Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai sits in Mae Rim Valley, about a thirty-minute drive north of the city, looking out over working rice terraces and the mountains behind them. The setting is the reason to come here rather than to a city property — you are in the valley, not in Chiang Mai itself.

The resort holds ninety-eight pavilions and villas, each built with vaulted ceilings, covered verandas, and polished teak floors. Thai cotton textiles and Siamese artwork furnish the rooms; overhead fans run alongside the air conditioning. Each unit has satellite television, a DVD player, a safe, a refrigerator, and wireless internet. Private pools are available in the villa category and in a number of the residences.

On-site dining covers Thai cuisine, broader Asian cooking, and international dishes. Beyond the restaurants, the resort runs cooking lessons — useful if you want to take something home from northern Thailand beyond photographs. Other facilities include infinity pools, tennis courts, and a health club.

Guests arriving from Chiang Mai city or the airport will need a vehicle; the valley location means you are not walking to anything outside the resort grounds, so plan transfers and any excursions into the city in advance.