The pool looking out over working rice paddies

Mae Rim, Chiang Mai · Northern Thailand

Four Seasons Chiang Mai

Pavilions around working rice paddies in the Mae Rim hills: the calmest way to do northern Thailand, with Three MICHELIN Keys and a cooking school worth the half-hour from town.

Photo: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

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Who it suits

Families, wellness trips and food lovers. Pair it with Koh Samui for two weeks.

The honest con: it’s 30 minutes from the city. Crop-burning haze can hang over the north from late February to March, and January, the best weather, is also the dearest month at £1,227.

Recognised by
Three MICHELIN Keys (2026)
Getting there
Chiang Mai airport, about 30 minutes by car
Best time
October to January. Avoid late February to April for the haze.
Stay in
Pavilions around the rice paddies
A guest at the edge of an infinity pool on a timber deck above the rice paddies at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
A two-storey Lanna-style pavilion behind a long reflecting pool at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
A raised teak sala among palms above a pond in the gardens at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

What a night costs, month by month

From £766 a night, for two

Check rates (affiliate link)
  1. Oct£808Best time
  2. Dec£766Best time
  3. Jan£1,227Best time
  4. Feb£1,038
  5. Mar£827
  6. Apr£816
  7. Jul£787

Booking.com, 1 night, 2 adults, a Garden Pavilion, checked 30 October 2026. May to September is the green rainy season.

* Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the verdict.

When to go

October to January: clear skies and cool mornings. Avoid late February to April for the haze; May to September is green and wet.

Thailand, month by month
Two stops, one tripChiang Mai to Koh Samui

Every photo is the hotel’s own. * May earn us a commission; it never changes the verdict. Sources: MICHELIN Guide, the hotel, Booking.com (rates checked 30 October 2026). We have not stayed here: this page is built from the hotel’s own details, the awards lists and those dated rates. See how we choose.