Raya Heritage Chiang Mai's top luxury hotel renovation trip, close to nature

Raya Heritage's serene atmosphere makes it the perfect base for discovering the unique charms of the region at an unhurried pace.This sentence on the hotel's official website well summarizes our feelings during the two days, the leisurely pace, the close to nature environment, and the peaceful and Zen atmosphere. There are a total of 38 rooms in the hotel, divided into 3 types. The cheapest is the Rin suite we stayed in this time, which is on the second floor. The Huen Bon suite is on the third floor of the hotel. The terrace has a higher view, and the most The most expensive ones are the Kraam suites on the first floor, each with its own small swimming pool. The layout of the suites on the 2nd and 3rd floors is similar, and the area is also 75 square meters. I personally think Rin is very cost-effective.  

The hotel opened in 2018. As the only LHW hotel in Chiang Mai, Raya is considered to be very popular among the top luxury hotels in Chiang Mai. It is competitive. Unless the defunct Mandarin Chiang Mai is redeveloped by a powerful acquirer, compared with other well-established top luxury brands such as 137 Pillars or Four Seasons, the hardware facilities, services, and prices are very cost-effective. (When Annatara in Chiang Mai was called Chedi, the house price was still relatively competitive for less than a thousand yuan. After the name change, I feel that only the price has increased to the highest level of luxury, and nothing else has changed)


Design Hardware


The huge black pool in the lobby is very Ridley Scott's style



The resort concept stems from northern Thai culture's simple, elegant approach to life and art, and the social value placed on living in balance with nature and the surrounding community. Immersed in tranquil natural surroundings on the banks of the Ping river, Raya Heritage's serene atmosphere makes it the perfect base for discovering the unique charms of the region at an unhurried pace. - From the hotel's official website

The hotel's main building is surrounded by two trees The centuries-old trees and the ground are paved with terracotta bricks, which dissipate heat and prevent moisture. Together with the tall white columns in the corridor, the entire hall has a sense of space. The interlacing light and shadow during the day and the century-old trees in the yard enrich the level of the landscape. , the use of a large number of original wooden columns and beams, as well as mulberry paper screens in the building, restore the traditional Lanna architectural style. Wooden or bamboo farm tools can be seen everywhere as decoration, which further emphasizes the local pastoral temperament, and the hotel is full of decorations. Surrounded by carefully tended tropical green plants, you can see flowers and greenery growing wantonly everywhere. The type of each tree is carefully marked under each tree in the yard.
  





Two century-old trees


The hotel is the work of a relatively young Thai architectural designer, Boonlert Hemvijitraphan, who graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University of London. Most of his design works are mansions for Thai celebrities, Raya It should be the first hotel work he designed. Boon Design is very good at using courtyards to create scattered and diverse connections between houses and botanical gardens. The bright sunshine and huge green plants unique to Southeast Asia are calmly arranged throughout the building. The large white area is like a canvas, and the sunlight and branches cast various patterns throughout the day. Not only does the landscape and architecture integrate spatially, the ample space in the courtyard also helps enhance air flow, giving the two century-old trees in the courtyard ample space to grow. The traditional style and natural pastoral texture are combined with a very modern feel. The method is combined with everything, so that people can feel the breath close to nature and the comfortable atmosphere when they are in it, "open and free".
  


Other architectural design works of Boon Design-Mansion

They simply let the house breathe, cast the shadow, let the light in. Flexibility and adjustability are unique to Hemvijitraphan's enclosure design for they allow the dwellers to go from being snuggly enclosed and protected to become fully open and free. - from Boon Design official website

The culture of the hotel, utilizing modern Materials and thinking are used to combine and continue tradition. This is not only reflected in the architectural style, but also in many details.
  
Service.Room

After booking the room from Booking, I sent a message to the hotel to reserve a room with a good view. , I made a reservation for afternoon tea, and received a timely reply from the hotel, and sent information about the shuttle bus from the hotel to the ancient city. I left a message saying that this was a birthday Trip for a friend I was Traveling with, and the hotel also sent it when turning down at night. I bought a birthday cake and my friend was very surprised.
  
It takes about fifteen minutes to take a taxi from the ancient city to the hotel. As soon as you arrive at the hotel, the front desk immediately offers you a unique welcome drink, iced lotus root juice, and ice towels with a faint scent of essential oil, accompanied by a Zen-like atmosphere. The music feels very refreshing and peaceful.
  

welcom drink

When he led us to the room to check in, the air conditioner in the room had been turned on to a cooler temperature in advance. After the service staff gave a brief introduction to the room facilities, he confirmed us again After afternoon tea time and time to participate in hotel activities, we left. During the two days we stayed, the hotel's service staff gave us the impression that they were enthusiastic and professional. The girl who helped us order at dinner gave very detailed recommendations on the menu and wine list. The hotel's front desk staff gave us calm and fluent introductions, and the breakfast order We asked the waiter at the time to recommend one of the restaurants on Asia Manu to try. He proudly said that they were all delicious. Everyone was filled with love for the hotel and enthusiasm for the job, The energy that a person exudes in doing something he likes can easily infect others. It is very impressive that a hotel can do this in its management.

There are flowers outside the room terrace


The solid wood door carved from teak is very textured


The bamboo slippers are very nice Comfortable


My friend gave me a cake for his birthday




Mosquito repellent


Herbal tea in the Mini Bar in the room


Mini Bar on the terrace side



The overall color of the room is white. A lot of bamboo and wood carving lighting fixtures and hand-made pottery are used throughout. The overall earth tones are natural and simple and very comfortable. The lighting in the room is very soft, most of them are light sources. Several ambient lights are made of bamboo or fabric. The bed The fabrics are all made of natural cotton or linen and feel very good against the skin. Especially the bathrobes are made of natural fabric similar to seersucker. All supplies are the hotel's own brand and can be purchased at the store at the door. The fragrance is of plants and herbs. One is white ginger essential oil, and there are also handmade soaps with tamarind and turmeric flavors, which are commonly used local spices. They are very refreshing. Especially the mosquito repellent water has a strong aroma of citronella and lemongrass. A small tube is very refreshing. It is placed in a small bamboo container. The do not disturb sign is also a small bamboo pendant. Citronella bags are also hung in the elevator to repel mosquitoes. All the arrangements are very detailed. The mattress is slightly firm and has good support. The tiles in the shower room are made locally and the color is very natural. The most impressive thing is that there are bamboo straw hats and bamboo bags hung at the door for guests to use. Taking photos during hotel activities reminds me of An Yu.
  

The lids of the snacks given at turndown are made of leaves



The bathrobe material is very special




Very huge and thick teak frame




Mosquito repellent citronella bags hanging in the elevator


The mini bar provides hanging coffee and rich herbal tea



The restrooms in public areas use relatively environmentally friendly hand towels


Wet and dry slippers are provided

One-third of the room is given to the huge terrace outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. This terrace is our favorite part. It seems to have a suction force. Friends will collapse on it as soon as they go there. Vogue magazine also took a photo of this hotel terrace. After breakfast , slumped on the terrace together again, and even called the front desk to postpone our stay, because we simply wanted to slump on the terrace for a while longer.
  


Huge terrace

Catering

We had afternoon tea, bar, dinner and breakfast at Raya. We booked afternoon tea on the afternoon of the first day of arrival.
  
Afternoon Tea

The cafe is called LAAN CHA, seems to be the name of a local herbal tea. We ordered a 990 baht set (about 200 yuan). You can choose 6 items on the menu, plus Tea or coffee, although it is a set for 2 people, 12 deserts are enough for 3 people. We ordered half and half salty and sweet for the dazzling three-layer snacks.
  
The afternoon tea menu and dinner menu not only include traditional northern Thai meals, but the menu also seems to draw on some sauces and spices from Laos, Myanmar, and even Yunnan cuisine, which I collectively call "Dai cuisine" "We have been studying the menu for a long time, and many of the dish names look interesting. For example, Miang is a salad appetizer with rich spices and nuts wrapped in leaves. Traditional Northern Thai cuisine is usually called Miang kham. There is also Laos-flavored Miang Laos. In addition to regular coconut pudding and other desserts, there are also some Northern Thai fried dishes. Chicken or other meaty savory snacks. If you are interested, you can study the menu. All snacks are homemade in the hotel, and some are original. This is completely different from the finished products of Annatara's custom-made Western snack suppliers. It is very novel and interesting.
  



Bar


The hotel bar is very quiet. The decoration is mainly black and hidden among the dense green plants. We found that there is a buy one get one free bartender before 19 o'clock in the evening, so we went there before dinner. It took two rounds of bartending.
  
The wine list doesn’t have many special drinks. We tried them all. The one we liked the most was the signature Baan Ta. This name is the name of the hotel lobby. I consulted Ye Jiang, who studied Thai. According to the pronunciation, the word is It means "home" in Thai. Haha, if you drink too much, it will feel like home everywhere.
  

The yellow cup is Baan Ta



Dinner


We once thought that dinner in a hotel restaurant like this would be very expensive, but the original snacks at afternoon tea gave us a good impression, so we decided to have dinner Also ate at the hotel restaurant. The hotel’s main restaurant is called Khu Khao, which is the name of a farm tool used to sift grains, similar to our dustpans. It can be seen that the restaurant’s main focus is grain-based Asian cuisine.
  



Because we were not sure about the amount of dishes, we looked at the menu and thought that each dish would cost about 2 to 300 baht (RMB 40 to 50 yuan), so we guessed that the amount should not be large. However, when the dishes arrived, we found that every dish was substantial. A large plate of course also came with rice, so we actually ordered for about 5 people. . . . I also tried my best to eat a dessert of ice cream, so the per capita consumption was about 120 yuan. At this price, you can't even imagine being full in a Thai restaurant in Shanghai. The restaurant's dishes are generally refreshing and lightly seasoned. According to the introduction, many organic and natural ingredients are used, so in order to highlight the original flavor, there will not be many seasonings. However, several dishes are paired with the hotel's homemade sauces, which are rich in spices and have a good taste. Satisfies a heavy talker like me.
  



My friend who was Traveling with me loves wine. I found that there was local red wine from Hua Hin Winery in Thailand on the wine list, so I tried a bottle. I don’t understand red wine. Friends said that in terms of taste, this price is good value for money.
  
After eating, the roadside of the hotel was lit with oil lamps, giving it an antique atmosphere




We booked yoga for the next morning , started at 7 o'clock with the sound of birds chirping, and after an hour of yoga, the morning light was shining on the lawn beside the Ping River, and it was time to have breakfast.
  
Breakfast is still in the main restaurant, but the atmosphere is completely different from the lighting at night. The morning light pouring in through the tall windows is very bright and hearty. Breakfast is an a la carte system rather than a buffet. Each person can order 6 items on the menu. , in fact, each of us was almost full after eating 4 items. Because the Western part on the menu is the regular branch, we were more interested in the Asia Manu part. We asked the waiter which one to recommend in the Asia part. The waiter said, everything in Asia is Recommended!
  








It took about an hour and a half to eat breakfast. Most of the ingredients are natural and organic. Even the jam with the bread is homemade from fresh fruits in the hotel. There is a pot of edible mint on the table. You can pick the leaves and throw them into the water. After doing yoga, eating a big meal like this makes me feel rejuvenated.