Bann Tazala Exclusive Residence

“Wonderful stay - will be back!”

From pre-arrival through check-out, we had a perfect experience with Bann Tazala's staff. I'm a million mile frequent flyer and am quite familiar with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz Carlton and Shangri-la properties in San Francisco Bay Area, Bangkok, Tokyo and Hong Kong. For Chiang Mai, t... more

From pre-arrival through check-out, we had a perfect experience with Bann Tazala's staff. I'm a million mile frequent flyer and am quite familiar with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz Carlton and Shangri-la properties in San Francisco Bay Area, Bangkok, Tokyo and Hong Kong. For Chiang Mai, the suite at Bann Tazala caught my eye so we gave it a try. The reviews to date were mixed so I factored down my expectations, but as it turned out, there was no need. Pre-arrival, I emailed the hotel with my thoughts about how we want to spend 4 days/3 nights in Chiang Mai. The hotel staff responded with recommendations for how to schedule the activities across the days and then arranged for Tana, a very experienced tour guide to take care of us for the duration. At check-in, Ann made it a very easy process and graciously showed us to our suite (at the very back of the property). We walked through the 3-4 courtyards, past the dining room, the pool, the "family room", the library, the other guest rooms and arrived at the entrance to the suite (overlooking a koi pond). The suite was perfect for our family of 4 (kids 9 and 11) and had 2 AC units. One unit cooled the front sitting room. The second (and larger) unit cooled the bedroom and the adjoining dressing area/bath room. All the rooms were very well appointed with high quality sheets, towels, mattress, leather sofa, etc. We didn't try out either of the LCD TVs nor the outdoor Jacuzzi tub in a private garden (accessed through the shower). We had plenty of space to spread out all our stuff for the trip and not get in each other's way. The decor is consistent with a traditional wealthy family compound that one might find in China circa 100-200 years ago. I enjoyed the different courtyards and the different standalone rooms: dining room, family room, library. I thought the hotel just updated an existing compound, but was informed that they built all of it from the ground up about 7 years ago (around the same time as the Mandarin Oriental across the narrow street). The breakfast is delicious and the staff are friendly and helpful. I felt very much at home during the entire stay. The price/room is great compared to MOH across the street or Four Seasons across town, but is higher than the typical hotel in Chiang Mai. For our purposes, it was an excellent value. I did peek into a standard room and it seems to be a good size for a couple, but not large enough to include kids. Maybe a toddler can comfortably fit. Bottom line: strongly recommend this hotel for its service, amenities and location (easy to get to anywhere via car). And strongly recommend the Suite (especially for families).

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“Serenity and Bliss”

This Hotel was great value for money. We stayed here as part of a conference. The rooms were spacious. The property has the rustic feel but very well kept interiors and rooms. There were no pest / mosquitoes or any other intruders. There are only 9 rooms and the pool was very sufficient. The staf... more

This Hotel was great value for money. We stayed here as part of a conference. The rooms were spacious. The property has the rustic feel but very well kept interiors and rooms. There were no pest / mosquitoes or any other intruders. There are only 9 rooms and the pool was very sufficient. The staff were superb. Jaree was the manager who organised everything for us from Reservations to Pick up and drop back to Airport. The Breakfast could be better in terms of selection, but all the meals were hot and tasty. We kinda got addicted to their spring rolls. The free Wi-Fi was quick and made it efficient. I think this Hotel is Chiang Mai's well kept secret!!

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“Refreshingly different!”

A charming hotel which makes great use of the space. Despite the weather being unpredictable during my stay, the hotel's ambience made it a great place to spend time in. The library was a real sanctuary and the room itself was spacious and pleasant, combining traditional design with modern facili... more

A charming hotel which makes great use of the space. Despite the weather being unpredictable during my stay, the hotel's ambience made it a great place to spend time in. The library was a real sanctuary and the room itself was spacious and pleasant, combining traditional design with modern facilities (huge TV!). I've stayed in Northern Thailand several times over the last 10 years but this hotel was distinctly different and I will certainly pay it a return visit - Thanks to all the staff for their helpfulness.

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“Great design, pity about the service”

We booked the hotel based on photographs and positive reviews, and were slightly disappointed with the outcome. Although the hotel is of an extremely high standard in terms of design, the quality of the staff lets it down badly - when we checked in, there was no one who spoke English to check us ... more

We booked the hotel based on photographs and positive reviews, and were slightly disappointed with the outcome. Although the hotel is of an extremely high standard in terms of design, the quality of the staff lets it down badly - when we checked in, there was no one who spoke English to check us in, and our taxi driver had to act as interpretor. During our three day stay, there was only one staff member who could speak decent English (whose shifts were not fixed, either), so communicating with the staff was a case of using hand signals and hoping for the best. That said, all staff did their best to help us out, notwithstanding the language issues. The location is not great, a good ten minute taxi / tuk tuk ride from the town center, with limited eating options in the immediate area. However, the hotel is very well designed and the rooms are very comfortable as are the common areas. The absence of a senior management figure in a boutique hotel was a first for us, and the absence was clearly felt in the small details (like ants in the room not being taken care of even after being pointed out to the only English speaking member of staff). This place has immense potential but the management needs to take a greater interest in ensuring the same. We pay a premium at small boutique places for the attention to detail, and this is what was lacking here.

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