Mae-Sa Valley, Chiangmai hotels Thailand

MAE-SA VALLEY RESORT

Thailand's most unusual holiday experience

Less than an hour's drive from Thailand's northern capital of Chiang Mai, amid thickly-forested hills and misty valleys, lies the Mae-Sa Valley Resort. Two thousand feet high, in an area of great scenic charm, the landscape has been adapted to provide a new experience in holiday enchantment. Individual thatched-roof houses and bamboo cottages provide accommodation that blends beautifully with the setting and meets high standards of comfort. The mountain climate provides bright sunny days for exploring : crisp, cool evenings for fireside gatherings. And the cultivated terraces provide a riot of tropical and temperate flowers, along with all the vegetables served fresh at our restaurant. The Mae-Sa Valley is a totally new experience of Thailand. It's remote but easily accessible, fresh with the joys of a natural environment while providing the pleasures of fine food and warm hospitality.

A restaurant that serves you from the land
Our menu gives you the choice of Thai or Western food, with all vegetables fresh from the Mae-Sa Valley gardens.

A wealth of unique attractions to explore
The Mae-Sa Valley provides lazy days of quiet relaxation, plus the chances to explore. Nearby are tribal villages of the Meo, where the ancient way of custom and costume are little changed today. There's an elephant camp, with a daily show, a short hike or bus ride away. You can even return to the resort on an elephant's back, along a mountain trail. Your touring can include an orchid nursery, and a lobster farm, and take you deeper into the famous mountain scenery of the north.

Mae-Sa Valley Craft Village offers a day out with a difference. Nestling within one of Thailand's most beautiful botanical gardens, with its own stream and tiny waterfall, The Craft Village is home to a group of the region's highly -skilled artisans : potters, weavers, silversmiths, wood-carvers. But here, visitors can not only enjoy watching them at work, they can join in! Morning and afternoon activities enable participants to learn some of the skills that have made northern Thai craft work famous throughout the world.

ACCOMMODATION

The charm of a private cottage, with special touches of comfort The thatched-roof houses are of local wood and woven matting, each decorated in the colourful northern style. Beds are thick and softly quilted. Bathrooms have modern fittings, and hot water. Our stilted bamboo cottages have been created in the traditional pattern, each with a twin-bed room and spacious balcony.

DINNER

Traditional Northern Kantoke Dinner Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evening at 7.30 pm (19.30 hrs.) dine out under the stars. A traditional northern meal beside a roaring log fire in a lantern-lit glade. After a traditional ceremony of welcome, dinner is served to the music of the Thai orchestra and is followed by a display of local folk dancing.

All participants will be transported from and returned to their hotels in the Chiang Mai area. Morning sessions end and afternoon sessions begin with a buffet lunch. Those who wish to join only one session are welcome to spend the rest of the day using the other facilities of our resort at no extra cost. These include our swimming pool, game room and reading room. Where numbers allow a brief trek in the nearby mountain forest can be organized. Anyone wishing to stay on for the thrice weekly evening Kantoke dinner may use our shower and changing facilities.

FACILITIES & SERVICES

Mae-Sa Valley Craft Village has three centres of activity : a Thai cookery school, a health centre and the craft village itself. Each has an English-speaking instructor and each session, morning or afternoon, lasts two and a half hours. Participants can spend a half or a whole day and can learn two different crafts or practice one in greater depth. Where appropriate visit that they have made themselves. This is a day-out that everyone can enjoy - adults and children. No prior experience is required and everyone is helped to achieve their best results.

The Craft Village Parasol and Fan Painting
This is one of the classic crafts of northern Thailand yet it is remarkably easy to learn how to create stunning effects, from flower designs to realistic scenes of village life. All the materials needed are provided and participants can take away their work at the end of the session.

"Sa" Paper-making
Handmade, or "sa" paper making is another traditional northern craft, especially beautiful when flowers and leaves are pressed into the liquid paper. It is very easy to achieve remarkable results. All materials are provided and participants are encourage to be as adventurous as possible in creating their own designs. The paper sheets are dried overnight and delivered to hotels in the Chiang Mai area within 48 hours. Those who wish may pay for postage to their home address.

Batik Dyeing
We provide a plain piece of material for the first attempt at wax painting and colour dyeing. After that first stage a range of materials, including shirts and blouses, is available for those who wish to make something special.

Ceramic Painting
Participants are given an undecorated pot and shown how to hand paint a simple traditional design. This will be fired in our kiln overnight and delivered to hotels in the Chiang Mai area within 48 hours. Those who wish may pay for postage to their home address. A selection of undecorated ceramics is available for those who wish to create their own unique designs.

Health Centre
Visitors can pamper themselves in our herbal steam room where a selection of specially chosen natural aromas help ease away the aches and pains of modern life. Those who wish may have an hour long traditional Thai massage that gently kneads away knotted pressure points leaving the body relaxed and the mind calm. Loose-fitting garments are provided and our restaurant offers a selection of salads and fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

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