Boutique reposing in North Thailand at Akyra Manor Chiang Mai
One of the latest unique, high-end boutique hotels to open in Thailand is the Akyra Manor Chiang Mai. A clear breakaway from this northern city’s traditional Lanna-styled hotels, the life-size horse lamp as you enter the lobby quickly sets the tone with its quirky art-centered touches of paintings, photographs and sculptures by Thai artists. It’s a perfect fit as the only five-star property situated in the new hip and cultural neighborhood of Nimmanheamin, a precinct packed and buzzing with galleries, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, wine bars, chic boutiques and live-music venues.
The location was chosen because it fits the hotel’s concept — an intimate, exclusive top-service hotel with a modern, creative look and feel, says hotel manager Christophe Gestin. “We are catering to a lifestyle brand of modern guests who are design conscious.”
Owned by Singapore-based Manor Group and managed by the Akaryn Hotel Group, the US$14.2 million (RM55.5 million) hotel opened October 2015, featuring just 30 suites ranging from 610 sq.ft to an expansive 1,050 sq.ft, each created around a courtyard-within-a-room concept. Dark wood floors are covered with colorful rugs, chairs and large sofas in earthy toned-fabrics, and the king-size bed is swathed in white Egyptian cotton and piled up with cloud-soft oversized pillows. Natural light comes through floor-to-ceiling windows for city or mountain views, and several suites include balconies surrounded by lush plants. There are also nice perks like an espresso coffee machine, large LCD television, and an iPod with a large music library. But the centerpiece of each suite is a huge, white marble, deep, circular bathtub surrounded by white stones in an open courtyard with privacy preserved by sliding screens. There is also roomy rain shower.
On the rooftop is a spectacular infinity pool with glass sides and Rise, a chic bar with cream-colored sofas and crumbling brickwork reflecting Chiang Mai’s ancient walls. With cinematic views of the city and surrounding hills, it’s the perfect venue to watch the sunset while enjoying a classic cocktail—like an original Mai Tai—or one of the fine international wines. If unable to make up your mind, leave it to the talented bartender to provide the drink you didn’t know you wanted.
Then, head downstairs to the Italian restaurant, Italics, for innovative cuisine made from locally sourced high-quality ingredients. The restaurant opened before the hotel, quickly gaining popularity by local residents. The innovative cuisine matches the imaginative design of the area, with swirling rattan sofas and towering brass lights looking like a small forest of trees with flamed tips that reflect back from a black-mirrored ceiling.
There is a large selection, appetizers, pastas, risottos and oven-baked, thin-crusted pizzas with a twist, like the one with sour pork, northern sausage, arugula and pickles, or their signature tomato, buffalo mozzarella, mushrooms, salami, bacon, blue chees and truffle paste. Main courses include sea bass with crushed pesto potatoes and marinated vegetables; roasted lamb rack served with roasted baby potato, shallots, red wine and a garlicky Chimichurri sauce; coffee-braised short rib with duck fat and homemade gnocchi. Thai-style dishes are also on the menu, like roasted grouper served with pak choi and light ginger soya broth, or kao soi, a well-known Chiang Mai dish with egg noodles, crispy noodles, curry soup, pickled cabbage and chicken.
