Staying at Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai

Words simply can’t describe the beauty of Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai. Expectations were high before we even arrived at the property as our taxi driver proclaimed, “Oh wow, you’re staying at the nicest resort in Chiang Mai.” Fast forward 30 minutes after we departed from the airport and we quickly realized he wasn’t lying. The Dhara Dhevi is simply the best hotel in Chiang Mai.

The long driveway leading into the property and past the beautiful temple is lined with a myriad of multi-cultural architecture. The property boasts art and architecture from a number of cultures, but predominantly: Lan Na, Thai, and Myanmar.

Cotton candy skies over Chiangmai 💗 Checked into the @dharadhevichiangmai just in time for some amazing food, my first time ever trying Muay Thai, and the most incredible sunset! Safe to say i’m loving every second here ☺️✨

A post shared by Alex | California (@alexandra_carson) on Jun 22, 2017 at 10:13am PDT

Upon check-in, we were driven to our villa, and our expectations continued to be shattered. Our villa was 2 stories! This room now not only opulent but was also larger than most people’s homes! We had our own private pool, an office, and even a kitchen. As you might be able to comprehend, we debated asking if we could move in full-time.

After we got settled, the next 24-hours was JAM packed with activities and incredible culinary experiences. Here are our suggestions for what to do, see, and eat at Dhara Dhevi.

Things to do at Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai

As one might expect, The Dhara Dhevi provides a plethora of activities at the resort. Resorts don’t want you to leave. They want to create an experience on-site that enables travelers to learn about the local culture, experience the local food, and RELAX! Our favorite things to do at Dhara Dhevi are:

Float like a 🦋, sting like a 🐝. ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ @alexandra_carson and I had so much fun at our Muay Thai training class with @dharadhevichiangmai last week. I’m a bit of a paradox. I grew up in a city that’s a bit rough and went to schools where fights happened all the time, yet I’ve never been in a fight. I’m a lover, not a fighter. It was awesome to train with a local semi-pro and learn some tricks and tips from him. (Yes, I know you’re suppose to use your gloves to block your face so you don’t get a hook to the jaw…but it made for a better picture if I lowered my gloves haha).

A post shared by Michael ✈️Couple’s Coordinates (@michael_j_gallagher) on Jun 28, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT

• Muay Thai Boxing Class
• Swim in the pool/relax in the jacuzzi
• Workout in the beautiful fitness center
• Take a yoga class
• Take a Thai cooking class
• Ride bikes around the property (free for guests to rent)
• Treat yourself to a day at the spa. We enjoyed some of the most relaxing massages we have ever had. Pretty sure we both fell asleep and woke up feeling as if we were in a dream.
• Stay in your villa and enjoy its grandeur! Take a bath in the MASSIVE bath tub, shower with the rainfall shower head, and take a plunge in your private plunge pool outside.

This place is a freaking oasis. Thank you to the team at @dharadhevichiangmai for the incredible hospitality! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Today was an epic first day in Chiang Mai. We started the day off by eating at an Italian restaurant here on the property. The food was so surprisingly amazing (we tend to find Italian food outside of Italy is rarely good, and the exceptions are almost invariably Italian chefs living in another country) that I asked if the chef was Italian, and of course, he is half Thai and half Italian and studied culinary arts when he lived in Italy for years. This gave me the unexpected opportunity to speak Italian to someone in Thailand. Definitely an awesome memory for me to have created here and a new friend as well. Piacere, Dario! If you followed along on my obnoxiously long Instagram story you saw we took a Muay Thai class, toured this gorgeous estate at Dhara Dhevi, ate our weight in food, saw a traditional Thai ceremony, and a whole lot of other stuff from riding bikes to relaxing at the spa. Today was jam packed with epic activities, but tomorrow is going to be even more epic. Watch for some amazing stories. 🐘 🐘 🇹🇭

A post shared by Michael ✈️Couple’s Coordinates (@michael_j_gallagher) on Jun 22, 2017 at 9:46am PDT

Dining at Dhara Dhevi

One thing we love about 5-star resorts is the culinary experience. Have you ever eaten Italian food in Thailand? Well, you should.

• Allegro – Italian trattoria – We knew that we were going to enjoy the traditional Thai experience for dinner, so our first meal had to be Italian at Allegro. The food was so authentic and the menu so unmistakably Italian, that we asked to meet the chef. Turns out that he is half Italian and half Thai. He has lived both in Italy and Thailand and actually cooked at one of our favorite restaurants in Florence, Il Pallgio.
• Le Grand Lanna – Here you will find traditional Thai cuisine with northern/Chiang Mai area specialties. They even have live music and dancing performances for you to enjoy while you dine.
• Akaligo – Breakfast/brunch buffet which offers indoor and patio seating. We STUFFED our faces here. They offer everything from an omelet bar to a juice bar, a lovely pastry assortment, etc. They essentially have anything you could possibly want for breakfast.

It goes without saying, but we LOVED our time at Dhara Dhevi and we absolutely cannot wait to return. We want to send a huge thank you to the team at Dhara Dhevi for their unrivaled hospitality.