Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Located in northern Thailand, in the country’s highest mountains, Chiang Mai is the capital of the province of the same name. Built on the banks of the Ping River, it’s the second largest city in the country. Not very far from the former silk route, the city, founded in the 13^th century, rapidly became an important commercial crossroads and the capital of the kingdom of Lan Na. This land of a thousand rivers was made up of more or less autonomous city states uniting different tribes including the Lahus, Hmongs, Akhas, Lisus, Yaos and Karens. Coveted by the Burmese and the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai was taken is 1774 by King Taksin and became part of the kingdom of Siam in 1892.
Famous for its magnificent temples and skilled craftsmen, the city whose name means Northern Rose, is surrounded by wooded mountains and poppy fields. In spite of its modern aspect, it has conserved its ramparts, moats and elegant teak wood houses as well as more than 300 wats or Buddhist temples of which the most well known is the Wat Phrathat doi Suthep which overlooks the city.
For the sports minded, the Chiang Mai reserve has a number of possibilities including trekking on the back of an elephant to the highest summit in Thailand, river rafting or a safari in the jungle, in the heart of the Golden Triangle.

In the kingdom of Lan Na

Stretching over 24 hectares of rice fields and exotic plantations, the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Devi was inspired by the architecture of the Lan Na kingdom. Its buildings possess this Thai, Laotian and Burmese influence that made up the “kingdom of a thousand rice fields.”
Scattered throughout the vegetation, the 123 suites and villas are restored village houses, temples and the Lan Na Palace. The simplest villas and the most sophisticated suites all have a living room with antique furniture and art objects. The more modest villas are authentic rice barns which have been transported here. The interior is an intelligent blend of local and luxurious materials. Bamboo and textiles from tribes living in the hills are combined with silks, sculpted beams and antique style shutters.
Outdoors, a typically Thai salon offers a view of the exotic gardens and the neighboring rice fields. The most refined accommodations have a swimming pool and a private spa. The so-called colonial suites have magnificent floor tiles, glass chandeliers and Victorian lamps. The colonial inspired furniture is adorned with silk created by regional craftsmen whose work can be admired in the hotel’s cultural center. The white marble bathrooms are decorated with walls of woodwork.
Finally, the highlight of this luxury complex is the royal residence with six pavilions in an isolated garden, around a lotus-covered pond. Wood and teak parquet floors, silks and luxurious art objects make up the essential part of the décor.
The same luxury and refinement can be found in the restaurants, with sculpted chandeliers and bronzed columns in the Farang Ses, renowned for its excellent French cuisine, and rare antiques and works of art in the Fujan which serves its delicious Chinese cuisine in delicate porcelain dishes. An absolute must is the elegant Dheva Spa with its seven terraced roof, a symbol of the ascension to Nirvana. It’s a spectacular reproduction of the Burmese Mandalay Palace and the spiritual soul of the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi.

The hotel’s cultural center invites its guests to learn the ancient secrets of the “Thousand Rivers Kingdom’s” ancestral crafts.