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By Ingram Kant
There is a sala in Chiang Mai to which I will always return. It
is perched high in the tree line, has a natural wooden walkway from
which you enter into a sumptuous and commodious room and then wander
through into a tastefully and comprehensively equipped bathroom.
"Grace" is the word that comes immediately to mind. I
laid down on the bed for just a moment, gazing at the high-vaulted
ceiling and realised I was lying on the very best mattress in the
world. I discovered afterwards, attention always to detail, that
the resort had commissioned these special mattresses to their own
specification and design. They were truly a "one-off".
This, - and so much more, - is The Four Seasons Resort in Chiang
Mai.
Spectacularly located, the resort nestles deeply into the lush
Mae Rim valley some 20 minutes north of the city of Chiang Mai,
but really a world apart. Extensively landscaped gardens sweep effortlessly
down to join sculptured authentic rice paddies where buffaloes roam,
where waterfalls cascade, where lily ponds shimmer and where lakes
glow in the rising sun whilst an infinite variety of magnificent
birds adorn the air and the trees.
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"Good morning, Mr. K, how are you today?" Chant the two,
- yes two, liveried attendants as they convey my breakfast to my
sala, presenting it within one minute of the exact time promised
when I had ordered it some 25 minutes previously. They position
my food for best aesthetic appeal, they bring my personal toaster
from its hiding place beside my mini bar, to ensure I eat only fresh
and warm toast.
"Shall I put your toaster on now, Sir?" I was asked. Not
a common question in most hotels of the world.
I nodded, he spread my napkin on my dressing-gowned knees and then
removed the covering from my plate, presenting my breakfast to me
in the style of the best restaurants of the world. Here, alone in
my own sala!
Checking that all was to my satisfaction, the two spotless attendants,
uniforms reflecting traditional "Lanna" style with an
understated hilltribe influence in the cut and use of natural fabric
colouring, gracefully retired.
Around me the world was waking up. A peaceful world. The leaves
lightly rustled in a gentle wind, the waking birds cheerfully welcomed
the tardy dawn while I relished in grand five-star (at least) isolation.
At peace with myself, with nature, in this wedge of discreet ostentation
in a world where unqualified detailed care is not commonplace.
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The trees around me are sufficiently dense to ensure privacy yet
offer a tantalizing glimpse of the infinity pools chiselled into
the gently reducing rice paddies, ensuring a balance and harmony
with nature. I love the smaller pool that proclaims "This is
a quiet area, unsuitable for children", - I just love it! Within
the manicured gardens there are a selection of around 300 varieties
of plants and trees, some very rare and exotic, they are embellished
further by several attractive terracotta sculptures and friezes.
The entire resort has been faithfully modelled on the architecture
of a traditional village in northern Thailand and in 1996 won the
prestigious "Heritage Preservation Award" presented by
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for its architect, Ajarn Chulathat
Kitibutr.
By mid-morning I am already anticipating my G&T to be sipped
when dusk descends and the resort assumes a special magic all its
own, as the water buffaloes arrive to graze in the near distance
at the edge of the rice paddies and the 50 blue-uniformed gardeners
swing their flaming torches to trigger the myriad lights of the
pathways and gardens. A starlight spectacle at ground level.
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In the evening I listen to the creatures of the night around my
secure and private sala as my coffee percolates beside me, my romantic
CD's, courtesy of the hotel, seduce the senses. I feel truly at
home. I place my slippered feet at the far end of my elaborately
cushioned day bed, sipped my brandy and coffee alternately and,
possessed of a delightful slothfulness, wondered whether to simply
curl up where I was, on this elegant sala and await the dawn. Then
I remembered that perfect mattress and managed to wander the short
distance to my turned-down bed and the quiescent bliss awaiting
me.
I switched on my bedside light and picked up my novel to read a
chapter or two before sleeping, there, in the open page of the night
before, I discovered a complimentary Four Seasons bookmark, - brilliant!
This attention to detail, this consideration for guest comfort and
pleasure will bring me back, time and again, to my sala in Chiang
Mai, where timeless surroundings are enhanced by matchless Thai
hospitality and grace, where you are forced to slow down and absorb
the rhythms of nature.
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