Whereas staying in Chiang Mai for the previous couple of weeks, we wished to discover a place to calm down from the busy life we had on the town. We discovered greater than we had been in search of: Ban Sabai Village Resort and Spa is a very tranquil place the place you cannot solely decelerate, but in addition deal with your physique, thoughts and soul.
The resort is situated in a peaceful countryside, 5 km east of Chiang Mai. It was opened on 3 March 2003, as a second department of the corporate (the opposite one you will discover on Ko Samui seaside). Mrs. Chitra, the proprietor, is a really form, pleasant and useful girl. She additionally practices yoga, follows a vegan weight loss program and has an awesome data of natural drugs. Mrs. Chitra was introduced up in a household the place giving a therapeutic massage to an elder member of the family was a day by day ritual and you may see that she applies this expertise in her present enterprise.
Ban Sabai (which means “calm, stress-free home” in Thai) has 20 rooms with completely different requirements however the distinctive Lanna fashion of structure stays in all of them.
The resort is about in a lush, inexperienced nest of bamboo and banana timber, bushes and exquisite flowers. You’ll be able to have a meditative stroll across the complicated on a stone path. There are three pavilions within the space. One they use for candle-lit dinners, however throughout the day and within the case that there isn’t any dinner booked, you should utilize the house to relax out on snug mattresses, surrounded by timber and chirping birds.
The opposite two pavilions are used for massages and yoga lessons. There may be additionally a small pond with a fountain in the course of the resort.
We stayed within the Topaz IV room, which was vibrant, clear, cozy and adorned within the conventional Thai fashion. Thanks to a few massive home windows within the room we awoke with an exquisite view of the timber, pond and swimming pool. We additionally had a working desk within the room, however the climate was too superior to remain inside so we used the excessive pace web connection within the pavilions or close to the resort’s swimming pool.
What to do in Ban Sabai?
Swimming Pool
It’s hidden among the many timber, which provides you a snug feeling whenever you swim there. The wood adjustable beds and mattresses are perfect for leisure close to the pool, even when the solar is under the horizon.
Therapies
Ban Sabai Village affords completely different sorts of spa therapies. We tried a natural steam bathtub in a tent, which they really useful us to do earlier than a Thai therapeutic massage.
The tub was completely refreshing and surprisingly stress-free. A cotton tent that they use for the remedy hangs from the ceiling above. Inside, you’ll be able to sit on a big, snug chair, large enough to sit down on with crossed legs, and focus on your breathe whereas inhaling the natural steam. The steam really comes from under your chair, the place a giant pot of boiling water sits, crammed with a particular combination of herbs: kaffir lime, eucalyptus, camphor, bergamot, lemon grass, turmeric, and tamarind leaf.
You enter the tent undressed or coated with a cotton sheet. We did two baths of ten minutes, lengthy sufficient to calm down the muscle mass for the next conventional Thai therapeutic massage.
Our masseuse, Mrs. Amornrat, was simply wonderful and other than fundamental English, she may communicate a little bit of Italian! Her strain and twists had been so correct and easeful that we wished the therapeutic massage had lasted longer. Mrs. Amornrat is a warm-hearted girl who works very exactly; the entire time we felt she knew precisely what she was doing. Furthermore, she put us into positions we may by no means think about our our bodies may twist. This remedy merely made our keep in Ban Sabai genuinely memorable.
Yoga
One other factor we had been comfortable to do at Ban Sabai was yoga follow. Ivana took Vinyasa Move classes within the morning and afternoon within the pavilion. Despite the fact that she had been working towards some yoga earlier than, the teachings had been a bit difficult, filled with stretching and steadiness positions which are all the time good to enhance.
The pavilion was subsequent to the pond with the fountain, which solely added to the peaceable environment throughout the follow.
Gymnasium
If you don’t fancy yoga, massages, a steam bathtub or meditation, you’ll be able to nonetheless use a small fitness center within the resort to have a conventional exercise.
Meals
The restaurant that’s above the reception in the principle constructing is constructed and adorned in Lanna fashion, with darkish wooden and large, snug chairs.
For those who like to begin your day in a wholesome manner, then breakfast in Ban Sabai will likely be excellent for you. The meals there may be all the time recent, tasty and really nutritious. You’ll be able to select from a big number of recent juices, muesli, goat yoghurt, milk, jams, toasts and fruits, in addition to entire wheat pancakes with honey and scrambled or boiled eggs, too.
Since Ban Sabai is in a quite distant half, away from the neighbouring village and city, you would possibly desire to remain for lunch or dinner within the resort. The dishes are ready very mindfully, with none further sugar, spices or oil. We tried panang tofu, papaya salad, fried tofu with tamarind sauce and vegetarian soup (truthfully among the best dishes that we tasted in Thailand).
The opposite choice to have a late lunch or dinner is to take a motorcycle that the resort supplies and to trip for about quarter-hour to the village the place you discover a meals market with freshly ready native meals.
Other than snug lodging, Ban Sabai affords additionally detox, yoga and rejuvenation packages that final from 4 to 12 days.
If you’re in search of a restful place to remain close to Chiang Mai, we will guarantee you that the which means of Ban Sabai completely matches with what you’d discover there: it’s the home of calm and peace.
Be aware: An enormous thanks goes to Ban Sabai Village Resort and Spa for his or her skilled care and hospitality. All opinions and experiences talked about above are our personal.
