Sitting on roughly 60 acres of manicured tropical grounds deep in Northern Thailand’s Amphur Muang Province—about an eight-hour car ride from Bangkok, and 20 minutes outside of Chiang Mai proper—is the magisterial Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai, a hotel as fit for royals as we’ve ever seen. The compound’s ornate, pagoda-like design, fit with towering gilt spires and elaborate, well-tended gardens, evokes the Thai villages of old. It’s an ancient Lanna in miniature, full of moats, fortified walls, and veering walkways erected over watery rice paddies. Rooms are regal to match, and are both generous in size and tastefully decorated—see the hand-carved armoires and tables, the Thai silks draped over chairs, and the local hill-tribe textiles cast about the space. Some guests tout the ground floor colonial rooms for their direct access to the tiled pool, while others prefer the quiet of the upstairs suites. That said, we recommend booking a one-of-a-kind villa to experience the outer bounds of privacy and luxury, like the two-story Grand Deluxe Villa with a plunge pool—pretty much exactly what it sounds like—plus three outdoor teak terraces, oriental rugs and carved stone lamps, and a study.