Le Meridien Chiang Rai, Thailand [Master Thread]
Feb 23, 2011, 5:51 am
#121
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Even more savings with DIY. We rented a car from Avis and saw all we wanted to see for 1250 baht per day plus petrol. Driving is very easy around the Golden Triangle.
Mar 9, 2011, 10:04 am
#122
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: chicago, il, USA
Posts: 132
Mar 9, 2011, 10:18 am
#123
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Not sure myself, but check out this thread. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...any-ideas.html
Also note you can walk across the border for sure, or take the boat across the river to the casino area of Laos.
Also note you can walk across the border for sure, or take the boat across the river to the casino area of Laos.
Mar 9, 2011, 10:26 am
#124
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
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Comments or photos regarding the gym
Mar 24, 2011, 11:23 pm
#127
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
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Mar 25, 2011, 8:47 am
#128
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,816
Modest gym but it is fine for a vacation workout. If there are more than a few people in the gym using free weights, it will feel cramped. But, for the most part, it is fine. If I remember correctly, free weights are dumbbells only...there is no bench press or barbells.
Apr 26, 2011, 6:27 am
#131
Join Date: Jan 2007
Programs: SPG Platinum, Hilton Diamond, BA Gold, Flying Blue Plat
Posts: 117
No big deal though. It's a great property and well worth the trip to Chiang Rai as a base to discover all the delights of Northern Thailand.
Upgraded to a Grande Deluxe room as others have noted. Property extremely quiet to begin with but starting to liven up.
Breakfasts are great and a nice comp for Plats. Spa is also a must and we used 9,000 points for 2 x 60 min massages.
Not seen or bumped into Justin but guess he's away.
Can only echo others with regards the restaurant the first on your right as you exit the hotel. We too were the only non-Thais and had a blast. Great food and the Chardonnay at $15 ain't bad as long as they put it in an ice bucket with lots of ice!
Off to W Bali in 2 days time so expecting a different experience...
Apr 26, 2011, 9:41 am
#132
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Europe/SEA
Programs: TK E+, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Dusit Gold
Posts: 1,714
Yes the restaurants outside are very good. The third ( it's a smaller one ) and the fourth are excellent choice. I was so bored of the Hotel food after staying in CM and CR.
We also used points for a Spa Treatement. Was a great experience
We also used points for a Spa Treatement. Was a great experience
Apr 28, 2011, 3:26 pm
#133
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: chicago, il, USA
Posts: 132
I stayed here for a couple of days in a Grand Deluxe room. Perhaps it's just a difference in taste, but I don't see what the fuss is over this property. The rooms were nice and the staff was friendly, but that hardly seems sufficient to make a great resort. The grounds are fairly small and unremarkable, there isn't all that much to do, and it's fairly far from town. I was also pretty underwhelmed by the restaurant (though we only had breakfast there). One nit: the shuttle has a posted schedule, but only actually runs if you call it. If that's the case, why post a schedule?
Apr 29, 2011, 5:59 pm
#134
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: SEA(sia)
Posts: 5,181
To be fair to the hotel, they do run the shuttle when there are guests who wanted to use it. I do not see the point of driving the van into & back from town when there isnt going to be a single passenger.
May 2, 2011, 2:14 pm
#135
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: chicago, il, USA
Posts: 132
To me, the main benefit of a shuttle in that situation is that if you're just wandering around town, you know that you can just go back to the stop and grab a ride without having to schedule it. That said, taxis back were cheap, so it was not a big deal. From the resort to the town, however, the drawback was that when we came down to the lobby to catch the shuttle at the appointed time (without calling ahead), they didn't just pull the shuttle around and take us. Instead, they called a car for us, which involved a bit of a wait and cost a material amount (relatively speaking), though I can't remember exactly how much.