Picture this. You land at Chiang Rai Airport and, forty minutes later, the road climbs out of the Mae Chan lowlands into a quiet valley. Rice fields give way to forests, forests to mountain villages, and you find yourself in the Hill Tribe Triangle. At the end of the road? Tantawan Tented Camp.
Spread across roughly 33 rai of hillside, Tantawan has just ten tents: seven safari tents and three suites. Opened in August 2025, it was recently featured in Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia. Small by design, this is a place without crowds or buffet queues. Instead, there’s a firepit, an outdoor cinema under the stars, an earth pool and countryside made for leisurely bicycle rides and long walks with local guides.
Days here unfold at their own pace. Start with yoga in the Wellness Pavilion or an open-air massage. Spend the afternoon learning archery in the field, before heading off for a picnic sundowner or enjoying a private barbecue on your tent balcony. Dinner at Reu Doon Gaan Restaurant showcases Golden Triangle cuisine, prepared by a team passionate about its regional heritage. Afterwards, retire to Baan Bar for classic cocktails before falling asleep to the sounds of the hills.
But Tantawan is about more than a beautiful place to stay.
Across the road are the pickleball courts of Friends of Thai Daughters, and it is the camp’s partnership with this foundation that really sets it apart. This is what we call regenerative hospitality. Girls from Friends of Thai Daughters are part of the camp team, gaining practical hospitality experience through cross-training and hands-on work. Guests can join foraging walks at the foundation’s farm, followed by Golden Triangle cooking classes using the ingredients they’ve gathered. The pickleball courts are free for guests, and there’s also the foundation’s boutique to visit.
Your stay doesn’t just take you somewhere beautiful. It makes you part of something that is changing young lives.
Who’s behind it?
Tantawan is managed by A Local Hotel, a new Thai boutique hotel company built around one simple idea: Stay Where You Play. We create experience-driven hotels with real character, deliberately keeping facilities light. Think of us as rooms for the neighbourhood, with the neighbourhood supplying the rest. Our guests are encouraged to look up, talk to people and get out there to experience the places they’ve come to see. Human connection comes first.
And the next chapter is in Bangkok.
In April 2027, A Local Hotel opens The Ratchawong, its first purpose-built hotel, on the Bangkok riverside in the Songwat district. One of the city’s most fascinating neighbourhoods, Songwat is a heady mix of old shophouses, creative studios, galleries and the Chao Phraya River right on its doorstep.
The Ratchawong will feature a riverside restaurant and bar with a tree-shaded courtyard, as well as a rooftop bar made for long evenings overlooking the river. We hope to host events there in partnership with Friends of Thai Daughters, and tonight’s lucky auction winner will be among the first to experience it.
The prize: they have kindly donated two nights for two guests at Tantawan Tented Camp, including breakfast.l to our upcoming Citylife Garden Fair!
