Veranda High Resort Chiang Mai - MGallery Collection — Hotel in Chiang Mai Province

Thank you for making our honeymoon so special!

Veranda Resort was, without a doubt, one of the best, if not the best, hotels we have stayed in so far. We don’t usually write such long reviews, but the Veranda staff definitely deserves a detailed one!

If you are looking for a place to relax and unwind, escape the craziness of the busy city, be surrounded by nature and calmness but still have a good connection to the city, be provided with excellent hospitality, and not be bored—this is the place for you!

We stayed for seven nights at the beginning of November and used most of the facilities that the resort offered: pool, jacuzzi, gym, spa, restaurant, bar, transport, and extra activities.

Location: The resort is located a 30-minute drive from the city center, but the staff offers a complimentary shuttle bus service at set times to the city and back to the hotel, so the connection is not an issue and is free. It made our travels and sightseeing much easier and more convenient.

The hotel is situated in the mountains, so the whole place is very quiet and peaceful. No outside noise, no crowds, only the pleasant sound of crickets and frogs at night and birds during the day. As huge nature lovers, we enjoyed the wilderness at Veranda a lot; we found geckos especially entertaining! The view of the White Temple and the palm trees from the Higher room was just incredible. The sunsets were unreal.

The resort itself is not very busy, and even the main pool was empty most of the time, which was great! The whole place is so green and lush; it just helps your mind to relax. Everything from the pool to the trees, grass, and plants was so well maintained and perfectly clean.

Staff: A huge, huge thank you to every single staff member—you all greeted us with a smile and kindness, and nothing was problematic for you when we asked. Helpful reception staff, including night staff, were always keen to book us taxis, give us recommendations, have a chat and joke with us. Housekeeping was always present, and the room was always perfectly clean - we found the everyday good night sweets left in our room when we went out to the city to be a nice little touch! The restaurant and breakfast staff were so attentive and kept their eye on every detail! Gentlemen in charge of transport - also the ones on the ground in a golf cart were so helpful. Big, big thanks to Jackie who gave us a white temple tour, for her knowledge and enthusiasm. And special staff members—cats that kept us company in the evenings—made the hotel feel like home and entertained us while setting a friendly environment.

Facilities: The room was spacious, quiet, and clean; it had everything you needed—good AC, drinkable water, coffee, tea topped up every day, and a big straw bag that you can use to take your stuff to the pool. We loved the little private patio outside our window where we could sit at night and listen to the frogs. The breakfast buffet was delicious—so many choices in addition to freshly cooked eggs upon request. The staff was always happy to cut fresh fruit for us, which was amazing. Dinners and cocktails were so tasty; we liked that a lot of products were locally sourced. We loved the tree house seats in the restaurant. The spa offered a wide range of choices in terms of massages done by certified therapists, and we were very happy with ours. The spa was clean, intimate, and very relaxing. Pool and gym—all well maintained and clean. There were options to book free activities like temple walking, rice planting, yoga, Thai boxing class, or bike rides, which took place in the local village—all organized by staff for guests.

Design: So impressed with the designs! We felt like we were in the Vogue catalogue! Modern, minimalist concrete blocks composed perfectly with the greenery around them. It was so well designed that it felt like buildings and pools were an addition to the greenery, not a way around!

We will remember our Veranda stay for a long time, and we will definitely return if we ever are in beautiful Chiang Mai...

Veranda, well known chain. Tried Hua Hin and the experience was not so great. Over there, the land space was limited and it felt more like staying overnight in a condominium. Now here in Chiangmai, it’s a world of difference. The vast expanse, the naturalistic surroundings. The fresh mountain air, away from the cities. Choruses of perfection everywhere we looked as we walked towards the reception, her futuristic concave roof casted a mirror image on the larger than life shallow ponds right before it. There along the walkway a couple in wedding attire stood, the photographers fired their flashes. Breakfast, the infinity pool looks on into the mountains beyond. The white temple sitting near its peak. Again, the mirror lake effect, the whole scene like an attractive Thai postcard, with us in it.

The city is not too far away, the nearest attraction the famous night safari. This hotel is away from it all, meaning it ain’t no place you can flag a taxi or bus by the front gates. Restaurants and drinking holes nearby, they are all a drive’s away. This place is definitely where one can unwind in seclusion, such as over a weekend away from them crowd on an extended trip, which was what I did. And so, I was not the only family there, kids aplenty. And that meant not only do I have to bear with the noises made by my own kid, but that of others who were howling throughout the night. Now I understand why some animals eat the young of others nearby.

The breakfast in the morning was very gratifying, plenty choices and taste fitting. Seating outdoor is plenty enjoyable this time of the year. The air is cool. To be sitting on sofa high up by the pool taking in the whole vista while sipping coffee, was the reward of waking up early. Those 3 hot seats that offers exquisite unobstructed views into to mountains beyond, will be in high demand during the peak season of cool December. The room I had, a short walk from the pool, is massive. The oversized king bed in this Valley Deluxe room is as it says, really oversized. Can roll many times over before falling off edge. Balcony is inward facing and overlooks the tea terrace and to the restaurant lower down the terrain. Perpendicular, between the block I was and the next, is another small pool that offers Jacuzzi jets.

It was perfection, every bit of my stay. But just for me, there was an overwhelming down side during times in which I had to do some work. For a grand hotel demanding only the deepest of pockets, they should really put an effort to make sure guest be able to access the internet hassle free. Having to disconnect and connect again every now and then to overcome network issues was very counterproductive. I had to do a number of online conferences during my stay and it did not go well. There are people like me who often need to work online during odd hours and had perceived this resort as business friendly, only to find that it is frustratingly not. It is for this very reason that I shall not bestow this hotel any higher that what I rated. If not, it would have been a very stress-free stay for me. Next time,...

DON'T HAVE A WEDDING HERE UNLESS YOU ARE THAI.

I booked my wedding here because it was an amazing venue which would be perfect for an unforgettable wedding, and the location delivered the views were breathtaking, the facilities were 5 star.

Sadly it didn't deliver because the Salesperson/Events manager who sold us the package ruined our special day. We arrange with them to have 2 menus one for the Thai guests and one for the International guests. We paid extra of course for the service but unfortunately they didn't deliver in fact no international guests were served. I found out at the end of the night after all the running around a groom does at a wedding that the staff complete excluded the international guests.

There was no menu or food for all the international guests, they literally were not served at all. they weren't even given any wedding cake. The whole table of 15 guests were completely ignored the whole night.

When I found out I was understandably angry and wanted to speak to the Salesperson/Events manger named Poo who was responsible for the service to get this resolved and to have some food delivered to my hungry guests. Unfortunately she who had managed the whole event disappeared and would only talk to me on the phone.

When I requested food for my uk guests they said the kitchen was now closed and it was too late, as you can imagine this resulted in me blowing my top. The guests who had paid for this wedding were basically treated like second class citizens.

The Thai guests were served well of course and were very happen with the venue and the night.

On top of this when we went to pay for the event the following day they still tried to charge me for the second menu after ruining the night. The staff on the whole were friendly and somewhat helpful but the event manager and Salesperson named Poo who should have made sure the service offered and paid for was delivered failed to do her job.

I've raised a letter of complaint with the General Manager about Poo and unless she is removed from post I would strongly advise any non Thai people thinking of using Veranda from using this venue for any special event.

Such a lovely venue destroyed by the events person responsible for delivering what you pay for.

Something that will never be forgotten not just because its a 5 star expensive venue but because a wedding is a very special...