Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand — Hotel in Chiang Saen district

Just wow. Glamping on steroids. This property is truly unique and you can expect to create some unforgettable experiences and memories without compromising on luxury and creature comforts. Takes 1 hour by car from Chiang Rai Airport, followed by quick long boat ride through the golden triangle. The check-in experience is iconic. The staff really take every step to make your arrival and departure flawless. Property is remote but surprisingly accessible.||You are essentially in the middle of a jungle but surrounded in luxury glamourous-camping safari type of feeling. There are 16 rooms in total, 1 restaurant, 1 bar, 1 pool, no gym. The rooms are essentially tent-like villas and you really feel like you are in some luxury adventure safari expedition. There is no TV in the room, which is perfect - since you really get to switch off, enjoy the nature and really soak in the ambiance but the wifi speed is good, so you aren't completely disconnected from the world. Our tented room was tastefully decorated. Someone definitely had a vision for this property and also had impeccable eye for details as every part of the property had some thought put into it. The property is 19 years old but very well maintained. The location of your tent will be quite important here. The entry level tents are located around the middle of the property - which are the most difficult to access and get around to and from the restaurant, activity meeting points and bar. People with accessibility issues or those who want better convenience in terms of getting around the property during the stay should really consider booking the higher category tents. Also, there will be a lot of stairs and steps to climb up and down all the time - so if you have joint problems or accessibility issues, have young kids - this hotel won't be ideal.||The hotel has 6-7 rescue elephants belonging to the hotel and also partners with the elephant sanctuary in the area. You will get to feed them during breakfast every day, and engage with them in other interactive activities that does not abuse them or force them to do tricks for you. They are lovely rescued elephants. And if you stay for longer than 2-3 days and see them a few times, they do recognize you and relax more around your presence. The hotel provides you with the same outfits as the Elephant handlers 'mahouts' and crocs. They are quite comfortable and we ended up wearing the mahout outfits for other activities like hikes and tours instead of our own. They supply you fresh ones every day. Saves you a lot of laundry and need for cleaning your shoes. It does get muddy. ||Aside from the elephants and the epic location and hardware - which is expected for this level - the talented staff there really make this place special. Genuinely friendly, genuinely caring, professional, attentive and dedicated to making your stay memorable. They use the four seasons app to communicate with you - which ensures your privacy and you dont need to share your WhatsApp. Also, if you book directly with the hotel, they offer package programs that includes all-inclusive F&B, activities, pick up and drop off, room and massages. We took the 4 nights package and it was 1000% worth it. They will prepare an itinerary for you and to which they will also add recommendations to them as well. I'd highly recommend the Elephant and I, golden triangle excursion, hall of Opium and Private bucket sundowner activities. They also offer an array of complimentary activities like mixology session and Elephant bathing too, which are highly enjoyable. ||The Food and Beverage offering here is spectacular and of high quality. Our package included a huge range of premium cocktails, a wide selection of wines, excellent Thai menu and classic western dishes and amazing grilled meats. We didn't have a single dish that we didnt enjoy. Everything was really high quality. The private BBQ was amazing and the surf and turf style menu was epic and grilled to perfection. We really could not compliment the food enough. The drinks at Burma bar whilst looking at the sunset overlooking Myanmar was dreamy. The mixology team will also customize drinks for you as part of the all-inclusive experience minus some premium booze that requires extra $ but the selection is wide and top-shelf. The spa there is probably the only spa in the world that doesnt play background music and is open-air. The noises from nature is your massage music. Incredible. Time went by faster than we expected and we never had a moment of boredom. We ran out of time to just relax! Every day was an adventure even during the rain. Probably one of the few hotels where we didn't mind the bad weather. ||What an epic stay. The only word of caution is - bring plenty of mosquito repellent and bite ointments. It is the jungle and the mosquitoes are relentless.||Last but not least, our special thanks to Poy, Base, Ralph, Jacky, Moo, Nee, Victor, Raye, Kait, & Norman for taking such good care of us. We look forward to...

Having been to safari a couple of times before, we were not quite sure what kind of experience to expect at the tented camp, both in terms of facilities and animal experiences. Safe to say any of our reservations disappeared the moment we stepped off the plane. The hotel picked us up in a nice and modern minivan, completed with the usual wifi, cold towels, water and snacks. The arrival on longtail boat gave us a sense of place and was a good introduction to the experience for the next few days. ||Room 5/5|We had the #1 the elephant tent - it offered a great view over the river and the plains. We were a bit hesitant on the only outdoor shower concept as we didn't like bugs/mozzies, but it was perfectly fine. You could also shower indoor at the bathtub if you wish. Everything here was in tip top shape and the room was gorgeous. It's so comfortable with all the modern amenities one will ever need. ||Services - 5/5|Having just 16 tents in total, this is on a smaller scale than even most of the Amans. Like at any Aman hotels, you don't need to sign any bills here, everyone knows you on the first name basis and they know what you have done or what you are going to do on the day. This is probably the only Four Seasons hotel I know of that delivers this kind of personable experience. The assistant camp manager, Ajit, was always on the property to chat with you throughout the day. He's very passionate about the whole hotel, and will share with you a lot of interesting stories and history about the elephants, the camp itself and the area. Everyone here was extremely courteous, friendly and fun in the Thai way, i.e. they're always happy to chat with you and joke with you and always willing to go the extra mile to help you out. The room attendants, were on par with the Aman ninjas. Every time you step out for meals or activities, someone will freshen up your room, and you'd never see anyone going in/out of your room. ||Activities - 5/5|We stayed 4 nights here, so a wide range of activities were included. We did the elephant walk, golden triangle excursion, wine and cheese tasting, countryside biking, picnic in style and the hall of opium museum visit. The interactions with elephants were amazing, you can walk up and interact with them and learn the different personalities of them! All the other activities were also extremely well done. We also opted for the elephant camp dinner to celebrate our anniversary and we absolutely loved it, they'll have a nice surprise for you in store if you do go for it.||Spa - 5/5|The massage room was open-air, and it had a gorgeous view! It's was a perfect way to enjoy a great massage in such a stunning environment. It truly is a one-of-a-kind spa treatment experience.||F&B 5/5|THE THAI FOOD HERE IS AMAZING! Having been to Thailand countless times, I can say that the food here is the best we have ever had, and it's not an exaggeration by any means. We are itching to go back just to dine at the restaurant. The daily sundowner at Burma bar and the private bucket sundowner were a great way to wind down and enjoy the sunset views over Myanmar. Cocktails were pretty good and the free-flow wines were decent as well.|||Conclusion:|At first look the rates do look steep. However, it's at an all-inclusive basis, incl all the drinks, meals and activities, and everything here was absolutely perfect. It's difficult to find a hotel with such good hardware, services, activities and most important amazing food. I'd argue that it's actually pretty decent value, especially considering the remote location and the small scale of the hotel. ||Also the hotel elephants always seemed to be in a relaxed and happy mood, I'd believe that the elephants at the foundation were being treated very well. This simply is one of the most memorably and extraordinary experience we have had, and we're extremely glad to have chosen to celebrate our wedding anniversary here. If you are reading this review, please absolutely do not hesitate and make a booking right away, you won't regret it. Many congratulations to Ajit and Ralph on doing such a great job managing this...

The most amazing truly heart-warming first class experience you could have. It is more an ‘experience’ that words cannot describe. All the staff (And I mean ALL) including the Mahouts and guides are wonderful. All happy to help, answer questions, chat, laugh and tease with you. Catering for my food allergies was a breeze for them. Thoughtful as well, made drink snack foods that I could eat so I was not left out. Best Gluten Free bread I have had. Great food, catered for you. The tent, amazing, huge, clean, wonderful big bath tub and outdoor shower, sitting area, bed with a view. Everything you could dream off. The Elephants and Mahouts, so many wonderful activities to have been involved in. You can tell these elephants are not only loved, but are happy. (As well as really looked after) Feeding the couple of gentle giants that were brought up to the dining room in the morning was a highlight. The Mahout training was a superb, fun and an emotionally involved experience. ‘Bathing’ and ‘being in the water’ with the elephants is something you will never regret or forget. The sunrise walk was also a beautiful experience. (Tip order extra fruit to share with your elephant) The Spa experience is a delightful experience to have, especially with your partner. Open air, jungle views, the sounds of nature while you are being massaged. Hall of Opium museum visit, we thoroughly enjoyed this museum. A lot of history, wonderful presented. If you are into history (like my husband) then you will really enjoy this museum. Houi Mak Leim National Park and Hot Spring Trail excursion. This is hike on the ‘local path’ which means you could be bending low under the overgrown bamboo, walking up the hill using some of the plants to help you and walking on the track between crops. The guide carries your water and lunch, it is a lovely trek, with some amazing views, even still, if the humidity gets to you, as it did my husband, maybe consider the small trek or something else. Golden Triangle Excursion, involves a long-tail boat ride on the Mekong River, so you are exactly in the middle of Thailand, Laos and Burma/Myanmar. Then off to view a temple and high point to look over Laos and Myanmar. We did enjoy this trip.

Each night it was drinks & snacks at the Burma Bar, then to the Wine Cellar for wine tasting and finally dinner at Nong Yao Restaurant. The food is amazing, also catering to how spicy you would like your meal. From mild (my husband) to medium (for me), regardless of what dish you ordered. I again want to mention the staff, their wonderful attention to detail and great personalities really help bring this resort to the above 5 stars that is deserves. If you do have an issue, talk to them, it will be sorted as quickly and smoothly as possible. Just in case you are wondering about the treatment of the elephants, they are loved and looked after. Yes, they are working, but working in an environment that is healthy for the elephant and mahouts. Read about their rehabilitating program. There are lots of wonderful little things I could mention, but then they would not be a surprise for you when you visit I would totally recommend staying here and for the longer period, we had 5 days, which allowed us to...