There's a calm as soon as you walk through the white archway of Away Chiang Mai Thapae Resort. Off of the party street (and feeling an entire world away) sits the new vegetarian resort. For me, after spending two weeks living off of a bustling road, the resort tucked into a quiet, winding soi is a peaceful haven complete with bubbling water feature and jungle bird song.
Offering 39 rooms ranging in size, this property is one of the city's only vegetarian property boasting an organic, booze-free restaurant — Moreganic — inline with the owners who are Hindu. All white with blue art highlighting local attractions like wats, the colonial Lana buildings are a stark contrast to the wood and colored buildings which are the norm in the city. Here, bright and tranquility are the themes and it's apparent every well-thought out step you take.
A higher-end property in town (you won't find any backpackers here), rooms are lush with beds that are far softer than the normal Thai beds, covered in pillows you can sink into. Ranging in size from deluxe and suites (complete with a bathtub!), to family rooms, all are spacious and beautiful, tapping into the contrast of blues, greens and grays against dark wood floor and furniture.
All rooms come equipped with complimentary wifi, 32-inch flat screen televisions, robes, slippers, a mini-fridge and personal safe, as well as cozy balconies — four of which have direct access to the pool. They also provide a complimentary mobile phone for each room complete with free international calls to the USA and more, which you can bring around town.
Away Chiang Mai's best amenity is its location, but the other amenities are also wonderful, too! There's the pool with sun nearly all day and lined with lounge chairs (you can order mocktails, juices and more straight to your chair) that makes for a perfect time-out from exploring.
Designed to encourage health and wellness, Moreganic offers organic (when possible) cuisine available at the restaurant and also via room service. Be sure to check out the special offers for dining, too. Each morning, the resort offers a gorgeous spread of vegan and vegetarian offerings, as well as a full-service menu for lunch and dinner.
In addition, Away Chiang Mai provides an on-site concierge to help with travel planning, airline reservations and more. Also, the free phone is a major plus!
After living in Chiang Mai for years, the location of Away Chiang Mai is ideal. It's centrally located near the Old City (it's literally across the street), nearby both the Saturday and Sunday Walking Streets, the party bars of Loi Kroh and many temples. You can walk nearly anywhere you want here, and if you don't want to walk, the city now has Uber (which is a definite deal if you have two or more people since the local transit – songthaews – are 30 baht per person.
I'd definitely stay at Away Chiang Mai Thapae Resort again. After spending two weeks around the city, this was the perfect spot to wrap up my time in my former home. It's quiet, gorgeous with super comfortable beds (which I promise is a big deal in SE Asia). What I also loved were the staff — they were warm, friendly and very helpful. While I'd like to see a better understanding of vegan dining, there are definitely options here for vegans to enjoy gorgeous Thai food and healthy drinks.
