Review of Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, by Caroline Major

Belly up on the heated scrub table in the Dhara Dhevi Spa I contemplated what it must have been like to be a Dai Princess in the height of the Lanna culture. Artistic, Buddist and unapologetically ceremonial, the 13th-century royals lived lifestyles to which contemporary tourists to Thailand now aspire. Back in the moment, my Royal Thai Massage steamed, washed and scrubbed every inch of my body before wrapping and bathing me again, then massaging within a whisper of a ‘happy ending’. Right Princess-like I thought, in a modern day Kingom of Lousch… which is just the idea behind the Mandarin Oriental Dhevi Dhara.

This hotel resort or ‘living museum’ is the idea of a Thai, stir-crazy to preserve the Lanna Culture which flourished AD1259-1558. His stunning recreation of the society is flanked by fortified walls and moats, ceremonial lawns and a parade ground. A palace, market, prayer hall, villas for nobility, rice barns, farming villages and administrative headquarters with their characteristic architectures are all available for rent by hotel guests. The carved wood and brick structures hosting sweepingly ornate up-turned roofs, murals, mirror glass mosaic and intricate lattice work have been meticulously copied from sites in the old ‘Land of a Million Rice Fields’, or Lanna Kingdom along the Mekong River.

This concept makes for some real choice in the rooms department. At the top of the scale are the residences decorated in the Mandalay style with thick drapes, 19th-century English furnishings, trompe l’oeil walls and grand chandeliers. In the second phase, Colonial style villas and rooms will open with similar opulence. With more minimal interiors are both the deluxe and the standard villas, and then, the rice barn style complexes which overlook communal gardens. Across all categories the bathrooms are fantastic, spacious and in many cases equipped with an outdoor shower and spa. A Jacuzzi comes standard in all rooms, as does a piano!

Down by the swimming pool, Oriental service is at it’s best. Sun loungers are laid out with Water spritzers and chilled bottles of the good stuff and attendants appear if you even think about needing something stronger to drink. Ginger Martinis, Mangosteen Mohitos, Buzzatini and fresh lime sodas over crushed ice and sugar are all put together with tropical Thai fruit treats. The menu features spa cuisine and the library offers a chance to check out a selection of 5000 books filled with tales of Asian culture. The collection spans art, sculpture, architecture, jewellery, textiles, anthropology and cooking amongst its titles and is a fine spot to stop if you’ve a particular fascination in the area.

Cultural exploration is a key part of the experience on offer at Dhevi Dhara who organize tours of the area and in fact of the hotel. One of the Cultural Officers can walk you around talking about the many antiques littering the site, the origins of buildings and discuss the various murals, wood carvings and frescoed ceilings. An onsite craft village hosts demonstrations of Lanna weaving of both baskets and textiles, rice farming and carving. This centre is the nexus of the kids club which is rumoured to turn children into strangers. They run successful days where the little lovelies are offered the opportunity to ride buffalo in the rice paddies, cook up a Thai storm and spend hours in the exotic collection of children’s literature written in an Asian setting.

Dhevi Dhara itself comes from the Sanskrit, meaning Star Goddess and epitomizes romance, mystique and legendary beauty – which the hotel thinks it has in droves. I did manage to maintain my delusionary Princess status for the duration of my stay and experienced a range of emotional challenges along the way. After taking in the vast and OTT property over three days, I finally settled on respect for the audacity of such a grand vision and would happily contemplate a longer return. An immersion in the treasures of their library taken with the revitalizing spa cuisine and fabulous facilities is definitely a path to rejuvenation.