Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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LIVING IT UP:
Kaomai Lanna Resort -
A resort with a conscience

Text: Finley B. Luge
Images: Karin

Verdant

Sanpatong is one of the many districts of Chiang Mai with its own distinct history and culture, located about 20 kilometres south of the city en route to Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain. Founded in the early 8^th Century, the traditions of the Buddhist community have been passed down through generations, with their livelihood now dependent largely on agricultural produce of sticky rice, shallots and garlic. For around 40 years, tobacco played a major part in the lives of northern Thai people, and Santpatong locals benefited from regular work at tobacco farms and tobacco curing barns. However, in the mid-eighties the tobacco industry was lost to China and the curing barns that had once flourished began to fade, replaced by real-estate projects and fruit orchards.

However, one tobacco farm owner decided to preserve a few structures. Indeed, Mr. Thawat Cherdsatirakul, being the garden lover that he is, kept all of his verdant 48 rai (approximately 19 acres) area of land as a place for the family to spend weekends together. In 1997, Mr. Thawat converted the barns into guestrooms for friends and relatives, conserving the entire old brick layers and rebuilding new interior structures, and over time thirty-six guestrooms were renovated from eighteen barns, with 30 untouched barns remaining. The surrounding land was also gradually transformed into a peaceful garden and has become what is now one of the most unique resorts in Northern Thailand.

Each renovated barn has been converted into two storeys with separate rooms decorated in a post-Lanna style, and furnished with antique Thai and Burmese colonial furniture with four distinct colour themes adopted. All come with en suite bathrooms, air conditioning, mini bar and cable TV, and the Deluxe and Kaomai Lanna Deluxe both have bathtubs, with the latter boasting lovely private balconies. While guests on upper floors can experience the Thai tradition of sleeping on a mattress set on a raised teak wooden floor, guests on the lower floors will find their rooms furnished with authentic teak wood antique beds.

Decades-old tropical shady trees have been preserved, affording vast areas of shade and are complemented by numerous palms and a variety of bamboos and flowers that can be found all over the resort. Two ponds remain from the past, which at one time were used as the main water source of the tobacco plant. Several old structures are also dotted around the resort, including the old tobacco plant supervisor's house, which is now the spa outlet, four ancient Karen houses, cottages, and an old Thai Lanna house currently used as the textile outlet. Herbs and vegetables are the mainstays of the resort's agricultural output and in between these old buildings are gardens of chillies, sweet basil and countless other herbs that add that famous bite to the sumptuous Thai and Lanna food served from the kitchen located in one of the old kilns in the resort.

No barn like home

The resort's facilities include a large outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, Spa, Yoga and meditation classes, a jogging track, and bicycles can be rented free of charge for use around the resort or for exploring further afield. The tropical style restaurant in the entrance area entices passers by and guests alike with its antique decorated wooden furniture and serves delicious local northern cuisine such as Kao Soi, and a variety of Thai-Chinese dishes that can be enjoyed in pleasant surroundings with a forest-cooled, open-air atmosphere.

Built based on the balance between nature and culture the resort offers exhibiting space for emerging artists to develop and promote their work in a creative environment. Far from being just a place to stay and eat it is has a clear eco-friendly concept and has been created as a community-based resort, operating under the principles of environmental and community sustainability. People who come here, be it for a weekend away or as part of a team-building excursion, are able to experience art and culture workshops such as wood carving, hand-made paper and doll-making, and an assortment of bespoke package deals, all of which are native to the area. These include elephant eco-trips, a unique opportunity to interact with elephants and gain insight into the Asian culture of elephant training at a camp relatively unknown to tourists; a trip to the Chiang Mai doll-making centre, an absorbing day out where the biggest collection of dolls in northern Thailand can be found, some of which are truly breathaking; and a visit to Dong Pasong village, where a wide range of Sa Paper products can be found and workshops for adults and children are offered.

In the future, certain of the tobacco-curing barns will be converted into a museum to exhibit the history of tobacco industry in the north of Thailand and to act as a centre of knowledge for the local community. Others are to be renovated into suitable places for artists to create their masterpieces, to add more uniquely designed guestrooms, and one will be converted into a pool room. Kaomai Lanna Resort does its best to work for the community and to ensure guests experience a local way of life whilst enjoying wonderful surrounds and accommodation, and is somewhere that offers a fresh perspective of Chiang Mai.