This week’s dream:
Thailand’s northern capital
Some places are designed by the “gods of style,” said Susan Spano in the Los Angeles Times. These trendy deities’ previous handiwork has included Southwest-chic Santa Fe; art deco South Beach in Florida; the French-Moroccan magic of Marrakesh; and the midcentury modern look of Palm Springs, Calif. Now they’ve decided it’s Thailand’s turn. In recent years they’ve transformed Chiang Mai, the country’s ancient northern capital, into yet another global center “for cool contemporary architecture and design.” Serious shoppers head to Nimmanhaemin Road, where many of the upscale design shops are clustered.
Located 400 miles north of Bangkok, Chiang Mai dates back to 1296. Up until a decade ago, however, the town was mostly popular with the backpack crowd, which trekked to nearby tribal villages “and feasted on dollar-a-plate Pad Thai.” Then the government began lavishing money on the city, and “things went from dull to dynamic.” Both the Four Seasons Resort and the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi offer luxurious accommodations. But the moderately priced River View Lodge, about 20 miles from town, is a comfortable alternative. Surrounded by a medieval moat, Chiang Mai is best explored by foot, or on occasion by tuk-tuk, “a sort of motorized rickshaw.” At every turn throughout the city are stalls offering skewers of barbecued chicken in peanut sauce, frog legs cooked in basil, and other local delicacies.
Temple-hopping can be fatiguing “but rarely fails to fascinate.” The most impressive of the temples is Doi Suthep, reached via a 300-step stairway that overlooks the town. Covered in gilding, it contains a relic of Lord Buddha. Saffron-robed monks regularly traverse the Ping River on their way to and from the 15th-century Ketkaram Temple. The Wat Ket district, on the east bank, teems with restored teak wallah mansions. At the end of a day of wandering and shopping, the inviting Chedi Hotel is the perfect place to relax. Its exterior walls “hide a show-stopping courtyard,” with a restored Thai-Victorian British consulate built in 1913 at its center. The restaurant “spills onto a candlelit terrace” and offers an international menu.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Contact: Tourismthailand.org
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 conspiratorial cartoons about FEMA
Cartoons Artists take on paper towel politics, king-sized conspiracies, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Take an island-hopping trip around Brittany
The Week Recommends From neolithic monuments to colourful harbours, there is much to discover
By The Week UK Published
-
Why has Joker: Folie à Deux divided critics?
Talking Point The sequel to Joker is 'staggeringly inept' in its attempts to explore mental health issues – but Lady Gaga is 'magnetic'
By The Week UK Published