Boutique is the perfect word”

I cant say enough how excellant this little hotel was for us. Let me also say we have stayed in some of the best hotels in the world, coming straight from Lebua in Bangkok to Ping Nakara was a welcoming surprise. The only part of the hotel which could use improvement is the restaurant. Both breakfast and roomservice food could use some of the extra care that the rest of the hotel obvious holds very high priorities towards. Now the good bits: - Pickup in a gorgeous old mercedes benze is a gorgeous touch and show of the personality the hotel so obviously has. - The grounds and room were extremely well kept, and truly showed thought behind every little decision they made. It exhumed personality at every corner. - The little travel agency inside desk has fantastic service, both via email and in person. They really did go the extra mile to ensure we could have the best stay possible. - The massage spa treatments were incredible, the best we had in Thailand. I couldn't recommend them more. - It was my birthday, which they must have realised by my passport, so by the end of our day's adventures coming back late to a bottle of peach bubbles and coconut treats, was such a wonderful surprise. Overall the owners really care about making your stay an excellant one. I look forward to returning to this gorgeous little piece of Chiang Mai thank you Ping Nakara.

Charming boutique hotel with amazing service”

The Ping Nakara Boutique Hotel and Spa is simply amazing. I wasn't able to try out the spa, which I hear is amazing as well, but I was able to thoroughly enjoy the attention to detail. The excellent service began with the check-in process. I booked through Agoda, and for some reason the booking didn't show in their system. However, it wasn't a problem. They were able to clear up the issue extremely quickly and with the utmost politeness. I was then handed the key and led to my room. Charming with a dab of luxury is the perfect way to describe the hotel. I was impressed even as I was being led to my room. The room itself is just amazing. It was extremely clean, and it was unlike other hotels that I have stayed at. The breakfast is quite good as well, so don't miss out.

A boutique hotel at its best”

we choose this boutique hotel as a change from the usual large hotels we stay in and we were not disappointed. the nineteen elegant rooms in the recently constructed colonial style ping nakara, offered a welcome retreat from the hussle and bussle of chiang mai. the furnishings and fittings in the rooms and around the hotel were very much in keeping with the style of the building making you think you had stepped back in time. the open-sided dining room and bar area around the beautiful swimming pool were a lovely place to relax and enjoy the delicious food on offer. every night of our four night stay we ate in the hotel because the food was so delicious.

A Wonderful Hotel”

Ping Nakara met all my expectations. The hotel is small and has a nice quiet classy atmosphere. The staff is very friendly. The breakfast was great - your order for eggs was taken by a waiter and delivered to your table. The restaurant also prepares great Thai dishes. The bed in the room was very comfortable. I would definitely come back to this hotel. It is truly a five star location. It is easy walk to various downtown Chiang Mai attractions. The Ping Nakara Spa has everything you would expect in a high end spa. I enjoyed my two visits there.

Absolutely gorgeous hotel - highly recommend”

I’m very particular about hotels, and the Ping Nakara exceeded all of my rather high expectations. The hotel is beautiful, extremely well maintained, and well located for tourists. The staff are wonderful - very friendly, helpful and attentive to guests. Food in the restaurant is very good, especially the Thai food they prepare at dinner. The spa is also top notch, and worth trying. It is a lot more expensive than even the really nice spas in town, but it’s a lovely setting and they offer a first class experience (try the ginger tea at the end - I’ve never tasted anything like it, outstanding). Unless you stay at the (supremely expensive and very remote) Four Seasons, I can’t imagine there is a better hotel in Chiang Mai. I loved it, and I will return.

As charming as the city it belongs to”

Somewhat situated by the Ping River (I say somewhat because you don't really get a view of it from the hotel itself), Ping Nakara sits on what used to be a forest station mahouts parked their elephants at. All the history is long gone, and despite the interesting and quaint architecture (a combination of nine influences if I'm not mistaken) the hotel is a surprisingly modern building, no more than a few years old. There's the colonial feel, the spacious rooms--each named after a flower/plant, tasteful decor and always-smiling, English speaking staff. The spa is not cheap but it's definitely clean, professionally run and nicely appointed--popular enough to warrant an advanced booking. A stroll through the garden will take you to the Nakara Jardin, a cafe/restaurant on the hotel grounds offering seats perched by the Ping River. Here, under overhanging branches, you get the crickets, frogs, serenity and view. Location wise, although the Night Bazaar is just a short stroll away (and not particularly worth its hype), the Old City (its walking street is not to be missed on weekends, especially the evenings) may take about 15-20 minutes to get to on foot. There are enough tuk-tuks to ensure a short-cut is always available, but as always, haggle to keep it within 100 baht. I went to Chiang Mai to get away from the mad city life for a few days, and the Ping Nakara had a big part in making sure that went without a hitch. (Well, the air-con stopped working the first night, and after the technician failed to fix it, we were upgraded to a larger, pool-facing room the next day. It's a detail I only recalled at the end of this review, and that says plenty about how much I enjoyed myself.)

Lovely little white hotel”

We love our stay in Ping Nakara hotel and enjoy every moment of it. At one moment, my mom refused to go out as she loves to stay in the hotel very much. The location is great, close to the city (walking distance to night bazaar) and also easy to get out of the city, using the ring road. The hotel is not by the Ping river, but you can walk to the nearby hotel to enjoy the view. The Moring food offering to the monk ritual can be arranged, be ready at the lobby at 5.45 am! There will be 3 monks stop by to receive food. The breakfast is alright, limited menu. However, the staff is more than happy to offer many dishes as you wish. Try Thai style rice porridge set. It comes with 3 side dishes. The room is very specious and clean. We had one room with extra bed and they arrange the large room. The bathroom is impressive! Every area is divided with glass door. The hotel is coronial style, given a different choice of stay in Chiang Mai. The compound is not very large. There is a moderate size swimming pool. The lounge area is cozy.

Extremely stylish and well-appointed”

I'd highly recommend the Ping Nakara - it's beautifully designed with a vintage feel (it feels like a smaller version of Raffles in Singapore), is incredibly spotless and has beautiful rooms and pool. I'd advise trying for a room facing the pool rather than along the road as it can be a little noisy (we changed rooms after the 1st night). The hotel is about 10-15 mins walk to the old city and just a few mins from the night market. The staff are super-friendly and helpful, as is the American manager, who's extremely knowledgeable about Chiang Mai and environs. All in all a great place to stay, surely one of the best options in Chiang Mai. We loved it!

Best hotel in Changmai”

the ping nakara boutique hotel and spa is a wonderful hotel with excellent service. the rooms were spacious with all the essential amenities. the breakfast buffet has a wonderful selection of local and western food. most importantly, the staff were friendly, courteous and most resourceful. from the moment you walk-in to your departure, the service was impeccable. we love our stay here and will definitely visit again.

Absolute Perfection”

I met a Canadian couple who told me about this hotel and their enthusiasm for it made me change my plans completely (I was headed for Shanghai) and I am so glad I did. The hotel is without a doubt the most beautiful I have ever stayed in. It is pristine and you really get the feeling that all the staff are very proud of where they work. We were on honeymoon and were upgraded to a room with a Jacuzzi and a balcony overlooking the pool which was great but all of the rooms are beautifully presented. My wife and I will definitely be looking for another excuse to visit Chiang Mai so we can get back the Ping Nakara.

Elegant and romantic!”

My husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this month at the Ping Nakara because it reminded me of our famous classic and elegant Raffles Singapore hotel back home. And we were pleasantly surprised with the unexpected treat of having refillable snacks and soft drinks in our room. Well, we're foodies, you see. And more surprises, the housekeeper presented us with a bottle of sparkling wine that night! Needless to say, we were tremendously impressed with the service. And on entering the warm and cozy Library, we found more snacks and a fruit tray. These little hospitality touch says a lot about the excellent management of a classic boutique hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed our two- nights stay there.....so tranquil, comfortable, romantic, relaxing...love the breakfast. Applause for the chef! All the staff deserved to be commended, especially, Khun Suchat, who insisted on taking my husband on a short short ride on the rickshaw around the driveway for fun. Will definitley recommend visitors to stay there, and will come back ourselves.

One of my best experiences in a hotel”

We've stayed 3 nights in Ping Nakara and it was exceptional from the very first second. The hotel is so well designed, with attention to every little detail. I like beautiful objects and architecture, and they have managed to exceed my expectations. We had a top floor room with a small balcony overlooking the right side of the pool with a view on luxuriant vegetation. The rooms are very well decorated and comfortable, I felt at home for the entire duration of the stay. We also went for a 2-hour massage and it was a delightful experience. The staff is well trained and it was one of the best massages I have ever had. I would definitely go back to this hotel every time I have the chance traveling to Chiang Mai.

Impossible, because moved due to overbooking.”

As there was a problem with our booking, the management of the Ping Nakara offered us a very nice room in the Siripanna Villa Resort and Spa. It was a great choice. This hotel, located 5 minutes tuktuk drive from Chiang Mai, is an oasis, composed by a very large plantsman garden and a very nice pool, with rice paddies at its outskirts. An excellent and friendly service, nice meals, a free shuttle made our stay really memorable and we would like to go back there, albeit only for relaxation.....

Getaway to a different world”

As seasoned travellers on our first trip without our toddler, we shied away from commercial hotel chains in the middle of the city. Ping Nakara is just outside the old city but certainly within walking distance to part of it, and is a little oasis of peace, personal service and architectural beauty. You don't get much river views as that frontage is reserved for its sister restaurant Nakara Jardin (certainly worth a visit for its gorgeous garden) but there's plenty else to occupy you. We loved the library/ reading room, the fact that we could chat with other hotel guests if we felt like it, but otherwise everyone was out of everyone else's space in the intimate property. Rooms are the largest I have seen in a long time (we were in the entry level room), with beautiful teak floors, marble finishing and touches that truly bring one back to the historical age of the teak wallahs. Yet at the same time, designed for modern technology. For instance, the phones look like the rotary kind except the numbers are buttons, so you wouldn't have to wait for it to unwind before dialling in the next number. Extensive DVD library, and oh, the pillow menu was a dream! Breakfast offered great variety, and there are a selection of local snacks refilled daily (as is the mini bar). We had room service a couple of nights that were good, if not the same price as what we pay back home. Same goes for the spa - expensive but equally matched in quality of service. About 50% of the guests during our stay were French.

GEM in Chiangmai”

A very charming boutique hotel with a touch of Thai elements. Very attentive staff and you can actually feel that they are doing their very best to make sure you have a blissful experience during your stay. Not so commercialized like the international-chained hotels, Ping Nakara offered a very homey and cozy environment gave us a brand new experience. They even prepared sandwiches with juices for us to take away when we checked out at 5AM knowing we had a morning flight to catch!? p/s: Delicious breakfast too =D Thank you Ping Nakara for the pleasant experience.

Jewel in the Crown”

On a recent trip to Chang Mai we did our usual homework on the choice of accommodation nod having trolled through the offerings on Agoda settles on the Ping Nakara. And what a choice it turned out to be! From the moment of our arrival I thought we had be transported back to Singapore and had arrived at a scaled down version of the Singapore Raffles Hotel. The architecture is that lovely mix of east and colonial so rare in Thailand. But honestly some of the similarities are amazing. The rooms are very well appointed and the bed very very comfortable. Jacuzzi whirlpool bath in the bathroom and a balcony which overlooks the courtyard and pool area. The food offerings from breakfast through to dinner were excellent. The staff are all marvellous and from those that I spoke too pretty fluent in English. We have stayed in many of the top hotels in Thailand including Bangkok and for the ambience alone both my wife and I are agreed that this is our number one.

City hotel within green surroundings”

Check-in was a breeze and we were given a quick orientation around the hotel. Rooms are big and comfortable and has a small balcony that faces lush greenery. Mini bar and snacks in room are complimentary and bar at the hotel offers a 1-for-1 Happy Hour deal from 5-7pm daily. The spa at the hotel also runs a promotion for some of its signature treatments. Restaurants can be found within the vicinity and the Night Bazaar is about 10-15 mins walk away. Upon check-out, we were surprised by the management with a pair of ceramic elephant ornaments to bring home with that added a memorable touch to our experience here at the Ping Nakara hotel. Thank you.

Great hotel”

Recently my wife and I stayed for 5 nights in the Ping Nakara. We could not fault it. Our room was spacious with a lovely verandah overlooking the pool. The pool itself was quiet and relaxing - just what you need after a day walking the streets of Chiang Mai. All staff were very helpful and friendly. Breakfasts were excellent. We also had 2 evening meals at the hotel which could not be faulted. I liked the location as it was close enough to walk to the main areas in town, but far enough away so that it was quiet. A great hotel and we will be back.

Nice hotel in Chiang Mai”

Ping Nakara hotel is one of our favorit hotel in Chiang Mai apart from Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, the hotel situated near the city center with easy acces to major tourist attraction in Chiang Mai, the hotel's building decorate in the colonial theme. Breakfast is very good (you can taste from normal american breakfast to the northern style breakfast). however there is one negative point in my opinion is the hotel's swimming pool is not private

Wonderful boutique hotel with excellent service.”

We stayed at the Ping Nakara for 3 nights. Immediately we were very much taken by the check-in process. They knew our names as soon as we arrived. They sat us down with drinks and refreshing face towels while they went through the documents. Next, a staff introduce himself and gave us a tour of the hotel, then walked us into our rooms, it felt like we were home away from home. The first 2 nights, we did get a room facing the main road and it got very noisy especially there were constructions going on, but eventually they did offer us another room facing the pool the last night. The breakfast buffet was good for a small hotel, however it was under staff, so there often wasn't any food around and we had to wait and ask for them to refill the empty trays. If you get a chance, do try their Spa, the facial treatment was excellent!