A grown-up guide to Chiang Mai, Thailand: Where to eat, stay and what to see

For first-time visitors to Thailand, buzzy Bangkok and the sun-soaked islands in the south promise perpetual sunshine and boundless fun. Chiang Mai, tucked away in the country’s mountainous north, isn’t usually most visitors’ first port of call. Yet Thailand’s ‘second city’ offers a different perspective: a world away from Bangkok’s sleek skyscrapers and Phuket’s louche beach clubs, here you’ll find historic temples wrapped by swathes of dense rainforest, artisan markets, and swoon-worthy scenery worth exploring.

Life moves at a gentler pace, humming with quietly beautiful craftsmanship and creativity. Chiang Mai’s craft village, Baan Kang Wat, is a far cry from the backpacker bedlam that straddles the city’s riverside. Here you’ll find local artists and artisans peddling their wares: sweet boutiques selling hand-stitched linens, wood carvings, and Thai trinkets form a ramshackle warren of stalls and makeshift shops worth exploring.

The hotel’s design is a fusion of old meets new: a clutch of antique teak buildings are clustered around a central inner pool, backdropped by contrastingly slick new-builds. The ancient Lanna buildings date back 200 years — and form the spa, restaurant, library-come-boutique, and show-stopping four-bedroom residence, which is a showcase in elegant Thai design. Inside, original beams and teak panelling have been carefully preserved, and are off-set by chic, custom furnishings: think swooping iron-wrought bedsteads, and kaleidoscopic, hand-embroidered headboards.

Meanwhile, frangipani-scented pathways snake through lush foliage to one-bedroom villas circled by tamarind trees. Inside, rooms are a melange of creamy furnishings, dark wood surfaces, and bold strokes of tangerine. Subtle Thai flourishes make themselves known: copper sinks forged locally in Chiang Mai, along with batik stamps and local hill-tribe skirts displayed as artworks. Framing each villa, there’s lush, leafy greenery: lemongrass, pandan and butterfly pea are all grown on-site (and infuse the cocktails in the 1894 bar), along with hundreds of other plants and herbs.

When you’re not racking up steps around the temples and craft shops on your doorstep, unwind at the boutique spa, where knot-kneading massages and body scrubs will leave you feeling utterly reborn. A host of complimentary wellness activities take place each day too, ranging from bamboo strengthening exercises to sunrise yoga and sound baths — there’s also traditional Thai cooking classes to take part in.

This wellness mentality is mirrored at the restaurant and bar, where nourishing, superfood salads and alcohol-free cocktails complement local dishes. The guilt-free menu diligently utilises local produce, 95 per cent of which is sourced from across Thailand. Service might not be as seamless as some of the city’s glitzy five-star pads, but the smiley team more than makes up for it with their friendliness — the hotel is small enough for you to get on a first-name basis with most team members. There are plentiful thoughtful touches too: at turndown, you’ll find homemade treats and local poems left on your pillow.

As Thailand’s cultural epicentre, Chiang Mai is home to hundreds of centuries-old temples. Not far from Aleenta Retreat, moss-covered Wat Among is all subterranean tunnels, serene ponds, and ancient pagodas. Early risers should follow the city’s famous Monk’s Trail high into the forest to reach Wat Pha Lat, an ancient temple complex balanced in the treetops, which offers postcard-worthy views of the city at sunrise. Work up a sweat by running up the trail — alternatively, explore one of the many other running and hiking routes circling in and around the city.