Chiang Mai Charmer

Villa Mahabhirom is an idyllic retreat in Chiang Mai housed in an assortment of antique teak houses

After a brief airport transfer, your Chiang Mai getaway begins beyond the discreet entrance of the city’s newest luxury accommodation. What lies beyond is as much of a delightful surprise as is the fact that it’s located only 15 minutes from the historical centre of town and equidistant from the hiking trails of the sylvan surrounds.

The site of Villa Mahabhirom (meaning ‘villa of great pleasure’), directly at the foothills of the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, was first discovered ten years ago by Pitsanu Sawangnetra, the sole member of the trio of owners to originate from Chiang Mai. Inspired by the nearby university, Sawangnetra’s original idea was to build a student dormitory, but a serendipitous moment of watching the sun slowly descend behind the nearby mountains saw a new plan formed. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Creating the bijou resort did require a little more than just serendipity, though. After already owning the land for five years, it took another five years of buying up some 20-plus abandoned teak homes from provinces across the country, each unique and over 100 years old, and each requiring three to four months to fully restore and rehabilitate. Seventeen of these became the individual villas that now form the resort’s accommodations.

All the while the autodidact designer and co-owner was also sourcing local antiques from the greater Mekong area and, more recently, amassing a collection of curios and vintage furniture pieces from Europe. It’s the seemingly disparate and anachronistic collection of furnishings and objets that helps to ground the history of these buildings in the present day, says Sawangnetra, who wanted to avoid the feeling of an open-air museum at all costs.

In addition to the private accommodations, Villa Mahabhirom hosts the amenities you’d expect from a resort, such as indoor and outdoor dining, spa facilities and a library. But you’ll soon realise that a stay here is more than just a getaway — it’s a lesson in Thailand’s rich architectural heritage and culture.

Text / Suzy Annetta
Images / Edmon Leong