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June/July 2006
UPDATE
MY OH MAI
Thailand's second city continues to reinvent itself as a lifestyle destination.
Here Chiang Mai's latest crop of offerings.
Studio Kachama
The off-white walls in this stark high-ceilinged space create an ideal
backdrop for the stunning 4- to 15-meter panels woven by textile designer
Kachama Perez. Kachama studied and worked for eight years in Japan and
Perez uses the Japanese technique of cutting fabric-in this case mainly
traditional Hmong pieces-into strips and interlacing these through the
warp. She weaves in beads and metallic threads, alternating colorful sections
with ones of sheer organza (10-12 Nimanhemin Soi 1; 66-53/219-499).
Ginger @ Living Space
Located upstairs at the lacquerware boutique Living Space, this pistachio-green
outlet of Chiang Mai's renowned Ginger Shop tones down the whimsy, ramps
up the style and boasts a new line of casually chic fashion and housewares.
Expect velour-trimmed votive holders alongside bags and slippers adorned
with Swarovski crystal beads (276-278 Thapae Rd.; 66-53/874-156).
The Restaurant
Occupying a handsome 1913 building on the grounds of the recently reopened
Chedi hotel, this riverside eatery offers Thai and Western selections.
But with two Indian chefs from a famous Muscat restaurant creating a range
of authentic North Indian specialties like sabji milone, who needs them?
(123 Charoen Prathet Rd.: 66-53/253-333).
D2 Hotel
D2 is daring, delightful and definitely nothing like Dusit, its staid
parent company and Thailand's oldest hotel chain. Its 131 compact yet
modish rooms incorporate details-like sufficient lighting for the make-up
mirror-that several of the city's pricier hotels lack. The restaurant
Moxie serves up yummy passion-fruit margaritas and fusion dishes 100 Chang
Klan Rd.; 66-53/999-999; www.d2hotels.com; doubles from US$154).
Bann Tazala
The best of Chiang Mai's burgeoning boutique-hotel scene, this ingeniously
designed eight-room property sits on a 12 x 145m sliver of land across
the road from the sprawling Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi. Each uniquely
styled room is sumptuously furnished, and the French dining room is superb.
(55/5 Moo 1 Chiangmai-Sankampaeng Rd.; 66-53/850-111; www.banntazala.com;
doubles from US$215). - Jennifer Gampell
Copyright
© 2006Jennifer Gampell
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