My wife and I have stayed in Chaing Mai before and always enjoyed it. This time we wanted to upgrade a bit as we wanted to take her Thai parents along & knew they'd enjoy being in Chiang on the river. I'd also brought a colleague from work in the US & wanted to make sure all had the best and that everyone would be happy.

The Sala Lanna was superb. When we arrived the upgraded her parents room to a river view with a large balcony which they really enjoyed. The staff is very friendly and genuine.

The rooms themselves look great on the website: but are even better in person. They are stylish, fresh and clean and enhance the location along the Mae Ping, without overpowering it. Everything is new top grade and works: A/C, wifi, hot water, lighting, plumbing (very very nice). Nothing left out. The beds are amongst the best in Thailand period.

The 2 restaurants one Thai fusion & the other contemporary Italian were excellent and moderately priced. The included breakfast is a full menu choice: varied and cooked to order. I recommend the Asian (boiled rice with pork and squid) or if you prefer western: The Spanish with the omelet & shaved Parma ham.

The service is great and what you want and expect in a top boutique. The restaurant floor manager was trained and worked for years at The Oriental Chiang Mai. Pare, our waitress holds a BA in French & worked previously in Disney World Orlando. Ann another of the great wait staff speaks flawless English and grew up near my wife's home town of Kamphaeng Phet. The front desk staff also was very helpful and attended to our every need Pae and the others helped my elderly in laws and our 4 year old son throughout our stay.

We had a wonderful stay in Chiang Mai and loved the beauty & serenity of the Sala Lanna and its friendly staff. We will be back soon.

I recently stayed at the Sala Lanna with my brother in May. The hotel is a small very new boutique hotel with only 16 rooms. The restaurant breakfast every morning is delicious and it comes with a daily fresh glass of fruit juice! You can sit indoors or outdoors overlooking the Ping River. Although the rooftop pool area was not finished it was quiet and relaxing and has an amazing view of the river and city. When it is finished (perhaps it is already completed) there will be a rooftop bar that will be a great addition.
The staff at the hotel are wonderful. They were incredibly helpful organizing our plans for our three days in Chiang Mai by reserving our spots for the elephant nature camp, arranging drivers for us, and even calling the airlines to help us with flight questions! Pai was wonderful but all the staff were great.
The hotel is also in a great location. I was hesitant because it is on the other side of the river from the night market but this was actually perfect. You could walk if you were feeling energetic or take a Tuk-Tuk for 60 Baht (about 2-3 dollars). There is a fun bar right down the street that has live music every night and was really fun and the Italian restaurant through the hotel was also delicious!
I would DEFINITELY stay here again. The hotel has everything you need, is a great location, rooms are great and staff was wonderful!

Rooms:
• Love the décor, clean and minimalist (you can tell it’s Ikea, but tastefully so)
• Heaps of sockets everywhere, so convenient
• Balconies are spacious and fantastic for lounging after a long day of elephants/tours. Does not get much sun though

General:
• Location isn’t old city centre but it’s a good area with a couple of nice galleries, cafes and 2 highly recommended restaurants. 10min to night market, 15min to city centre by taxi
• Al Fresco dining area was very nice for breakfast
• Very impressive wifi throughout
• Great staff generally, well trained, good English (bar the restaurant, refer to cons)
• Dinner at Sala Lanna Eatery and Bar was great Thai and European food, not pricey either
• Roof top pool with massive and ample sun beds, towels. Pool however, is pretty small

Tips:
•Bring LOTS of mozzie spray

Cons:
• Restaurant:
oBreakfast was below average. My friend didn’t even bother on the 2nd day because the first was that dreadful. Croissants were lumpy, pork balls were still raw on the inside, ham was inedible, waffles were soggy. Juices were their redeeming factor – very fresh and tasty. He went for an English breakfast set which arrived with no beans and no yogurt.
o Staff in the resto needs to learn both the menu and also more english!