In 1884 the ruler of Chiang Mai, King Inthawichayanon, granted a strip of land on the Ping to the British government; the consulate that opened there in 1921 still stands in the middle of this resort. Around it the late Kerry Hill laid out something deliberately restrained — long horizontals, teak, water, and a courtyard pool that does most of the talking.
A Consulate, a River and a Very Quiet Modernism
The heritage house now holds The Service 1921, a restaurant and bar built on a tongue-in-cheek secret-service conceit, down to the Morse code signage. The rest of the property is calm to the point of hush, which is startling given that the Night Bazaar and Tha Phae Gate are a few minutes away. The resort was formerly The Chedi Chiang Mai.
Charoen Prathet Road, on the Ping
123 Charoen Prathet Road, Chang Khlan, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50100.
The resort sits on the west bank of the Mae Ping, a few minutes' walk from the Night Bazaar and about 15 minutes by car from Chiang Mai International Airport.
