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There are many options for day spas in Chiang Mai, ranging from the full luxury treatment to more down-to-earth treatment with matching prices. In fact, Chiang Mai is an ideal place to indulge yourself since its spas offer some of the best value in all of Thailand. The Thais do the spa experience very well, including their own Thai massage treatments delivered with their usual pleasant and soft character at a fraction of the price back home.

The growth in spas in Thailand in recent years reflects the Thais’ expertise in creating a relaxing, tropical environment and offering a pampering experience. An afternoon spent in these peaceful spas of Chiang Mai is certainly a rejuvenating reward. The following are some of the most popular spas in town:

Sinativa Spa: a long established spa in the Nimminhemin area with a good reputation. They offer skin detoxification, facial treatment, a relaxing full body holistic aroma massage, anti-oxidant body scrub, herbal steam, and a mineral scented floral bath in a Jacuzzi.

Cheeva Spa:  featuring alarger and more luxurious premises, Cheeva Spa continues to offer the best possible massage and beauty treatments in Chiang Mai. Customers from around the world return year after year for the wonderful service that Khun Parisa and her staff provide.

Rarinjinda Wellness Spa and Resort: relatively new facility with a new standard in independent spas opposite the Riverside restaurant. Unlike the lovely landscaped atmosphere of others, this is an actual live-in centre with a luxurious resort/hotel and fully-equipped spa, all in one modern building. These professionals offer a complete wellness experience.

Peak Spa: pampering yourself at the luxurious Peak Spa is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of city life. The chic and contemporary settling is matched by the first class service received. Hair cuts and colouring, and pedicures and manicures are all available from expert staff.

Oasis Spa: over the past few years this award-winning spa has become one of the leading spa groups in Thailand and now has two well-appointed branches, with one conveniently located in the old town beside Wat Phra Singh; another in the Nimmenhemin area. Facilities include a Jacuzzi and steam bath and they offer a range of packages to suit all budgets and time scales, in nice surroundings.

Kiyori Spa: It is conveniently situated in a lane just near Thapae, for you to pop in yourself, and has a a luxury feel to the place including some unique (and rather bizarre) packages, such as the chocolate massage. They get good reviews on TripAdvisor despite being relatively new.

Ban Sabai: located on Charoen Prathet road alongside the river, this Chiang Mai spa offers a relaxing retreat with affordable prices in a convenient location. They also have a resort spa outside the city in San Phi Sua, if you need to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Ping Nakara Boutique Hotel & Spa: intimate hotel and resort constructed in elegant 19th century colonial style. It boasts a quiet ambience, while refined architecture bestows a peaceful atmosphere from which it is possible to explore historic Chiang Mai. Natural materials have been used throughout the 19 guest rooms and the standard of ayurvedic spa treatments and organic products mirrors this exquisite attention to detail.

The Dheva Spa: the ultimate in luxury, in the exceptional grounds of the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, this is not only the last word in posh, but is also housed in an extraordinary recreation of a Mandalay temple. It is a tad expensive but offers high quality treatment suites, with staff trained to the highest level in ayurvedic and health treatment methods.

Source：Qiang Mai One Stop

With a legacy of 700 years of history and its own distinctive culture Chiang Mai offers its five million annual tourists a busy brochure of attractions. Only Bangkok has more urban sites to point your camera at, and this laidback city offers numerous stunning temples, waterfalls and national parks, ancient ruins, fascinating markets and animal parks for family fun.

To visit all the popular Chiang Mai tourist attractions, you would need several days; we have listed the main ones here in order of importance and popularity. Renting a moped and finding your own way around is practical, although a tour guide is useful to impart interesting history and mysticism behind the city and its attractions.

Wat Prathat Doi Suithep

This is one of Thailand’s most famous temples, overlooking the city from its spectacular mountain location. The winding road up to the temple passes a couple of nice waterfalls and the view from the temple platform is impressive.

The site dates from 1386 and is revered among Thais as one of the country’s most important religious sites. With its distinctive gilded chedi and marble-floored courtyard, the temple is full of symbolism and is usually busy. If the 300 steps leading up to the temple are too much for you, a lift offers a quick shortcut.

On the way up to the temple, it’s worth looking at Huay Kaew and Monthathal Falls – a meditation centre is attached to the temple and food, drink and souvenirs are on sale at the entrance.

Phuping Palace and National Park

Located another six kilometres up the mountain, this site is decorated with plenty of colourful, exotic flowers. It serves as the royal winter residence from mid–December to early February, when it is closed to visitors. Carry on up the mountain and you visit a very touristy Hmong hill tribe village, Baan Doi Pui, or continue to a lovely viewpoint near the summit.

Wat Chiang Man

Chiang Mai’s oldest temple began construction shortly after the city’s founding in 1296, and has pretty grounds near the Sriphum corner of the old city. It’s one of the most important historic sites in Chiang Mai and although not as photogenic as other temples (and somewhat neglected), it contains two ancient, diminutive Buddha images; one purported to be almost 2,000 years old. This temple is a good example of classic Lanna architecture.

Wat Chedi Luang

This is perhaps Chiang Mai’s most striking relic and was once the most important in the Lanna capital. Dating from 1441, the 91-metre high pagoda was felled to half that height in an earthquake in the late 16th century. To this day the partially renovated chedi remains the tallest structure in the old city and the main attraction. There are several Viharn or Ubosots in the compound as well. The much revered Emerald Buddha, found in the Grand Palace in Bangkok, briefly lived here during its remarkable travels.

Chiang Mai Zoo

Spread out over a huge area, at the foot of Doi Suithep, is this exhausting zoo – it’s very hilly – although there is a tram and a monorail. Most of the animals enjoy quite large natural habitats here, with inhabitants ranging from bears to penguins. The latest additions are two pandas (on loan from China) and their recent offspring, which have become national celebrities. There is also a brand new snow dome, which is a novelty for the locals.

Wat Phra Singh

Situated in the middle of the old city, this temple contains Chiang Mai’s most important Buddha statue. The recently restored Viharn Lai Kham is a classic example of a Lanna-style viharn while the main viharn (c. 15th century) houses the much venerated Phra Sihing Buddha, which has a murky background yet a unique lion-style originating from Sri Lanka. A distinctive, elevated Hoi Tra (scriptures repository) is also on site. The mural paintings on the walls of Wat Phra Singh depict the scenes of Suwannahong and Sang Thong classic literature.

Source：Qiang Mai One Stop

Plans have been revealed that a new international airport will be built in Lamphun to accommodate more flights, including Boeing 737 and Airbus A380 aircraft, to the north of Thailand.

Lampang Governor, Samart Loyfa, revealed the plans when he was interviewed on the radio about talk about a new international airport being built in Lampang.

He clarified that Lampang was chosen not to have a new international airport as it was too far away from Chiang Mai, so the plans were moved to Lamphun.

The new airport, if given the go ahead, will be called the Queen Jammathewi New International Airport, and will built in the Ban Thi area of Lamphun.

Lampang’s current airport will also be developed to receive more flights and accommodate Boeing 737 and Airbus A380 aircraft.

The Queen Jammathewi New International Airport will be 70 kilometres from Chiang Mai, so transportation routes need to also be developed for people traveling to and from Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is expected to see 12 million tourists by 2019 and over 14 million by 2025.

Additional assessments need to be conducted before the plans can be implemented, including aeronautical sutiability for control towers, the suitability of the land, the affect on the local community and economy, environmental impacts and cost effectiveness.

Source: Chiang Mai City Life

Golden Emperor Properties Shanghai, fformed as a joint venture with Luen Thai Enterprises, the subsidiary of a publically-listed company, Luen Thai Holdings Ltd (311:HK) founded in Hong Kong, is a property agency that focuses on Southeast Asian properties, primarily premium developments in Thailand and Malaysia. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in key cities around the region including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manila, and has recently expanded its presence to Shanghai. The reason for the company’s expansion to China and its decidedly niche focus is in line with the “One Belt One Road” initiative expounded by Chinese President Xi Jinping and is aimed to tap on the vast investment potential that the Trans-Asian Railway will undoubtedly unleash in Southeast Asian cities, especially those directly accessible by the railway.

Above (from left): Mr. Wu Guo Qiang, Chief Representative of Luen Thai International Group Ltd Shanghai Office, Mr. Willie Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Luen Thai Enterprises, Mr. Cobby Leathers, Head of International Marketing of Sansiri, Mr. Kingston Lai, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Bankers Club, Mr. Terence Chan, Director of Golden Emperor Properties, Ms. Fionna Chuah, Head of Marketing & Sales of E&O Berhad, Mr. Joseph Chou, Partner of Golden Emperor Properties, and Mr. Jason Tan, General Manager of Luen Thai Retail (Shanghai) Holdings Ltd and Director of Skechers China East Region and Apparel Division

The company maintains competitive advantage by being highly selective in identifying property investment projects to introduce to its clientele and only partners with the leading property developers in the selected countries, including reputable household names such as Sansiri in Thailand and E&O Berhad in Malaysia. Additionally, Golden Emperor is a full service property agency that aims to offer its clientele with services that extend beyond the sale of property projects and its after-sale services include overseeing contract execution, payment schedule advice, assistance on obtaining legal and tax counsel, retirement and visa applications, property inspection, furniture package installation, leasing, and subsequent resale of the property if the client is so inclined.

Despite the relatively short tenure of the company in the industry, the company has been awarded the “Best Overseas Property Agency (Thailand)” award at the GoHome Awards 2015, and was also the recipient of the “Best International Property Agency” title at the Sansiri Best International Property Agency Awards 2015. Golden Emperor Director, Terence Chan, commented that “We are very grateful to our industry peers and customers for their support and recognition in granting us these awards. Our team will continue to strive for professional excellence in all interactions with current and potential customers. We will maintain our sales integrity to only partner with the best developers and offer property investment projects that we will invest in ourselves and that have high potential for capital gains and rental yields.”

The Golden Emperor Shanghai Sales Gallery is situated on the Ground Floor of 69 North JiangSu Road, Changning District, Shanghai, China and is open from Monday to Friday from 9am – 6pm, and by appointment outside regular operation hours.

Golden Emperor’s new Shanghai sales gallery is featured in the local news:

Source：CNFOL.com

Source：PChouse

Source：Sohu

Above: Suvarnabhumi, Thailand’s gateway and largest airport, increased its passenger traffic by 8.03% to 15.27 million.

Passenger traffic through major Thai airports soared 13.73% in the first quarter to reach a record of 32.32 million people.

Robust tourism coupled with the popularity of budget airlines contributed to growth in the January-March period.

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) increased their passenger volume by 20.06% during the period to 13.49 million, representing 41.73% of overall passenger traffic through the six airports operated by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT).

Above: Phuket, the country’s third-busiest airport, which periodically suffers from overcrowding.

The surge in combined passenger throughput was accompanied by a 9.47% increase in aircraft movements (take-offs and landings), which numbered 197,913. LCCs accounted for 82,972 of that sum, up 8.14% over the same period last year.

Four of the six AoT-run airports recorded double-digit growth in combined passenger traffic.

Bangkok’s Don Mueang, serving as a hub for fast-growing, no frills carriers, showed the highest growth rate in the first quarter. Hat Yai airport’s volume, by contrast, showed the slowest growth.

According to AoT figures, Don Mueang handled 8.85 million, a 23.12% increase, while Hat Yai only grew 3.49% to 925,748.

Suvarnabhumi, Thailand’s gateway and largest airport, increased its passenger traffic by 8.03% to 15.27 million.

Phuket, the country’s third-busiest airport, which periodically suffers from overcrowding, saw an 18.72% increase in passenger throughput to 4.26 million.

Above: Chiang Mai airport recorded a 14.64% boost in passenger traffic to 2.48 million.

Chiang Mai airport recorded a 14.64% boost in passenger traffic to 2.48 million, while Chiang Rai’s volume jumped 18.77% to 516,859.

Passenger traffic volume handled by LCCs at those airports reflected similar patterns.

Don Mueang’s LCC passenger volume jumped 20.95% to 8.08 million, the largest increase of any AoT-run airport. Trailing behind were Phuket, up 24.99% to 1.51 million, and Chiang Mai, up 13.97% to 1.50 million.

Suvarnabhumi, which mostly handles full-service airlines, saw 1.25 million in LCC passenger traffic — a 27.13% spike.Chiang Rai’s LCC passenger volume ballooned 28.05% to 376,129, while LCC traffic at Hat Yai inched up 2.21% to 759,575.

Above: Robust tourism coupled with the popularity of budget airlines contributed to growth in the January-March period.

Source: Bangkok Post