A hotel you won’t find in any “best of” lists, Sela is a hidden gem in an oft-touristed city. Located in the historic capital of the former Lanna Kingdom—now northern Thailand—Sela is ensconced within a leafy enclave in the Chiang Mai countryside, around a half an hour drive from the city centre. The drive to Sela sees the urban traffic, street food outlets, and roadside fruit sellers slowly taper off, as the relative quiet and tree-lined canopies of the countryside take over. Still, a vaguely European manor house comes as an unexpected sight peeking out from the lush tropical greenery of southeast Asia.
While characterful country house hotels are undeniably the dominion of Europe and the United Kingdom, Sela carves out a space for itself in Chiang Mai’s thriving luxury hotel scene by bringing the experience to southeast Asia. Despite being a new build, Sela channels the sense of history—while adding in some much welcome mod cons—characteristic of the best country house hotels courtesy of thoughtful design, curated antiques and tomes, and tidy landscaping.
Conceived by a writer and an artist with an affinity for travel— the aforementioned antique furniture and mementos found throughout the hotel are sourced from the creative couple’s journeys—as a ‘writer’s hotel’, the boutique outfit aims to target an exclusive, artistically minded clientele. To that end, Sela has not sought out press from western—or even local—media, meaning you’ll be hard-pressed to find it mentioned in any luxury travel publications (although the striking facade has fast become a supporting character in the Instagram photos of many eastern influencers and k-pop stars).
We discovered Sela through Secret Retreats, a curated collection of unique properties and experiences across Asia, comprising boutique hotels, villas, cruises, restaurants, and bespoke journeys. Created by a community of independent owners and chefs, members of Secret Retreats are connected to their communities and united by a passion for authentic hospitality.
Something of a hidden gem, Sela is beloved by well-heeled locals and those in the know — naturally, Albert Review decided to check in to check it out.
Read on for our full review of Sela Chiang Mai.
The lowdown: Sela Chiang Mai
The hook; why stay at Sela Chiang Mai?
An elegant, under-the-radar boutique outfit, Sela offers a country house hotel experience within Chiang Mai. Ideally suited to Chiang Mai regulars, locals in need of a luxurious staycation, and those desirous of a respite from temple hopping and the throngs of tourists around the buzzy streets of Nimmanhaemin.
How to get there
Sela is located within Nam Phrae, which sits within the Hang Dong district of the Chiang Mai province. It’s around a 35-minute (19km) drive from the Chiang Mai city centre or 30-minute drive from Chiang Mai International Airport.
Design and architecture
Despite being built in the current century, Sela exudes old world charm by putting its own spin on colonial Lanna design. From the outside, the facade subtly references neoclassical design in its grandeur and attention to symmetry, while the carved wood windows with baby blue plantation-style shutters and multi-tiered, sloping roofs recall the colonial Lanna style.
Inside, the attention to symmetry continues. Designed with an open central core, the three-storey property (storeys are accessible via staircase or elevator; the latter a welcome mod con) sees the rooms and suites line the periphery of the building, ensuring each one has an outlook to the landscaped gardens at the front or back and lending the central living area a sense of vastness and opening up to a skylight that floods the space with light. Balustrades and internal balconies reference Chiang Mai’s history as an artisanal hub, with intricate woodcarvings found throughout.
Paying homage to the influence of ancient Indochine architecture and design on northern Thailand, the property is appointed with lacquerware, porcelain, and silver antiques from Thailand, Burma, China, and India.
Guests at Sela enter into a quaint reception area lined with dark panelled wood and accented with forest green soft furnishings, where a refreshing welcome drink of logan and homegrown herbs awaits. The reception area leads into the central living area, which showcases the husband-and-wife duo’s penchant for symmetry to great effect, with streamlined walnut sofas and teak and rattan armchairs perfectly aligned to create a sense of visual ease.
On the opposite end of the manor house is a light-filled breakfast area that overlooks the landscaped gardens and greenhouse at the back of the property, as well as a library with antique sectional bookcases and bamboo seating. There’s an emphasis on public spaces here, which adds to the country manor effect; whether in the library or by the pool, guests have ample opportunity to read, write, and lounge outside one’s room or suite.
Rooms and suites
Sela is home to 14 rooms and suites which range from 27m² to 72m², spread across two storeys. There are two room categories—standard double or twin and deluxe—and two suite categories, classic and presidential.
We were hosted in one of Sela’s two Presidential Suites, with the expansive residential suite employing a smart circular floor plan to further maximise space. Guests enter the suite through a generous hallway, which allows footwear and luggage to be stored away from the main living spaces. The hallway is connected to the separate lounge area which has space to relax and whip up a cocktail courtesy of the bar cart provisions. The sitting area is connected to the bedroom—home to a four-poster bed, wooden writing desk, and antique wardrobe—which adjoins the green-tiled bathroom with double vanity sinks, air-jet bathtub, and rain shower.
Room and suite interiors seamlessly integrate local craftsmanship with antique furniture to create emotive and immersive spaces evocative of a bygone era. A cream-toned neutral colour palette is bestowed with a sense of place courtesy of soft furnishings by Jim Thompson, framed archival photographs and art, silk decor, dark wood furniture, linen lampshades, and tasseled pendant lighting. Meanwhile, the bathroom displays a chic blend of old and new, with deep green subway tiles complemented by marble double vanities and brass fixtures.
Tea and coffee
Sela has in-room tea and coffee facilities in the form of a kettle and Nespresso coffee pod machine. Tea bags are by TWG—comprising English breakfast, earl grey, green, and chamomile tea—while coffee pods are by Nespresso, with both caffeinated and decaffeinated options available.
Bathroom products
Bathroom products are by Swedish fragrance house Byredo, with the brand’s Bal d’Afrique scent found across the full suite of products on offer. Expect to find full-size shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower, as well as hand wash and body lotion by the bathroom sink. There’s also extra custom-branded hand soap bars by the sink.
Comfort factor
Impeccable. The soft linens and down mattress on the king-sized four poster bed was perfectly plush and made falling—and staying—asleep a dream. As a group of three, we also requested an additional bed and while the ‘third person’ can often get the short end of the stick when it comes to a good night’s sleep, we’re happy to report that the extra mattress was equally as comfortable as the main one.
Food and drink
Sela serves breakfast for hotel guests within the light-filled dining room in the main house and is also home to Windows, a separate restaurant serving European and northern Thai fusion cuisine, which is open to both guests and non-guests.
Tell us about the breakfast
Breakfast at Sela is an unlimited à la carte affair. Guests are greeted with fruit and greek yogurt with granola as well as homemade jams and preserves. Unfortunately, the most important meal of the day went downhill from here. While the hotel manager and front-of-house team spoke perfect English, there were a few service and communication issues with the staff serving breakfast. We ordered lattes with almond milk and clarified several times that we didn’t want regular milk, however upon first sip it was obvious it was dairy milk. When this was pointed out to the staff, we were blithely informed that they don’t stock non-dairy milk on site so they simply made it with dairy.
We were provided with a dedicated vegetarian menu which had a number of appetising dishes, however what came out bore no resemblance to what we ordered. We ordered rice noodles cooked in soy sauce with mixed vegetables and tofu and steamed rice with stir-fried mushrooms and vegetables; the former came out as a noodle soup with a few slices of carrot and the latter was simply rice with some limp cooked cabbage on top. When we brought up the issue, the noodles reemerged cooked in soy sauce without any vegetables and a few pieces of carrot and mushrooms were added to the rice.
After that experience, we stuck to the pastries — which, to their credit, were rather good.
Spa and facilities
In addition to ample internal and outdoor public spaces for relaxing, Sela has a library and an outdoor pool. The best thing about Sela is the lack of pressure to do anything — time here is best spent flitting back and forth between the pool and library. Or, perhaps enjoying a cup of coffee from your private balcony.
Should you wish for something a little more active, the hotel is located ten minutes from Obkhan National Park, which has several walking trails. The staff at Sela can also organise horse riding experiences, a visit to a local elephant sanctuary, or a trip to the nearby Wat Ton Kwen.
The service
Striking the right balance between personal and professional, the service at Sela was both attentive and preemptive. Kat, the hotel manager, went above and beyond to not only make us feel welcome, but mark a special occasion in style. The housekeeping and turndown service was both seamless and unseen, with fresh local fruit replaced during housekeeping and chamomile tea provided at turndown.
The only blight on the service at Sela were the issues at breakfast, which can likely be remedied through staff training.
Sustainability initiatives
The hotel is designed with energy efficiency in mind, with passive solar design ensuring air flow is regulated to keep rooms cool in the hotter months and comfortable during the cold season. The hollow central core of the building leading up to a skylight floods the interior spaces with natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting in the lobby.
AR Verdict
Proving that bucolic countryside escapes can be found outside the bounds of Europe and the United Kingdom, Sela provides a quiet retreat for creatives looking to, well… create, as well as couples and families seeking a peaceful way to cap off their sojourns.
Sela Chiang Mai is open for bookings, with rooms priced from around $450AUD/night.
Address: 519 Nam Phrae, Hang Dong District, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Words by T. Angel
