Chasa RakThai Resort — Hotel in Mae Hong Son Province

18 years ago, Ah-Ching and Cha-Sa got married.

They did not have much. The were descendents of Kuomintang settlers from China. Their parents were terrified of Mao Zedong and could not go back to China.

But Thailand had gifted them a home, Ban rak tai. Ah-Ching and Cha-sa had grown up here. Their parents had always taught them to be grateful to Thailand, to work hard and to take care of those who take care of them.

They had some land next to the reservoir that their Kuomintang forebears had built. And they had a dream.

So with what little they had, they worked hard, saved money, and little by little, they built that dream.

At that time, there were only dirt roads and trees where this resort stands now. They started a shop to sell local produce like tea. They stuck to their culture, working hard and employing their friends and relatives from Ban rak tai, for Ban rak tai is like one big family.

Slowly, they added more rooms, and people started to stay with them. The profits were sowed back in.

They did not dream of living a luxury lifestyle. They dreamed of having enough to provide for their children. They were already happy with what they had, love and happiness built on a sense of security, given them by the Kingdom of Thailand.

They were grateful.

So they opened a resort. The name of the resort is 'Chasa rak tai'. Chasa's name, plus 'rak tai', from Ban rak tai. It translates as 'Chasa loves Thailand'.

They had four children. Ah-Ching was a kind father. Those children studied hard to be a success. They are students in Chiang Mai now.

When you stay here, you might meet Cha-sa or Ah-Ching. They wear simple clothes and big smiles. They will be very happy to talk to you if you can speak Thai or English. They will be grateful to you for being their guest. You might mistake them for a caretaker and a gardener, as I did.

Cha-sa grows tea plants in amongst the bungalows. She has several different types. She will be happy to let you taste the frest oolong leaves.

They will want to know your story, and if you can ask in Thai, they will tell you theirs, as they told me.

When you stay here, you are staying in a dream. It is the dream of Cha-sa and Ah-ching, all those years ago. A dream built on the earth. A dream built on hard work, commitment, love and gratitude.

It shows us what we can achieve with just those few...

it is very difficult to book for non local people. (International travellers) ||I wanted to stay overnight in Ban Rak Thai.|The only accommodation I could consider was either Lee Wine Rak Thai Resort or Chasa Rakthai Resort only.||Lee Wine Rak Thai Resort is listed on booking sites but it wasn’t released yet for the date I wanted to stay. |Chasa Rakthai resort doesn’t use booking sites like AGODA.|I was planning to stay there near the new year, I wanted to book a room in advance. |Chasa Rakthai has its own website, so I booked a room from their website directly but it isn’t confirmed unless you send them money.|The website doesn't accept credit cards.  |The only option is to send money to their bank. How primitive… Luckily I have a Thai friend. Her brother in Thailand helped me a lot. After he sent the money on my behalf, I didn’t hear back from the hotel anything. He again helped me call them if they received money and my booking was finally confirmed. It was a really long way to confirm my booking.|There are lots of rooms, you might be able to find a room without booking.||Also there are actually many other guesthouses, hotels in Ban Rak Thai around the lake but it is challenging to find them in advance. ||The room I stayed in was located on the top of the property. |The view is great but you have to step up long stairs. |At least, the porter helped me carry my suitcase when it was check-in/oput.||I rarely stay at a "hotel". I enjoyed my stay pretty much. |It is rather expensive for Thai Standard ( and it is a village !) but it is a lux hotel in this area.||I enjoyed the sunrise from the terrace in front of the room. (Public area)|Breakfast is a buffet. (800-1000)|There are so many restaurants around the lake, you can enjoy the stroll.|||Wifi is good even in the mountain area. |No issue with hot water showers. |Hair Dryer|Mini Fridge|Electric Kettle|Complimentary drink is pet bottle water and tea. |||Compared to my usual B&B, it was a very lux stay.||My room was on the corner next to the stairs. I had to keep the curtain closed to...

The 2 stars are for the views, which are the best in the village. This hotel seemed the best in the village with the most amount of reviews but this is purely down to most of the hotels in the area are not on google maps / booking websites you need to call or use the line app. We checked in for one night and at first were impressed, after a wander around the village we realised that the bathroom smelt of sewage - badly, or rotten vegetables. There was mould spores around the wooden furniture and the cleanliness was ok but the bathroom smell was terrible we had to leave the light and extractor on…. Roll on 9pm and the electricity completely cut out. We thought possible power cut - then noticed the other occupied rooms all had electricity still. Went down to the restaurant/ reception area no one was there it was all in pitch black. So off to bed we went, with no AC meant we had to sleep in a room that smelt of the toilet. A few hours later the electricity came back briefly meaning all the lights turned back on and woke us up… but went back out again in the night. Meaning the room was boiling and smelt of the toilet. The village itself is lovely and depending where you are travelling from you can see it in a few hours, you really do not need to stay there as there is absolutely nothing here other than a handful of restaurants and shops selling Chinese goods. We enjoyed our time at the village itself, just a shame about the...