Luxury Journey to Chiang Mai



When it comes to transport in Thailand (depending on your vacation time frame)-I would say take the train every time. Not only will you see more, meet more and enjoy more. You will spend a comparatively luxury-time from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. (First class of course is an almost certain luxury).

Approximately thirteen hours of train ride, on the special express sleeper train- the nicest way to travel will get you on the night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Of course, part of the journey will be through darkness, but you can't miss those amazing views of sunset, sunrise and dawn from the train. One of the great things about the Thai trains is that you won't be confined to one single cabin. You will have the luxury of walking up and down the whole train to stretch your legs, take a window breather, go for a smoke or just have that cup of coffee or bottle of beer in the buffet car at the other end of the train. It in fact (although without the luxury) it does remind me a little of one of those European orient express journeys.

When you first get onto the train, you will notice that there doesn't actually appear to be anywhere to sleep-a bit of a worry at first until you realize that the seats are designed to fold up into a carriage of two tiered beds-quite ingenious really. At about 9pm or so, the bedding staff will come round to set up the beds for you-everything is sparkling clean, sheets, pillows and a light blanket-just like a mobile hotel. And if you get bored of sleeping during the night -there's always that midnight stroll you can take either up to one of the carriage ends or to the buffet car-these (in my experience) have been known to stay open most of the night- and if you are real lucky, you will be able to experience one of those all night buffet car parties. Not for the faint hearted I should imagine-of course there is first class and apart from the noise of the train you will not have to worry about any other noise (buffet parties inc.) keeping you awake all night. As sunrise approaches you will find that most passengers have stirred to catch a glimpse of a beautiful dawn view of Chiang Mai province countryside-a stunning site that cannot be seen from any airplane or the bus. This indeed, is a rare treat in the early morning before checking into to your hotel at the start of your tour of Chiang Mai.

Arrived in Chiang Mai

The first thing you will notice when you arrive here is that compared with Bangkok, and although being the second largest city in Thailand, Chiang Mai is actually very serene, very green and very spiritually enriched. Amongst the wonders of this city, is the fact that Chiang Mai is major hub for luxury and contemporary furniture design. Woods used for the purpose of creating furniture includes hard woods such as teaks, luxury rosewoods and rattan. Chiang Mai artisans have been famed for centuries in the arts of furniture making and their skills are applied to the design and creation of the some of the more prestigious luxury hotel d'cor around Thailand.

Chiang Mai Hotels

The luxury Dusit Chiang Mai hotel offers first class facilities and services that will make your stay in Chiang Mai a perfect one. Adorned in a revitalizing urbane and contemporary Thai d'cor, the Dusit boasts 131 luxury yet spacious rooms. Along with health and fitness state-of-the -art facilities, cuisine here is of excellent standard, combining a taste of the East with western cuisine. Located in the heart of Chiang Mai down-town allows great access to the famed night bazaar, bustling restaurants and great shopping.