Review: Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort (Grande Deluxe Pool View)

Cheapest nightly rate: 2,318 THB (2,728 after tax)
When to book: Six months in advance

Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort was built in 2007. There is a man-made river in the property along with two huge rain trees that are over a century old.

Arrival

We arrived at around 10 in the morning and was told that an early check-in was not possible and we had to wait till 3 in the afternoon for a room to be available.

The room (Grande Deluxe Pool View)

As a Platinum member, we were upgraded to the Grande Deluxe Pool View room on the highest floor. There is only one suite in this property but the standard rooms are larger (53 sq m, 570 sq ft) than typical rooms in other hotels/resorts.

Breakfast

Breakfast at Latest Recipe was superb. The buffet spread is not huge but of high quality. I met the Executive Chef, William Ong, at breakfast every day. He is always seen chatting with guests, offering suggestions on how to spend their time in Chiang Rai. It was our first time there and William even suggested where we could go in rainy weather. Outstanding employees like him always make my stays more memorable. I enjoyed the signature eye-opener drinks and dishes too!

Other facilities

There is no Executive Lounge in this property. However, guests are invited to enjoy complimentary snacks and coffee/tea in the afternoon.

Let us have a little tour around the property.

Shuttle to surrounding attractions

There is a shuttle bus going to the Night Bazaar area, Central Plaza (mall) and Wat Rong Seur Ten (Blue Temple) every two hours. I recommend going to Wat Rong Seur Ten later in the afternoon to avoid large tourist groups. You should also visit Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) as late as possible to get photos without the crowd.

Conclusion

I enjoyed my stay at Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort but still wished that there was an Executive Lounge. You will find a lot of small lizards on the walls and ceiling of the corridors to your room at night. This is pretty common for properties with a lot of greenery. I was not bothered by them but it is worth noting if you are Herpetophobic.

There are no good dining options around the vicinity of the property and I could not find any food delivery services that I could sign up for with a foreign phone number. You can either dine in the restaurants located within the property (Favola and Latest Recipe) or get a Grab Car or taxi downtown.

The shuttle service was useful for me and the frequency was good. I am not sure if I will visit Chiang Rai again (maybe as a stopover to the Golden Triangle) but if I do, I would definitely return to this property.

Ratings

Breakfast: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Location: 7/10
Room: 9/10
Facilities: 8/10
Executive lounge: –
Elite member recognition: 8/10