Grab some of your best girlfriends and treat yourselves to a day of shameless indulgence. Shopping, pampering, food and wine. Honey, it’s a woman’s world.
De Iann Jewellery
Tucked inside a lovely old Lanna Colonial building on Tha Pae Road, this handmade jewellery shop is stocked with glass cases full of high quality, candy-coloured adornments just waiting to be browsed and bought. Ranging in price from 400 to 8,000 baht, there is something for every lady at De lann, whether you want a simple silver and leather friendship bracelet or a striking piece of wearable art deco to show off at your next cocktail party. De lann’s in-house designers specialise in the epoxy resin technique, allowing them to create a beautiful material resembling multicoloured sea glass to create colourful rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Often inspired by architecture and graphic design, the De lann designers work with a range of different styles, from highly modern-looking pieces to baroque-style costume jewellery. Items can be purchased in-store or ordered online with international shipping available.
Open Daily, 10 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.
Raming Tea House Siam Celadon, 158 Tha Pae Road
081 020 1668
The Glasshouse
Situated in the centre of the Old City next to Wat Chiang Man, The Glasshouse is, quite literally, a glass house. It’s sight to behold both inside and out, lushly decorated with flowers and plants and serving up a variety of authentic French, Italian and Thai dishes at affordable prices. Take a seat inside the spacious glass-walled dining room or catch a breeze on the balcony, and enjoy a variety of unique tastes from their highly experienced chef. Dishes include fresh salads, sandwiches, imported meats and hearty Italian comfort foods. The Glasshouse also features a full bar as well as a separate café for those who want to stop in for tea, coffee, smoothies or a bite of homemade goodness from their bakery. And get this! All Citylife readers receive a special 10% discount with free member application.
Open Daily, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
169 Ratchapakinai Road
www.facebook.com/glasshouse.chiangmai
053 418 118
Devarana Spa
Selected for outstanding performance by the Thailand Tourism Awards, Devarana Spa provides a place of absolute peace where patrons can enjoy a variety of facials, body scrubs, massages, soothing baths, and rejuvenating body wraps. For a truly unique experience, try the ice cream skin scrub, which may be your only opportunity to get slathered in 15-degree ice cream from head to toe. The cooling sensation reduces skin inflammation and relieves muscle soreness. Plus, you get to choose your own flavour. There’s coconut, chocolate, Thai tea, and rose. It might tingle at first, but it will render your skin baby-bottom smooth and smelling incredible. There’s currently a promotion for the scrub that runs for 2,100 baht. Attention all men, this little slice of heaven is not reserved just for the ladies – services can be specially catered to you, too!
Open Daily, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
dusitD2 Hotel, 1100 Chang Klan Road
053 252 511
Spend some quality time with your offspring (or borrow someone else’s, we promise they won’t mind) with a fun-filled day of kid-friendly restaurants and activities.
Bagel House Cafe
A good bagel is hard to find, especially in Thailand. But now, all you carb-lovers, rejoice! This brand new Old City cafe, with its minimalist but cosy decor reminiscent of a Brooklyn loft, will fulfil all your freshly baked fantasies. Bagels and baguettes are homemade (literally, in the chef’s friend’s home) and delivered fresh each morning, and all come perfectly toasted and decked out with whatever fixings you desire. We loved the California Club, served with a healthy dose of avocado, and the Salmon Delight bagel with feta cheese, a toasty, tasty concoction that definitely lives up to its name. Bagel House Cafe also serves breakfast all day, as well as fantastic cafe lattes and cappuccinos, made from locally produced coffee beans.
Open Daily, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
110 Prapokklao Road
www.facebook.com/BagelHouseCafe
091 046 9345
Three Little Pigs
Owned and operated by the same jolly Santa Claus doppelganger that presides over El Diablo, Three Little Pigs Soul Kitchen takes you over the border and back for all your farang food fixes. Serving up hearty portions of regional American classics, including Southern-style pit BBQ; gumbo, jambalaya and po’ boys from owner Richard’s native New Orleans; hearty PhatBurgers and sandwiches; Southwestern-style quesadillas, nachos and enchiladas; chicken ‘n’ waffles and plenty of down-home appetisers and sides, from fried green tomatoes to hush puppies, this new family-friendly restaurant promises not to send you home until your belly is full. There’s even a kid’s menu that features peanut butter and banana sandwiches! Located just steps away from Chang Puak Gate, Three Little Pigs is a laid-back joint with an open kitchen on the front patio, classic rock blasting over the speakers and seating both indoors and out.
Open Tuesdays – Sundays, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
(Closed Mondays)
242 Manee Nopparat
www.facebook.com/3littlepigsfan
085 236 8237
Hansa Mini Golf
Don’t quite have the resources to travel the world? Pop by Hansa Mini Golf and experience the world in 18 holes. This beautifully designed, impeccably maintained mini golf course takes you on a journey from Stonehenge to the Easter Islands, the Pyramids to the Colosseum, with little pit stops at the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty and our very own Doi Suthep. It is fun, charming and crazy inexpensive with adult tickets at only 100 baht per round, students at half price and under 12s at 30 baht. The lovely lady who runs the place is super attentive and helpful, the rules are clearly explained and the game is easy to play…with a few challenges to keep you on your toes. There is even an accompanying restaurant serving delicious international food where daddy and mummy can unwind with a beer after being beaten by their kids.
Open Fridays – Mondays (Closed Tuesdays – Thursdays), 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
(last tee off at 6 p.m.)
Doi Saket (see map on website)
088 414 4145
Get a dose of feel-good culture and some delicious eats followed by drinks served with a built-in conversation starter (you’ll know it when you see it) on the banks of the Ping.
Chiang Mai New Art, Gallery and Shop
Marc Spits, founder of Elephant Parade, has marketed his custom-designed elephants, along with a slew of other branded products, worldwide, holding vast outdoor exhibitions where part of the proceeds always go to the Asian Elephant Foundation. With such obvious marketing acumen, many of the Thai artists who have contributed their designs to the Elephant Parade have asked Pat, manager of the Thai operations, to support them in opening a gallery. The CEO of De Iann Jewellery has also joined forces with Pat and Marc and on March 8th the Chiang Mai New Art, Gallery and Shop will open its doors. Support this vibrant generation of new artists and check out the exciting works they produce, including unique paintings, jewellery and handmade items.
Open Daily 9 a.m._7 p.m.
99/7 Bumrungburi Road
053 271 573
La Tavernetta
At this brand new Nimmanhaemin eatery, master-trained chef Danilo Ragusa, who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants, creates authentic Italian cuisine from ingredients imported directly from Italy. Ragusa’s kitchen is a gleaming affair encased in glass on all sides, so guests can watch from their tables as he makes fresh pasta from scratch. The menu is separated into appetisers, pasta, proteins and desserts, with imported Italian wines served by the bottle. We swooned over the fresh pasta Paccheri alla Norma with homemade tomato sauce, eggplant, basil and freshly grated Italian cheese, followed by the fresh tuna with Himalayan sea salt and aromat caponata dusted in cacao _ a delightful combination based on a recipe over 2000 years old. For dessert, try the light and fluffy apple pie, a novel twist on the classic dish.
Open Tuesdays – Sundays, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. (Closed Mondays)
Kantary Terrace, 3rd Floor, Nimmanhaemin Soi 12
085 527 7803
Bus Bar
It’s a bar, it’s a bus, it’s Bus Bar! This new gem of a watering hole takes one of Chiang Mai’s favourite concepts – turning vehicles into drinking venues – to a whole new level. Ideally situated just beside the Iron Bridge, Bus Bar provides a lovely place to spend an evening outdoors, munching on highly affordable bar food and imbibing buckets of whisky and Chang on draft while looking out onto the Ping River. The centrepiece of the whole affair is, naturally, a big red bus that you can sit inside, on top of, or around. A large spread of candlelit tables on the riverbank provides the perfect place for intimate twosomes or large groups to gather.
Open Daily, 7 p.m. – Midnight
Loi Kroh Road, beside the Iron Bridge