The Thai Akara Lanna Boutique Hotel offers an ideal location inside the city walls to explore Chiang Mai. The resort setting with pool and garden are beautiful, the rooms offer a nice blend of traditional Thai decor and modern touches and the service is friendly and attentive. If you are an independent traveler, looking to explore Chiang Mai, the Thai Akara Lanna hotel is a great choice! Find out what to expect in my Thai Akara Lanna Hotel Review!
Location: The Thai Akara Lanna Boutique Hotel Chiang Mai is located inside the city walls, on a small alley. That puts it into the heart of the city, without any noise from the surrounding streets. You can walk to the Sunday night market or Tha Pae Gate in 5-10 minutes and easily stroll to countless temples, coffee shops, restaurants or stores by foot. The other night markets on Saturday South of the Moat and weeknights near the river are also in walking distance. This makes the Thai Akara Lanna a great location for your first trip to Chiang Mai to explore all the city has to offer. The Chiang Mai Airport and the Chiang Mai Bus Station are 15-20 minutes by car.
Service: Staff at the Akara Lanna Hotel is well trained, polite, friendly and attentive, just what Thai hospitality is known for! The front desk had our reservation information ready and checked us in quickly. We received information about the hotel and breakfast, as well as a map of Chiang Mai. Staff escorted us to our room, an upscale touch, and explained the room features to us. At check-out, they granted us a late check-out of 1h to accommodate our late-afternoon flights, later departures are available for a fee.
Housekeeping did a good job each day to clean our room thoroughly, replace towels and amenities as appropriate and leave everything in good working order.
The restaurant staff was just as attentive and friendly, seating us for breakfast, taking orders for hot dishes and coffee. They checked in regularly for additional coffee. When one day my order was delayed in the kitchen, the staff ran, unprompted, down into the kitchen to get it, rather than waiting for it to be delivered. They kept the buffet stocked and tables cleared.
Room: We had booked a Deluxe King Room and it’s worth the upgrade. Our corner room was located on the second floor, overlooking the pool. The white, structured stone walls create the impression of an old home with natural rock walls. Dark hardwood floors and the dark wood furniture provide contrast and colorful pillows and artwork a dash of color! The decor manages to combine traditional Thai style and modern accents to a nice setting.
The king-size bed has a firm, yet comfortable mattress and high-quality sheets, comforter and four pillows – we slept quite well in it! There are nightstands with lamps and power outlets on each side.
By the balcony doors is a sofa with table and on the opposite wall is a desk with chair, so you can even get some work done if necessary.
The balcony has two chairs and a small table, overlooking the pool and garden below. The layout of the hotel around the pool, landscaped with lots of trees makes for very pleasant surroundings. This is a balcony worth hanging out on!
The room has coffee & tea facilities, snacks and a mini-bar with coke and water. The drinks and snacks are free of charge and are replaced every day.
Near the door is the wardrobe, separated by a curtain. It holds the laptop-size safe, bathrobes, slippers and umbrellas, as well as a hair dryer.
The bathroom is separated from the room by windows with shutters, so you can choose an open layout or privacy. On one side are the toilet and fully glass-enclosed shower. The bathroom has a window for ventilation. In the center is the vanity with a vessel-style sink on a marble countertop with plenty of space for your toiletries. A deep soaking tub is under the window to the bathroom and quite comfortable.
A full set of toiletries, including dental and shaving kit, are provided. Soap, shampoo and conditioner of high quality are provided in dispensers, an eco-friendly offering. The towels are thick and also good quality! The floor tiles had a traditional local decor, adding to the nice balance of modern and traditional design touches.
I peeked into one of the standard rooms during cleaning and they are smaller and less well decorated, making the Deluxe Rooms worth the higher price. There are also ground-floor rooms with a patio to the pool and larger Executive Rooms.
Restaurant & Amenities: The Thai Akara Lanna Hotel is set around the main pool and garden, giving it a villa or resort feel, despite being in the heart of the city. The pool looks very nice and is refreshing – very refreshing in fact, as it is not heated. There are plenty of comfortable loungers with umbrellas and staff will provide you with towels. You can order drinks or snacks from the pool bar.
In the back of the hotel is a second, smaller and more private pool.
You’ll also find a small gym with minimal cardio and weight equipment – enough to check the gym box, allowing for the most basic workout.
At the front of the hotel is a small library with a computer. The reception staff can assist with booking tours, arranging transport or printing boarding passes.
The hotel restaurant is located upstairs with a view of the pool and over the neighboring houses. It’s open air with indoor and balcony seating and a very pleasant space.
The breakfast includes a buffet with a selection of fresh fruit, yogurt, bread and jams and some salads. You can order a hot Western or Asian dish, including various egg preparations or meats to your liking. Espresso drinks or tea are made to order and delivered to your table.
For a small boutique hotel like the Akara Lanna, I prefer this set up, as it ensures that the hot dishes are fresh and you can add some fruit or breads to your liking. The quality of the food was very good and tasty!
Value & Rewards: We paid $132/night for the Deluxe Room including breakfast during high-season. Standard rooms are available for under $100/night. I consider both good value considering the central location, upscale rooms and very good service. Do compare rates though, there are a lot of hotels in Chiang Mai and prices are very competitive.
The Thai Akara Lanna Boutique Hotel does not have a rewards program. I found the lowest available rate at the time through hotelscombined and booked through Agoda, earning me 4% rewards as Agoda gift cards towards future stays. You can find current rates here!
Bottomline: The Thai Akara Lanna Boutique Hotel offers an ideal location inside the city walls to explore Chiang Mai. The resort setting with pool and garden are beautiful and the rooms offer a nice blend of traditional Thai decor and modern touches. The service is friendly and attentive, adding to the upscale feel of the hotel. The size and hidden location make it great for independent travelers and prevent large groups. I’d recommend it for an upscale stay in the heart of Chiang Mai!