Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


	S.P. Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 11/1 Soi 3 Bamrungburi Rd., T. Prasingh, A. Muang., Chiang Mai 50200 Tel. 053 - 814 455-6 Fax. 053 - 814 457 E-mail: guidelin@loxinfo.co.th

LIVING IT UP:
Sirilanna -
A luxury hotel with homely qualities

Text: Finley B. Luge
Images: Thanatouch, Sungwon

Having spent the best part of a quarter of a century developing housing estates across Chiang Mai under the name Siliporn, the owners and designers of Sirilanna Chiang Mai felt that it was time for a project that would be ongoing; something that could be built anew where they could express their own personality. So about a year before it opened in Christmas of last year, the project was started with the concept of having a family home atmosphere with the utmost of luxury living for its guests. Often there is an air of stuffiness about certain hotels that boast top class facilities, which can make guests feel the need to act more formal than they would really like. So the owners of Sirilanna strove to deliver an accommodation that could offer the same level of service as a hotel but with a relaxed homely environment, common to northern Thai people.

After spending a short time perusing this luxury boutique hotel and its four different room types, a relaxed air certainly becomes palpable. Most people look forward to a laid back atmosphere in Chiang Mai, and as Sirilanna is perfectly placed in the very heart of the old city it was crucial that it met this expectation. Within this locale there is only a handful of accommodations that can match the level of opulence Sirilanna has achieved. To give you an idea of how well placed the hotel is, the intersection of Ratchapakinai Road and Ratchamanka Road where it stands is just a few seconds stroll to the famous Sunday Walking Street Market, a brief walk to Taphae Gate and has some of the most famous temples in the city dotted all around it.

The style of the decor can only be described as contemporary Lanna, and wherever you look there is something distinctly Lanna on show. Teak wood is the most dominant feature of the hotel, as in the past the majority of northern Thai homes were built from this famously strong and beautiful tree. Thus it was chosen as a means of conserving the northern Thai style design of a bygone era.

Fifteen exquisitely-finished rooms make up the living quarters and there is a consistent style throughout. On closer inspection, however, the fine details vary considerably; from the hand-carved solid teak wood doors to the interior decoration where abstract paintings in one room appear as stunning framed silver necklaces from a nearby province in another. There is no questioning the love of wood here, and every piece of furniture has been custom-made to the owner's exact specifications with the majority of the wooden furniture coming from Mandalay. Their extensive travelling experience has afforded them a wealth of ideas, and this hotel has given them the opportunity to create some wonderful pieces, many of which were hand-finished in Chiang Mai.

Deluxe, Sirilanna Luxury, Sirilanna Business, and Sirilanna Suite are the four room types here, and the suite is as good a room as you would expect to see in any hotel in the world, let alone in the city of Chiang Mai. As with all rooms, a state of the art Jacuzzi and walk-in shower unit can be found in the en suite bathroom, plus there is the lavish addition of a private swimming pool. Private notebooks are provided here and in all other rooms excluding the deluxe rooms, but if you have your own then you can make use of the free WiFi internet throughout the hotel. All rooms include individual air-conditioning control, a fully stocked mini bar & refrigerator, telephone, flat screen TV with cable television and in-house movies, bathrobe & slippers, a full set of toiletries, a personal safe, coffee machine and tea making equipment, and an outdoor balcony.

The salient hotel amenities are the outdoor swimming pool and the diminutive restaurant, which comes with a well-thought-out menu and a fully-stocked bar. Recommended dishes include the Penang Curry, Tom Kha Gai (chicken and galangal in coconut milk soup), and the Nam Prik Ong, a typical Lanna meal made up of a spicy pork and tomato dip with vegetables, pork crackling and rice. Each night guests can enjoy happy hour where from 5.30 to 7.30 drinks, including cocktails, whiskeys and wines, plus snacks and canapes are laid on free of charge. You wont find many establishments offering such a fine treat to their guests, and in addition to the standard service of an airport transfer, guests at Sirilanna can ask to be taken to and from wherever and whenever they like in the city. Unlimited hot and cold tea and coffee is the final complimentary delight at the hotel, which evidently has included these unique services to help guests feel as welcome and as pampered as possible during their stay here.