Raya Heritage

Many hotels in the inland city of Chiang Mai make much of their urban setting, in order to differentiate themselves from the beachfront idylls of Phuket or Koh Samui. But the cultural capital of the north isn’t really about the hustle of city life. Raya Heritage is a prime example. Set among lush gardens at the side of the Ping river, about twenty minutes’ drive to the north of the city center, Raya Heritage is as calm and tranquil as many a more far-flung rural resort.

It’s styled as Thailand’s first “artisanal” resort, which means that not only did architect Boonlert Hemvijitraphan and designer Vichada Sitakalin get free rein to let their imaginations run wild, but they also were given a mandate to employ local artisans and craftspeople wherever possible — resulting not in some off-the-shelf “international” design, with the same details you find in boutique hotels all over the world, but in a truly one-of-a-kind, custom-made experience.

Khu Khao is the signature restaurant, serving dishes from northern Thailand as well as Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan, China, while the Laan Cha Tea Terrace and the Baan Ta Lounge and Lawn are more or less self-explanatory. Meanwhile the Ai Waan Spa applies a Northern spin to the familiar Thai massage. It’s retro in spirit, if not in aesthetics — a throwback to a sort of idealized past when travel was an event rather than a commodity. Sound familiar?