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It is a relaxing, boutique, garden resort situated in the beautiful and tranquil Maerim Valley, a 30 minute drive from Chiang Mai International Airport and in the centre of the wide range of Chiang Mai's attractions. Offering a full range of recreational activities the facilities include two swimming pools, a beautiful Thai spa, a fitness centre, a sauna, and a lakeside relaxation sala with library These facilities are surrounded by the finest relaxation environment and nature. The resort features 47 understated rooms & villas in huge sub-tropical surroundings with approximately 1,000 trees, an impressive lake, 3 fishponds and many garden areas with relaxing garden salas.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Lake View
Family Resort
Languages Spoken
English, French, Thai
Location
43/1 Moo 6, Mae Rim-Samoeng Road Maeram Subdistrict, Mae Rim 50180 Thailand
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my family (2 adults and 2 kids--16 yrs and 12 yrs) booked the family vacation suite. it was the upper floor of a villa, and had 2 separate bedrooms plus a jacuzzi inside the suite. overall, the suite was clean and quite new, and very comfortable.
the resort (in june 2012) is still pretty much as is depicted in the marketing brochure, gorgeous and spacious. only 70+ rooms in a huge land area, it takes almost 10 mins to walk from some of the villas to the reception/restaurant.
the service is very good, and all the staff speak enough english. there are 5 bicycles for borrowing (free -- first come first served), but other than cycling out to the main road to the grocery store or 7-11, it doesn't serve much purpose.
the only drawback of the Away Suansawan is that it is not "near" anything, despite being smack in the middle of Mae Sa valley, where there are 101 things to do, from x-sports to tiger zoo to elephant camp to snake farm and at least 20 waterfalls etc. if you want to visit these attractions, you either need to buy a tour, or pay the hotel's taxi, or do what we did...rent a car. for 4 persons, the car made the most sense.
dining and breakfast were very good at the away. we were told that since there were very few guests on the days that we were present, they didn't have buffet breakfast. instead, the kitchen would cook whatever we wanted, and as much as we wanted. that's a deal to us!!! we also had dinner here, and there was a good mix of thai and western dishes, which were not too expensive (we saw the prices at the nearby four seasons -- now that's expensive!!!).
the swimming pools are ok, and you could also go boating, if you just wanted to relax within the resort.
be warned that the resort is very far away from the centre of chiang mai. it takes about 30-45mins to get to the old city by taxi, or 1 hour from the airport. we were quoted around 600 baht for a one-way taxi ride from the airport. (but we didn't need this, as we had a car rental).
overall, this is one of the best ever hotel/resorts i have ever stayed...and my kids loved it too. and if you do some online homework, i am sure you can find a discounted rate that puts it at a fraction of equivalent 5* resorts.
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Date of stay: June 2012
Value
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:all rooms are parts of villas...either you take the whole villa, or you get part of a villa...ask...
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Responded 7 July 2012
Oh! Thank you so much. 'One of the best hotels/resorts that I have ever stayed' that just makes us all feel the effort has been worthwhile.Yes we are away from the city but better placed for many attractions including those you mentioned. Having a car really allows guests to see the many attractions of the area but we operate cost-effective tours for those that do not have a car. I am really happy that you enjoyed your stay. I was on a long awaited family visit during your stay so my staff must take the praise. Thank you again.
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We are leaving this morning, have stayed one week in the resort near the national park, for family activities good locations, we have been busy everyday. We have booked 2 deluxe rooms. 600 bht one way to go in taxi to city center. Restaurant is ok but never serves the same way from a day to another. Breakfast more then convenient. Unfortunatly as said before by others, quality of rooms and infrastructure doesn't match the price requested, compare to other resort in Thailande. We had barely hot water during our entire stay, some days we have none....not to have asked for several times...only 2 good shower in 1 week. Housekeeping never give same service, doesn't clean bathroom sink, sometimes they replace shampoo and soap, but most time forgot ! Pool conditions not optimal, should be cleaned every day. We recommend you do not prepaid, this way you have flexibility to leave if service and infrastructure is not at your convenience.....we did that mistake ! They need to check the room before you pay the check out and take taxi, even if you said you took nothing from minibar.....
A special thanks to the hotel driver...Tom.....we should be able to use him more. I don't understand why he pick you up at the airport and not able to bring you back day of departure, even if reserved.
Personal comments: we never see owner or management around, which will bring a lot to guests !
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Date of stay: August 2013
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Peter B, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 10 Aug 2013
I am sorry that you had problems with your hot water. I know that an engineer went to repair it twice, but we did not know that the problem had continued. We will re-look at or procedures to prevent recurrence. I can assure you that the swimming pool is cleaned every day at 7am. It is wet season and windfall from the trees will sometimes enter the pool during the day.
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Stayed here for 3 nights and enjoyed the location and the good rate. Stayed at the lake, ok lodge but a little moistly, but ok it was the "green season" so could maybe not expect otherwise. The downside was that the kitchen was sold out of almost everything the first 2 nights, the free bicycles was in very bad shape and at we at checkout was charged for use of the minibar which we haven't used at all . It is a very quiet place and a lot of old people (it is a also a retiring vacation home)
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Date of stay: August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Peter B, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 8 Aug 2015
Thank you for your review, we appreciate the feedback. I am disappointed that some items on our very extensive menu were unavailable and I will try to find out why and it should not happen again. We have a policy on minibar usage to credit any charge if the guest says they did not use it. Mistakes are rare but they can happen if a minibar was not correctly restocked. Yes, we have long-term elderly guests, there were 7 here during your stay, it brings me joy to see age variety from young children to elderly as well as mixed nationalities and cultures in the resort. The percentage of elderly in our societies is increasing rapidly and we try to provide an suitable location where they can enjoy their remaining years and benefit from good care.
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The grounds are beautiful, but it all ends the minute you walk into the room. We have just arrived and we are already sorely disappointed. The room is sorely lacking. The bed is hard, there are only 2 pillows, and the bathroom is from the 70's (the sink doesn't drain and the toilet has been running for the past 5 minutes). I chose this place even though it was far away from the city because I figured it would be a peaceful getaway where we could relax, however the lack of creature comforts and cleanliness are stressing me out. Did I mention that as soon as I pulled the comforter off the bed that I found a long black hair on the sheet as well as a hole in one the pillowcases as well as a dingy upholstered headboard?!
We only checked in 30 minutes ago so maybe I am being unfair, however that is how disappointed I was with my initial reaction to the place. I was also told that breakfast would be 300 baht per person. Really?! Being this far out and having no real choice in food and you are going to charge that much per person? Stay tuned! I hope I can change this review for the better, but things don't like good!
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Date of stay: February 2013
Value
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Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bluweyze, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 18 Feb 2013
I apologise for your poor start to your stay and I certainly hope it got better. Problems with the bed linen are unacceptable. I wish you had indicated the problems so that we had a chance to improve your stay. Views on things like bathrooms differ, I have had people express preferences for the more 'Thai style' bathrooms rather than the alternative 'modern' ones in different room types.I'm at a loss to know why you don't like the headboard in the room but I accept that tastes differ. Most guests book with breakfast included but I have compared our price to many other hotels and at 270 Baht++ it is competitive. I do hope you found the rest of the stay relaxing.
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We booked to stay here to enjoy the peace and indulge in some spa treatments. On check-in we were told, when we inquired, that the spa was shut that week, and no there wasn't another spa nearby.
Disappointed we were still determined to enjoy this lovely spot so we went for a walk around the resort, it looked as though quite a few of the other villas had long term residents in them. There was a pedestal fan and wheelie walker parked outside one near ours amongst other bits which we found strange, until we read the note in the compendium from the owner saying he also ran a care home at the resort! We were a bit stunned at this but carried on.
We rocked up to the restaurant for dinner at 7pm, no one was outside so we went in expecting to find all the tables full inside with the guests enjoying the aircon. We walked in and it resembled the Marie Celeste, we were the only ones there! A waitress bobbed up and showed us to a table outside, we ordered a simple Thai meal which was okay, in the hour we were there no other guests appeared, there was no music, no atmosphere unless of course you count the mossies making dinner of us. Worse was to come...
The next morning at breakfast we walked up and yes, there were other guests, hurrah no longer alone, we had all the care home residents on their walkers and in wheelchairs, complete with their Carers. Now my Mother is in a nursing home and I have the greatest of respect for them, but would I want to holiday in one? No I wouldn't! Plenty of time for that in 40 years time! If the food was adequate last night the breakfast was down right miserable, choice of 2 fruits, stale croissants, stewed coffee and tea in a carafe, pale sausages floating in water, that was as far as I got. I feasted on papaya and yoghurt which was nice and my husband bravely had 2 fried eggs.
We had booked for 3 nights but we were both beside ourselves by this stage so we went to talk to the manager about cancelling. Always amazes me how the grasp of the English language fails when you have a complaint? The manager who was suppose to start work at 8am was suddenly on holidays and no one else could help us, so we sat in reception until they found someone to listen to our woes. We were polite, I don't believe in ranting at some poor staff member, but we were disgusted that our spa break had turned into an utter and complete nightmare. As a gesture of good will they drove us back into town for free (it is 40 minutes from town and they normally charge 700 baht one way to take you in).
Rotten experience and if the owner of the resort reads this, you spoiled my birthday holiday and I really think you should stick to running a nursing home and not a resort, the two do not mix at all.
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Date of stay: October 2015
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Peter B, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 22 Oct 2015
I had to think carefully before responding to this review. Normally I am saddened if a guest's stay does not meet their expectations but I find it difficult to understand why seeing some elderly people and a walker spoils a holiday. Yes there are formula around the world to put the elderly away from view in a nursing home but our philosophy is to try to give our small number of care guests as much of a normal life as possible. We have received a largely positive feedback from hotel guests regarding what they have seen.You seem angry that I was away on a short 6 day holiday with my family and my 93 year old mother who stayed in the hotel in Phuket with us My customer service manager speaks excellent English and she dealt with your one complaint about the spa being closed for rebuilding work ( but treatments were available in-room) for the first day day out of your 3 day proposed stay speaks excellent English and she arranged your complimentary transfer to the city. Breakfast consists of a wide range of items and there is a chef to freshly cook eggs omelletes pancakes etc. Thai chicken sausage are usually kept warm in hot water to stop them drying out but there is also bacon and English sausage on the buffet. I am still sad that you did not enjoy your stay and I will happily refund 2 days of your trade barter points should you wish. Peter
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Majority of property is for retired ex pats and dementia . Medical staff nothng more than local villagers in uniforms. Whole place is a scam and not safe. Local Monk at Temple was beaten to death! We Could not eat at restaurant as loud music and rude elderly women who live there so abnoxious. Elders that live there many ifmthem looked scared. Local told us because they have moved here from other countries no family nearby to help them and they - villagers in uniforms use scare tactics.Generator used to block communication and our FB head page was changed from ourmpersonalmohoto to a Mai Rim photo. SCAM! English guy who is Owner Manager is being investigated by USA Legal Team and military!
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Date of stay: February 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Indeed, guess you get what you pay for, room rates are not expensive so that is a plus. However it is disappointing that this hotel is named Centara Boutique, because it puts your expectations on a higher level and it was not... - at arrival, 5.30pm, our room was not ready. we just had to wait, no free drink, nothing offered, we just wait - the extra bed we have asked for was just a very hard plastic synthetic hard mattress. I had to ask for more duvets to make it more or less ok to sleep on, otherwise you could as well have slept just on the floor - the finished room service plate outside our door was there for 24hrs... - 2nd day we had no towels, had to call for them - quality and service at breakfast is very pour - at breakfast there is still food on the floor from the day before So there is still a lot of room for improvement... only positive point again is the good rate and the rooms are a good size. you get what you pay for and don't expect anything from the name Centara Boutique.
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Date of stay: December 2012
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bluweyze, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 18 Jan 2013
I am very sorry that your stay was not as you had hoped. We did have some issues around New Year but we have reviewed everything to try to cure them. Delayed check-in happens if there is a large checkout as it gives us very little time to get every room ready but I do apologise that you were impacted.Our 'extra beds' are purchased from the main Thai supplier, I will review the mattresses to see if we can improve upon them.
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This is a Filthy 1 star motel at best. The rooms were filthy, the bed smelt unclean, the bathroom smelt damp and hadn't been cleaned in months plus the pool though allegedly cleaned daily was almost green. Location is far from everything at least 1 hr. Really disappointing. With the cost of taxis being 1200B return into town and 1 hour you can get the Shangri La hotel in town instead.....and we did and haven't looked back!
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Date of stay: November 2014
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Rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Peter B, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 24 Nov 2014
I am sorry that you didn't enjoy your stay with us. I am really shocked that you found your room dirty as we have not had a similar complaint for years. All of the management team including myself check rooms and now never find a dirty room so I will investigate to try to find out what was the problem. Our location is away from the city being a garden facility. We try to clearly state this.
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I cant believe the negative or even mediocre reviews here! This place was super! I rented 4 cabanas/rooms for 1 night as our time was limited, and wish we had known about this place before we arrived! Wifes family was ecstatic about the room quality, I appreciated the western food options as well as the ease of getting a couples massage. The resort is setup like a village with plenty of space between rooms. This was great to let our kids have some space without having to worry about being too noisy. (there really is a lot of space in this place). The only con would be that its a bit off the beaten path. I will not even look for another hotel/resort/whatever next time (hopefully)we make it back to Chiang Mai.
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Date of stay: February 2015
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Peter B, Owner at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 3 Mar 2015
Thank you so much for your excellent review. I am so happy that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you would return. It is gratifying when the hard work pays of with satisfied guests. I think our facility is excellent for children with its amount of space so I am pleased that you enjoyed that aspect. thank you again Peter
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I own a busy cafe and catering business in the UK and as well as this I grew up in a hotel from the age of two. I wish to be fair to the owners as I know they are trying hard and this review is meant as constructive advice not hurtful criticism.
The location of the hotel is beautiful, quiet and ideally situated for the attractions along the Mae Rim strip - e.g. Elephants, Tiger Kingdom, Botanic Gardens, trekking etc. Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is a 500 Baht taxi each way - I preferred the quiet of this immaculate hotel with the tree frogs chirriping away to the hurly burly of staying in Chiang Mai.
The housekeeping and cleanliness of the rooms was superb, with quiet air conditioning, fresh bed linen and superb beds. There were even complimentary DVDs to borrow. The hotel grounds are exquisite with a new delightful discovery and aspect every day - a credit to the grounds people. In fact all the staff we encountered were wonderful and realy made us welcome. In no way are they responsible for the few faults this hotel has and that revolves around the food.
We dined in on the first night and sampled two Northern Thai dishes, the first, Chiang Mai sausages, was swimming in grease and the other a noodle dish was really below par. The noodle dish was akin to a cheap takeaway meal not a restaurant standard dish. The menu in the restaurant was overpriced (perhaps taking advantage of the hotel's isolation) and the 17 % tax and service charge on top was an insult really. In previous reviews the owner has said that the prices are on a par with other four star properties in the area, that may be so, but then the food must be of four star quality and it really is not. The food issue was extremely frustrating for us as we had no transport and had to go to great lengths to avoid the hotel restaurant. Working in the catering industry myself I just felt it was an opportunity missed for the owner - the restaurant was empty most nights when with more moderate prices and decent (not pretentious or gourmet) cooking he could have been on to a little gold mine.
Things did not get better in the mornings with the breakfast which was seriously disorganised, forgotten items, erratic portion sizes and some tepid plates (we stayed a week so we had quite a few breakfasts). Again I don't think the waiting staff were to blame I think the problem lay with the kitchen.
One reviewer said management was absent, I did get a glimpse of the owner so I know he wasn't absent, however I think these lovely staff need more leadership from the owner and if the food could be improved I really would rate this hotel more highly.
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Date of stay: April 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bluweyze, General Manager at Suansawan Resort Chiang Mai
Responded 29 Apr 2012
I'm sad that the food let your stay down but I appreciate the balance of your review.We do try hard to get things as good as we can in the resort, we have recently invested a lot to improve things in response to previous customer comments.Now I am undertaking a survey for the next few weeks of every guest that uses the restaurant..After the survey I will take action to improve any faults that are highlighted by the surveyand at the same time I will review the food pricing.
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The resort has a driver (Ton) and only if available may be able to get you around failing that the resort can arrange a private taxi or you can arrange your own as there was a tour guide shop at the resort entrance.
Unable to comment on bed size and room views but our bungalow had seats to relax on the pouch.
There are more places to choose from in the Mae Rim area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
away suansawan centara boutique collection hotel mae rim
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Away Suansawan Chiang Mai
LOCATION
ThailandChiang Mai ProvinceMae Rim
NUMBER OF ROOMS
50
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