A Journey to the Farm at Meliá Chiang Mai

If you want an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, take a journey to the farm at Meliá Chiang Mai. The hotel introduces guests to a nearby 250-acre gourmet organic farm to meet local farmers and learn more about sustainable farming and healthier eating as part of its A Journey to the Farm Package.

360° concept: From farm to table to farm

Under the hotel’s new 360° Cuisine program, its kitchen collaborates with ORI9IN The Gourmet Farm in San Sai District. They source farm-to-plate organic produce that travels only a short distance, utilizing as much of each ingredient as possible—from roots to leaves, stems, stalks, and more—before the plate-to-farm food waste returns to the farm as fertilizer in a truly 360° concept.

A Journey to the Farm Package: Experience sustainable farming and healthier eating

The farm experience at Meliá Chiang Mai includes feeding the animals and walking through the farm with a guide to learn about both the cultivation of Meliá Chiang Mai’s fruits, vegetables and herbs as well as Ori9in’s Pharm traditional herbal medicine garden. There is also a chance to walk through a garden maze.

According to chef turned sustainable farmer James Noble, who runs ORI9In, the day trip is a chance for guests to learn more about how their food has been produced and transported, as well as who was involved in that process.

“This is tourism that leaves no footprint on the land; we’re trying to show people that you can have a day out without harming what you came to see in the first place,” he said.

Under the partnership between Meliá Chiang Mai and the farm, local farmers grow an array of fruits, vegetables and herbs for the hotel’s restaurants, bar and spa.

In addition to local seasonal produce such as young morning glory, red basil, lemongrass and passion fruit, the farm cultivates various types of tomatoes, salad leaves, and specialized ingredients such as padrón pepper that would otherwise need to be imported from Spain for the hotel’s authentic Mediterranean cuisine.

“The partnership is a central plank of our ‘360° Cuisine’ program, under which we aim to work closely with local farmers to help them improve sustainability and encourage ethical production to make communities and the overall food system more resilient,” said the hotel’s general manager Edward E. Snoeks.

Meliá Chiang Mai hotel’s dining landscape

Towering over Chiang Mai’s River Ping and Night Bazaar, Meliá Chiang Mai opened in April. With a design that pays tribute to Chiang Mai’s charming history and culture with a contemporary flair, the hotel comprises a striking 22-floor tower fronted by an adjoining seven-floor podium building. 

Drawing on Meliá’s Spanish origins and celebrating Spain’s famed gastronomy, the hotel’s dining landscape features restaurants Mai Restaurant and Bar and Laan Na Kitchen, bars Mai The Sky Bar and Tien Pool Bar, and lounges Ruen Kaew and The Level Lounge; the latter a 21st-floor executive lounge with panoramic views of the city.

How to book this fantastic farm experience

Priced at THB 8,800 net (USD 243 net) per room for two persons, the A Journey to the Farm Package comprises two nights in a Meliá Room, daily breakfast for two, and a day trip for two to the scenic farm inclusive of a picnic lunch.

The A Journey to the Farm Package is available until November 28, 2022, for a stay until November 30, 2022.