I was completely blown over by the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, despite its being ultra-low season (I think there were only 2-3 other guests there...). They really made this a most lovely stay.

Even when dropping us off at Chiang Rai Airport, they suggested and took us first to see a temple (Wat Rong Khun) near the city, then brought us to an excellent Northern Thai food restaurant to let us grab some dinner--all on their own initiative.

We had some annoyances with our travel agent when we arrived (the resort was *not* at fault at all), and I think to make up for it, the lovely staff arranged for us to "float" a flying lantern (khom loy) on one of our nights.

I got the feeling that the staff really loved their resort, and wanted you to love it too.

The facilities were beautiful, especially the huge pool. The room was also very large, and it was nice to be greeted with a plate of fresh fruit on arrival, and to have a coffee maker in the room.

The soap, shampoo & conditioner were produced in a well-known Thai herbal medicine hospital--a nice local touch.

Also: Do try the northern sausages ("sai ua"...although they spelled it "sai auy" or something odd on the menu) at the restaurant, and get them with ginger, peanuts, garlic, lime & chillis; they are delicious!

The only things I didn't like so much:
- Some days, the air was very very smoky from all the brush fires (it's slash-and-burn cultivation zone...) during this season.
- Not much to do in the area immediately around the resort (but we did find a path that went over a nice hanging bamboo bridge and into the fields around the resort).

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I hope we'll have a chance to go again...

I stayed here with my husband for 2 nights, a great stay with a million memories,Large room clean and comfy bed, good food a good prices and staff that were so helpful.
we had three weeks in Thailand and it was the only hotel were everything was perfect/on time/charged the right price etc etc. They happily collected us from our hotel in Chiang Mai in a new luxery mini bus. We did the hill tribe package and had a great day trekkiing and visiting the real hill tribes, we took candies etc for the schools and saw all the kids studying.All the guides were superb and friendly. We had the most fabulous pool side dinner cooked by our selves! with help from a dozen staff all cooked in bamboo tubes on an open fire, so memorable and fun, I cannot thank evreyone enough . 3 days created a lifetime of memories. We will return. A special mention for Apple and Char real perfect hosts.

This is one of the very nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. Just extramely calming, relaxing with perfect service and situation. Located away from any town, in the woodland nearly 2 hours drive from ChangMai, the Suanthip Vana will make you want to come back to the area, just to stay there again. If you are looking for a luxury base for Northern Thailand, this has to be a top contender.

Rooms are impeccable, each with balconies and there are a range of self contained bungalows for guests wanting further privacy.

Staff all incredbily friendly and very good at helping with any problems.

From my personal experience.. I would say that if you have some doubts about staying here.. Stop Having them... Stay.!!
: )

I have been stay at Suanthip Vana Resort with my family twice times already. You wont disappointed to stay here, It was fantastic! Exactly what we were looking for- peaceful, chilled time in beautiful surroundings, Highly recommend waking early to capture the beautiful sunrise from your big terrace.

This hotel is really a getaway from the outside world. It's the kind of place you go to escape, and read books, spend quality time with your family/partner, eat and drink. We loved it, and would highly recommend.