THE RESORT
The Anantara Golden Triangle Resort has just 77 rooms and suites, surrounded by lotus ponds and boasting magnificent, high-vaulted ceilings. My hilltop bedroom – a room with three views – was enchanting. While you may be content to relax in the surrounds of the Anatara and the expansive infinity pool, it’s worth taking a day to explore a little of the unspoilt beauty of this northern Thai province.
Chiang Rai was long associated with opium, and an array of exhibits at the Hall of Opium museum tell the history of what was once the region’s biggest money-maker. At the nearly Doi Tung Development Project (www.doitung.org) you can find out how a programme has worked to eradicate opium and rural poverty, with cottage industries such as coffee, hand-woven rugs and fabrics, while a visit to the remote hill-tribe villages will give you a chance to meet the colourful people who call the highlands their home.
For the adventurous, there’s a chance to combine the local Thai sights with a trip to the Burmese border town of Tachilek and a long-tail boat trip to Laos, all in a matter of hours.
And, back at the ranch, it’s well worth paying a visit to the Anantara’s renowned Thai cookery school to learn how to whip up a mean yom ying soup.
Kuoni (01306 747008; www.kuoni.co.uk) offers a range of tailor-made holidays to Thailand including 10 nights on a bed and breakfast basis, staying five nights at the Anantara Resort, Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, in a deluxe room, plus five nights at the Anantara Phuket in a pool villa. This includes flights with Thai Airways (via Bangkok) from Heathrow with private transfers to the resort. Prices start from £1,999 per person based on two sharing.