Located in the tropics of central Southeast Asia, the country that was once known as Siam is a place where culture, tradition and creativity thrive, and where nature abounds.
With a capital city that caters to every whim, craving and desire, few visitors feel the need to venture past the boundaries of cosmopolitan Bangkok. Yet, those who do are rewarded with treasure of immeasurable value. The chaotic city soon gives way to wild plains and verdant jungle, followed by dreamy coastlines and beautiful islands. Here, the hospitality is warm, the resorts spectacular and the ocean views unrivalled.
Wellness reigns supreme here, for mind, body and soul. Contemporary spa concepts are delivered through the lens of Thai ritual, a transformative experience that harmonises the relationship between mental and physical states. Food is fresh, nourishing and largely sourced from the sea, and the luxury properties that pepper the region provide personalised service and peaceful surrounds. From the Chao Praya River to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Yao Yai, Thailand’s most spectacular experiences can be found all over this tropical paradise.
Jewel of the north
137 Pillars House
Sitting beside the long pool, enveloped by oasis-like grounds with huge Indian rubber trees, palms and poincianas, and backdropped by a staggering three-storey wall of vines, I feel like I’ve slipped onto a movie set. A dapper butler glides up next to me and delivers an ‘Old House’ cocktail – a zingy union of chrysanthemum-infused gin, honey and lime – and a cool, lemongrass-scented towel. Dragonflies flutter over ponds dotted with lipstick-pink water lilies. Gentle sunlight creates dappled shadows through palm fronds. Welcome to the wonderful world of 137 Pillars House, a 30-room hotel on the east bank of the Ping River in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai. The film-set appeal is not just in my head.
If you’ve seen the 1956 film The King and I – or watched it performed in theatres around the world – you will no doubt have fallen in love with the story behind the unlikely friendship between the King of Siam (as Thailand was then known) and British writer Anna Leonowens. The movie is based on Anna’s autobiography, The English Governess and the Siamese Court, and documents her six years spent looking after the King’s children at the Royal Court in Bangkok. Anna’s son, a ‘teak wallah’, took up residence in Chiang Mai, his grand home built in the 1800s as part of the East Borneo Company headquarters, by whom he was employed.
It’s here that I sit today, ensconced in the romance of the colonial period that has been so beautifully preserved at this boutique property – which, true to its name, features 137 pillars of teak in (green curry with chicken and eggplant) and , a green papaya salad with the perfect balance of sweet and sour.
