My time in Bangkok was short, and mostly spent recovering from the flight and the consequences of having my days rapidly turned upside down. Soon I was back at Bangkok airport preparing to board Thai Smile for my flight to Chiang Rai. It was an economy flight, but it wasn't going to be a long one, and I paid for both my domestic flights with my annual travel credit and points from Amex, so I was prepared for discomfort. Surprise, for an economy flight it wasn't bad. There was even food (some sort of chicken paste roll) and water provided for all passengers at no extra cost! For cheap and cheerful, this was pretty good.
I'm not going to lie, this was the part of the trip I was looking forward to most. Spending my birthday with elephants was the major feature of this trip. But first, I had to get there. Fortunately, the hotel offers a reasonably priced luxury transfer between the airport at Chiang Rai and Golden triangle. The van was equipped with wifi, juice, cookies, a cold towel, and hand sanitizer.
The resort bangs a drum to welcome you. And then you enter the lobby, and get checked in. You are greeted with a cold towel, juice, and a snack. The yellow object on the tray is an entire peeled and quartered local pineapple. They are tiny, adorable, and delicious.
They certainly made me feel welcome, with all sorts of welcome and birthday amenities.
I had a suite, which was very spacious (64m²). It was almost at the top of the hill, so the view was spectacular. I was later shown the more accessible rooms and suites they had at the bottom of the hill. I had a walk in closet, sitting area, soaking tub, shower, massive vanity, mini fridge, bedroom, and balcony. The sitting area had a sofa, coffee table, binoculars, and snacks.
Next: Part V - Elephants, and a resort tour.
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