This is hands down one of the best stays away from home I have had, 11 out of 10 to put it plainly.
I consider myself a seasoned traveller, and have stayed at most of the name brand 5 star chains (4 seasons, Regent, Ritz Carlton etc) and many boutique hotels (small luxury hotels of the world etc) across in Asia, Africa and the West. By any standard of hospitality, Villa Mahabirom stands out, where you feel comfortable in luxury and well cared for by the staff.
The property is very private, even if it is only 15 minutes away from the international airport, a private oasis hidden from sight - you wouldn't know it exists just passing it by. It is small with 15 villas, so even at maximum capacity I can imagine it remains serene and peaceful. While we were there, there were a few guests and it did feel as if the entire property belonged to us, which isn't bad at all! The occasional plane passing overhead is not
Each villa is unique, and as I read, assembled from century-old collections of old Thai houses from across the country, painstakingly reassembled. If you are looking for that sense of culture and heritage, look no further. There are other standouts in Chaing Mai such as Rachamankha (which I have visited), but Villa Mahabirom doesn't play second fiddle to them in my opinion. The high ceilings of our room (#101) gives you a huge sense of space, and the large bathroom is marble tiled, making for a great contrast between the ancient and the modern. Sheets, pillows, bathrobes, all the basics are super clean and fresh, nothing less than what you would expect at a major outfit like the Four Seasons.
One of the most creative aspects of this hotel experience is the ability to hangout at around 5 curated public spaces across the property, each with a unique set of chairs/couches, Thai furniture and sculptures. Great for early morning Yoga, reading a book in the afternoon, or hanging out at night with a drink. It's not a big property. The pool might be considered on the small side, but again, with only a limited number of villas, it's rarely crowded, and we were able to enjoy a private pool experience on each of the 3 days we were there.
Above all, the service here, the care and attention is important to mention. My other half had to stay behind at the hotel with a different flight time on our last day, and we extended her late checkout to 2PM, which was further extended to 8PM proactively by the staff later in the day - they probably realised that the room didn't have an incoming guest, but regardless, I've never seen that type of consideration anywhere else. Service during dining is impeccable, you always feel someone is waiting on you, to take your order or keep your glass full, little details that used to be standard but are slipping away more and more. The only thing that I wish could be improved is that the front desk does close at 10PM, leaving one a bit worried about late night requests or issues.
To wrap up, this isn't a property with grand views, or built on the top of a mountain, or have 300 rooms with 2 bars and 6 Michelin star restaurants - and for me that's perfectly fine because it stands tall on it's own terms in the boxing ring.
