This restaurant sits in a 150 year old Burmese-Lanna colonial style teak house, and before you doze off at the thought of yet another traditional restaurant, don’t, this is a lovely venue with very decent food. The owner’s ancestors were Burmese so they have combined Burmese, Thai and northern Thai cooking styles and ingredients to create their menu. Rattan fans are placed on tables giving an old world feel and on the walls there are old black and white photos of Chiang Mai from the past. While mainly aimed at tourists, it is a good place to take out of town visitors for a spot of local culture.
Open Daily 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Closed on 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month
71 Charoernprathet Road
053 275 030
SPA Thai Massage School offers practical educational courses on Thai massage and other therapies. Courses include basic to advanced Thai massage, foot reflexology, aroma and oil massage, head and facial massage, body scrubbing and Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage. The course fees include transportation service, lunch, coffee and a school handbook. There are no prerequisites required for the courses. Private classes for those who wish to have more personal instruction are also offered. After completion of the main courses, students will receive certification from the Thailand Ministry of Education. The school also offer Thai cooking and dance lessons.
Open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closed on Sundays
31 Moo 9, Nam Phrae, Hang Dong
053 296 531, 089 432 8105, 089 432 0809
info@thaispathaimassageschool.com
www.spathaimassageschool.com
The Panna Spa was recently awarded the third best spa in the whole of Thailand. And, in keeping with the rest of the resort, the spa lives up to its accolade, as a tropical Thai paradise inside and out. The spa is located inside a large wooden building with polished teak floors and traditional Lanna architecture and furniture. The spa menu contains a spectrum of tantalising treatments, using natural products, aromatherapy and highly skilled therapists. Citylife was treated to a facial exfoliation using a custom-made scrub for our individual skin type, which consisted of natural yoghurt, honey, white clay and tangerine peel. After our treat, we then indulged in the lunch buffet, priced at only 189 baht per person, it was excellent value for money, with sushi, lavish Thai dishes, topping-rich pizza, fresh orange cake and exotic fruits. The Siripanna Villa Resort & Spa is a great place for Chiang Mai residents to stopover for lunch and a spa experience.
Open Daily (spa) 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Buffet everyday 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Panna Spa at The Siripanna Villa Resort & Spa
36 Rat Uthit Road, Wat Gate
053 371 999, 053 371 998
www.siripanna.com
Pasta Paradise, run by the same folks as the well known Girasole and La Gondola, is a new Italian restaurant in the Punna Place complex, next to Power House Gym. The restaurant is decorated with a feminine touch, the menu contains classic Italian dishes such as antipasti, pizzas, pastas, soups and steaks, as well as some other Thai and international dishes…we even spotted a peanut butter sandwich in there. Most of the fresh ingredients used are sourced from organic local farms. Pasta Paradise makes their own cheeses, breads, pasta and ice-cream. After a meal with a nice bottle of wine, why not finish it all off with a sumptuous Vietnamese civet coffee, one of the world’s most expensive coffees, coveted for its selection of coffee beans by, and digestion through, a civet cat. Pasta Paradise is charging only 110 baht for this usually costly beverage.
Open Daily 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Punna Place, Nimmanhaemin soi 6
085 107 8170
Yes you heard it right; this new cafe is named after one of London’s famous landmarks. And in true Thai conceptual style the rest of the coffee shop follows in this London theme, including the sign and table markers resembling the distinguished tube sign, the classic red phone box and a queen’s guard statue outside. The cafe sells light snacks such as breakfasts, toast, Thai food and fish and chips. Drinks include coffees, teas, smoothies, sodas and shakes. And don’t forget the cakes; the mango cheese cake with chunks of mango was delicious. Marble Arch is high-ceilinged, cooly air-conned, spacious and offers free wifi, which means it is full of students all day! They are planning on opening up a library upstairs. Unlike the snogging goings on outside the real Marble Arch tube station as lovers greet and part throughout the day, kissing and heavy petting are not allowed, says the owner, who want Marble Arch to be a studious and respectable place.
Open 10 a.m. – midnight
12/6-7 Soi 9 Nimmanhaemin Road
053 212 323, 083 567 7666
www.facebook.com/pages/Marble-Arch-Cafe Restaurant
Internet radio allows us to enjoy quality music from anywhere, at anytime. It is easy to use, and all free! Via the net, we can listen to music as well as the latest news from anywhere in the world in a bewildering assortment of languages. For the last month Citylife was loaned this trendy retro-looking radio, prettily called ‘Victoria’, by Grace Digital Audio. In spite of the old-school look, the radio is as modern as they come and can connect with your smart phone or MP3 player through auxiliary input or a USB port as well as stream your music library stored at your PC or MAC wirelessly. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection and a power outlet. Select the wireless network, store the password and you are up and running. This product and many more can be bought in Chiang Mai from Easy Tunes Asia. For 11,700 baht you can own a Victoria, she gets around, but her sounds are sublime.
087 728 4331
www.facebook.com/EasyTunesAsia/info
easytunesasia@gmail.com
www.gracedigitalaudio.com