First-time and repeat visitors to Thailand all beeline for Chiang Mai in the north—for good reason. It’s an immersive experience in itself. Enter, Chiang Mai’s most exclusive address: 137 Pillars House.
30 opulent, colonial-inspired suites built around a late 19th-century teak residence, once home to the son of Anna Leonowens (depicted in The King and I), integrates mod-cons into a wistful evocation of colonial life. Storied furniture, a generous terrace, and a claw-footed Victorian bath make it difficult to tear yourself away. Once you visit the 25-meter pool, the star of this show, with its lush foliage wall that radiates the feeling of being in a rainforest is discovered, it’s almost impossible to leave.
Located on the Ping River’s east bank, the hotel’s immediate surrounds are hushed and residential, but is just a two-minute walk from a host of the Wat Gate area’s charming boutique galleries, shops and riverside bars. The old city can be reached by car—or tuk tuk—in less than 10 minutes. The Wat Ket Karam temple and its towering bronze-clad chedi is a few hundred steps away.
Entering the grounds of 137 Pillars feels like walking onto a colonial movie set: past the entrance flanked by vintage tuk-tuks is a towering white reception pavilion ‘floating’ on water. The stone pathway leads to a lush corridor of birds of paradise and other lovely tropical flora before revealing the Baan Borneo House, a restored Anglo-Malay-style homestead built in the late 1800s. Nods are given to its Borneo Trading Company headquarter roots in framed photographs and suite categories named after the former enterprise’s founders. Every nook of the hotel drips with classic polish and wealth. If these walls could speak, it would be of stories within stories.
The main building houses a 24-hour, glass-walled gym, a library and a small museum detailing the property’s history—with a few artefacts—on the ground level. The compact spa with steam room is a must on your to-do list. The traditional Thai massage at 137 Pillars is not to be missed. You can thank me later.
The suites are enormous, each containing a patio/outdoor space with a daybed, rocking chairs and a supremely comfortable four-poster king or super king bed. Pillows, seating and mat boards of framed vintage photographs dictate either a teal- or red-accented suite theme. Amenities include a pillow menu, a fruit basket, a sleek television unit, robes and slippers and a fabulous Art Deco minibar cart.
The David Fleming Macfie Suites, introduced in 2019, contain a versatile conservatory area which can be converted from an enclosed air conditioned room to an open-air veranda. Bathrooms are epically proportioned: beyond the elegant dressing area and dual marble sinks are indoor and outdoor showers, along with a freestanding bathtub. Need I say more?
There are two restaurants and a bar based in the teak homestead. The Dining Room divvies Thai cuisine in a space where teal, tasseled lamps dangle from a soaring teak ceiling. If you like meat, the tender double cooked Wagyu cheeks (‘Wagyu Pad Ka Prao’) is sensational. The more intimate and Western-focused Palette restaurant serves the likes of pastas, salads, lamb chops and burgers. The comprehensive breakfast served in the Dining Room is among the best in Chiang Mai: the buffet contains Western, Thai and Chinese cuisines with an assortment of fresh juices and healthy elixirs, while the cooked-to-order menu include crab meat omelettes, buttermilk quinoa pancakes and traditional Thai congee.
The Jack Bain’s Bar, named after a Scot and former resident who helped run the Borneo Company, sports a British gentlemen’s club theme in its decor and an ultra-creative bar menu. It is THE place to go in Chiang Mai for craft and Asian inspired cocktails, premium whiskeys, sabered champagne and bespoke spirits. The bars nostalgic and historical atmosphere harks back to the golden age of cocktails. In addition to being a must-have experience for guests, it is also a very popular
destination for locals and visitors looking for an atmosphere.
Perhaps the best thing about this sweet and modest property is its service. 137 Pillars House, with its charming staff, that feels like family, was like coming home. Hands down, a destination in itself.
Only the best,
Mr. Raven
