM BKK for best as IMHO they are exactly the same.
More later...
Jan 17, 2011, 1:52 am
#94
Moderator, El Al and Marriott Bonvoy, FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Jan 19, 2011, 6:38 am
#95
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Just checked out and had an excellent stay. I met the new GM (who I think came from the Maldives) and the new head of F&B who came from the SGS Bangkok. Both great guys and appear to be doing a great job. The food was superb and in the bar, the Thai bartender lady was quite the expert at tropical cocktails. I'm not sure if it was mentioned earlier, but Plat's get one free cocktail per night in the bar. Plus happy hour is 2-4-1 right now.
The hotel was pretty much full the last two days, yet never seemed very crowded. It's a large spread out property so that helps. And the spa is very nice. On par with any of the luxury hotels in Bangkok.
Chiang Rai is a neat town to visit. The night market is nearly the same as Chiang Rai, but smaller of course. And there is nothing like the White Temple anywhere in Thailand. It's a must see!
The hotel was pretty much full the last two days, yet never seemed very crowded. It's a large spread out property so that helps. And the spa is very nice. On par with any of the luxury hotels in Bangkok.
Chiang Rai is a neat town to visit. The night market is nearly the same as Chiang Rai, but smaller of course. And there is nothing like the White Temple anywhere in Thailand. It's a must see!
Jan 19, 2011, 7:30 am
#96
Join Date: Jun 2009
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Jan 22, 2011, 8:56 am
#99
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,746
Great stay at LM Chiang Rai
We had an extraordinary stay at this beautiful property thanks to its exceptional General Manager, Justin Malcolm. It is a true destination property, worthy of strong consideration for anyone going to southeast Asia. The property has great beauty, the service is remarkable, and there are many interesting things to do within an hour or so of the hotel.
We came up a sweeping driveway to the open air lobby of the hotel. It was beautifully decorated, and had a great view over the hotel grounds and the river. There were two desks and guests checking in at each. We were asked to take a seat in the sitting area, and another agent came from the back office. The general manager was greeting each guest, then came to us. There had been a snafu about our stay, detailed earlier in this thread, where we got an email meant for wholesalers who book rooms at the hotel. Thus, Justin knew our name and had personally seen to it that we had a great room assignment. It wasn’t quite ready. While he had an alternative room he could give us, he felt this one was more desirable. We were happy to wait and he invited us to be his guest at the restaurant for lunch. We got to spend a few minutes visiting with stimpy, who was headed out from his stay. stimpy gave us some great tips on sightseeing in the area.
After lunch, Justin walked us to our room. It was a grande deluxe room on the 4th floor overlooking the pool and the river. It was a very spacious room, not a suite, but sufficiently sized that it could have been if configured differently. It had a nice dressing room and a spacious bathroom with tub and shower room. The glass doors to the balcony could be pushed back, making the balcony feel like an extension of the living space. We loved our view at any time of day. I have to mention the linens. We are accustomed to excellent linens, but these were an extra step above. We learned that they have a bit of silk woven into the cotton, which makes them especially smooth. The hotel sells the linens onsite.
Platinums are treated very well at this property. In addition to our spacious room, we were given breakfast each day as well as two drinks at night (from a limited menu). We had a bowl of fruit, replenished daily. We received a daily afternoon sweet and a different evening sweet. These were presented very attractively. While having our free drinks, we enjoyed the sunset view from the bar, which had a nice range of outdoor seating areas. The bar had happy hour beginning at 6 with 2 for 1 drinks, and an outstanding tapas menu including foie gras.
I can’t rave enough about the GM. He has an extensive history with Starwood, beginning with Sydney properties. He opened the Westin Sydney and was there several years, then moved on to the Phuket Sheraton, the Kuala Lumpur Westin, and the Sheraton Maldives. He has been at this property since fall. Anne Scott, the former GM, has moved on to the Andaman in Langkawi. Joining him in December as F&B manager is the personable Renauld from the SGS in Bangkok. Justin was constantly visible throughout the property, actively approached guests, and made sure each day that we had our day sorted with directions to wherever we planned to go. Renauld was also very visible. The entire staff was cordial and helpful. We got the attention of a small boutique property, and yet this place has 150 rooms.
We love Thai food. While the hotel offers some Thai dishes, we wanted a broader range than available there. One night we went to the restaurant mentioned by karenkay. It is the first restaurant on turning right from the hotel. It is on the river, a bit funky, but decent food. We were told the next restaurant, Yunnan (Chinese) was not very good. We also ate at Ayes and Cabbages and Condoms (the Thai planned parenthood restaurant). Aye’s was across from the night market, and C&C by the rustic Hill Tribes Museum. All the restaurants I named are rather simple, but the Thai food was tasty and well prepared.
We rented a car from Budget. The hotel arranged to have it delivered to the hotel, which made it very easy for us. We dropped it off in Chiang Mai. Again, Budget picked it up from our hotel. We paid roughly $180 for our 3 day rental. We liked having the freedom to come and go as we liked.
We spent one day driving to the north, to the Burma border, then east along the Mekong and the border with Laos. The Opium Hall was well worth a visit, detailing both the legal and illegal trafficking in opium. It is quite extraordinary that the Royal Family has been heavily involved in the successful eradication of the poppy trade in the Golden Triangle.
Another day, we stayed more local. We visited the White Temple south of Chiang Rai, all white and mirrored. We also went to the Black House, north of Chiang Rai. It was built by a world famous Thai artist, and is a must. He uses this extraordinary structure that he had built to showcase some of his art. It was challenging to find but so worth it. We learned about the highly regarded Doi Din Dang Pottery Studio too late to visit.
This was one of our top stays of any Starwood property. In fact, I would say it was one of our top stays of any hotel period. I highly recommend this property.
We came up a sweeping driveway to the open air lobby of the hotel. It was beautifully decorated, and had a great view over the hotel grounds and the river. There were two desks and guests checking in at each. We were asked to take a seat in the sitting area, and another agent came from the back office. The general manager was greeting each guest, then came to us. There had been a snafu about our stay, detailed earlier in this thread, where we got an email meant for wholesalers who book rooms at the hotel. Thus, Justin knew our name and had personally seen to it that we had a great room assignment. It wasn’t quite ready. While he had an alternative room he could give us, he felt this one was more desirable. We were happy to wait and he invited us to be his guest at the restaurant for lunch. We got to spend a few minutes visiting with stimpy, who was headed out from his stay. stimpy gave us some great tips on sightseeing in the area.
After lunch, Justin walked us to our room. It was a grande deluxe room on the 4th floor overlooking the pool and the river. It was a very spacious room, not a suite, but sufficiently sized that it could have been if configured differently. It had a nice dressing room and a spacious bathroom with tub and shower room. The glass doors to the balcony could be pushed back, making the balcony feel like an extension of the living space. We loved our view at any time of day. I have to mention the linens. We are accustomed to excellent linens, but these were an extra step above. We learned that they have a bit of silk woven into the cotton, which makes them especially smooth. The hotel sells the linens onsite.
Platinums are treated very well at this property. In addition to our spacious room, we were given breakfast each day as well as two drinks at night (from a limited menu). We had a bowl of fruit, replenished daily. We received a daily afternoon sweet and a different evening sweet. These were presented very attractively. While having our free drinks, we enjoyed the sunset view from the bar, which had a nice range of outdoor seating areas. The bar had happy hour beginning at 6 with 2 for 1 drinks, and an outstanding tapas menu including foie gras.
I can’t rave enough about the GM. He has an extensive history with Starwood, beginning with Sydney properties. He opened the Westin Sydney and was there several years, then moved on to the Phuket Sheraton, the Kuala Lumpur Westin, and the Sheraton Maldives. He has been at this property since fall. Anne Scott, the former GM, has moved on to the Andaman in Langkawi. Joining him in December as F&B manager is the personable Renauld from the SGS in Bangkok. Justin was constantly visible throughout the property, actively approached guests, and made sure each day that we had our day sorted with directions to wherever we planned to go. Renauld was also very visible. The entire staff was cordial and helpful. We got the attention of a small boutique property, and yet this place has 150 rooms.
We love Thai food. While the hotel offers some Thai dishes, we wanted a broader range than available there. One night we went to the restaurant mentioned by karenkay. It is the first restaurant on turning right from the hotel. It is on the river, a bit funky, but decent food. We were told the next restaurant, Yunnan (Chinese) was not very good. We also ate at Ayes and Cabbages and Condoms (the Thai planned parenthood restaurant). Aye’s was across from the night market, and C&C by the rustic Hill Tribes Museum. All the restaurants I named are rather simple, but the Thai food was tasty and well prepared.
We rented a car from Budget. The hotel arranged to have it delivered to the hotel, which made it very easy for us. We dropped it off in Chiang Mai. Again, Budget picked it up from our hotel. We paid roughly $180 for our 3 day rental. We liked having the freedom to come and go as we liked.
We spent one day driving to the north, to the Burma border, then east along the Mekong and the border with Laos. The Opium Hall was well worth a visit, detailing both the legal and illegal trafficking in opium. It is quite extraordinary that the Royal Family has been heavily involved in the successful eradication of the poppy trade in the Golden Triangle.
Another day, we stayed more local. We visited the White Temple south of Chiang Rai, all white and mirrored. We also went to the Black House, north of Chiang Rai. It was built by a world famous Thai artist, and is a must. He uses this extraordinary structure that he had built to showcase some of his art. It was challenging to find but so worth it. We learned about the highly regarded Doi Din Dang Pottery Studio too late to visit.
This was one of our top stays of any Starwood property. In fact, I would say it was one of our top stays of any hotel period. I highly recommend this property.
Jan 22, 2011, 9:05 am
#100
Moderator, El Al and Marriott Bonvoy, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ*G, Mar LTT, Hyatt Glb, AA LTG, LY, HH, IC, BA, DL, UA SLV
Posts: 12,018
We had an extraordinary stay at this beautiful property thanks to its exceptional General Manager, Justin Malcolm. It is a true destination property, worthy of strong consideration for anyone going to southeast Asia. The property has great beauty, the service is remarkable, and there are many interesting things to do within an hour or so of the hotel.
Jan 22, 2011, 3:48 pm
#101
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Jan 22, 2011, 7:00 pm
#103
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Jan 22, 2011, 7:06 pm
#104
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Join Date: Oct 2000
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Feb 4, 2011, 11:45 pm
#105
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: SEA(sia)
Posts: 5,181
It may be useful to note that the Green Bus would drop you off at the new bus terminal in Chiang Rai, about 15km south of the city and not at the old terminal by the night bazaar. Only means of transfer to the hotel from that station is by tuk-tuk, and be prepared for a rather uncomfortable (and not so safe) tuk-tuk ride along highways. Definitely not recommended if you have a lot of luggage or for the faint hearted.