19 wonderful days at Baan Thip Chang
My family of 4 (children aged 7 and 9) have just returned home from 19 wonderful days at Baan Thip Chang. The villa was beautifully decorated in Traditional Thai style with the rich warmth of a private home and all the modern amenities that one would require including cable TV and WiFi... The eclectic Asian decor featuring many antiques, buddhas and of course elephants were a feast for the eyes and made this villa a home that I could imagine having decorated myself over the years..it felt like our home away from home..a true villa vacation providing my children with a happy place to relax and have fun.
The spacious layout allowed for us to chill out together in the air-conditioned TV room, living room (indoors or out) or even any air-conditioned bedroom with it's own living room suite or for family fun of playing badminton and swimming in the pool. While at the same time providing enough space to easily find a quiet spot to read and relax. Although we were only 4, and the villa sleeps 12, we enjoyed the space.
We were all delighted with the food served to us at the villa and my daughter is a picky eater.
As villa holidays and relaxation go hand in hand, this villa offers you the amenities to return home soothed and refreshed. The masseuse that can be organized by the Villa Manager at short notice for US$10 an hour, the jacuzzi bath in the downstairs bedroom and the retreat of the sala where I could read while watching the children play in the pool were my personal favorites. Our discreet, aim-to-please housekeepers babysat when required which allowed my husband and I to also enjoy our Saturday morning walk. We went to the Royal Gardens (beautiful!!) 15 minutes away and had a romantic dinner out at the lovely restaurant 'Ginger & Kafe' in town offering a delicious selection of both Eastern and Western cuisine. This is your opportunity to try the local river fish, excellent!
The location was perfect! We were out of the city center enough to feel off the beaten track and close enough to enjoy all Chiang Mai has to offer, which is a lot. It enjoyed easy access to the Super Highway allowing for day visits to the neighboring provinces. With the addition of the car that came with the villa and the manager to help us pin-point our destinations on Co-Pilot, a GPS App downloaded to our phones, and a selfie-stick as a mount we were perfectly set up to go anywhere! Not that the villa manager didn't offer to be our driver but it was so easy to get around that we didn't need the service. The villa enjoyed tranquility next to the Ping River which made the villa easy to drive home to as all you had to do was follow the river into and out of town. During your day out of adventure at Tiger Kingdom, X-Centre, Elephant Park, Cave and Temple exploration or retail therapy of the Night Market, Sunday Market or your choice of First Class Malls (Festival Mall, 25 mins away is the largest in Northern Thailand), you also enjoy along the way, the wonderful delights of Thai Cuisine street food, Japanese restaurants, Korean cook-it-youself fun or an experience with Mall fast food which was healthy and delicious. And after all of this is done, you still have this warm home to return to.
This was our first trip to the East and it couldn't have gone better. I look forward to visiting their other villa in Phuket next time we make it that way which will no doubt be sooner rather than later.
As for the villa itself and all it has to offer, it was a great choice for us with our young children and also a wonderful experience of Thai culture with beautifully natured people who believe in luck and a healthy, simple way of life.