Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort

At the confluence of the Sop Ruak and the Mekong rivers is the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. Here, on a wooded ridge with views of all three countries, is the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, overlooking the waters of the Mekong.

The contrast between the ageless and unspoiled natural setting and the high-gloss modern hospitality of the resort could hardly be greater. Anantara’s rooms and suites are the height of contemporary luxury, designed in a modern-Eastern style with teak and terrazzo floors and sprawling bathrooms with two-person bathtubs. Facilities include a fitness center complete with squash and tennis courts, swimming pool, two restaurants and the Opium Terrace bar, as well as the spa’s five treatment rooms, offering traditional Thai massage as well as arometherapy and Ayurvedic treatments.

Spa treatments, however luxurious, are far from unique; elephant tours, however, are quite a bit closer — the nearby Thai Elephant Conservation Center offers guests a taste of this most antiquated mode of transport. On the same day you can travel by oxcart, and take a long-tail boat ride up the Mekong to Laos — and when the tour’s over the ultramodern comforts of Anantara await.

How to get there: Chiang Rai International Airport is served by several daily flights from Bangkok; from there Anantara is an hour's drive, with limo service available by arrangement with the hotel.