Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort

Absolutely fantastic experience with super helpful and friendly staff. Excellent advice on local tours with very helpful guides telling us everything about local customs. Superb time exploring the local city and markets ended with a lovely speed boat trip. Particularly enjoyed the elephant walk. Awesome, thank you.

The whole experience for us at the Golden Triangle was incredible, probably aren’t enough positive words to describe all aspects of everything that was simply superb! We had booked the Explorers Arrival option which meant being met by Tann at the riverside near Chiang Saen, he was excellent and very knowledgable, and took us down onto our boat to head along the Mekong river, an exhilarating start! When we arrived at Anantara, we went up onto a pretty welcome jetty area and were greeted by two se... The whole experience for us at the Golden Triangle was incredible, probably aren’t enough positive words to describe all aspects of everything that was simply superb! We had booked the Explorers Arrival option which meant being met by Tann at the riverside near Chiang Saen, he was excellent and very knowledgable, and took us down onto our boat to head along the Mekong river, an exhilarating start! When we arrived at Anantara, we went up onto a pretty welcome jetty area and were greeted by two serene giants, a pair of beautiful, graceful elephants; Jatong and Kamun, best friends, who do everything together. Just the most stunning welcome and such a joy to experience. Winn explained so much to us about how they work with the elephants here, having around 20 onsite that have been rescued and bought to enjoy a peaceful life in this lovely safe sanctuary space, we were able to share bananas and coconuts with the two that greeted us whilst we enjoyed fresh cool drinks too. Our room was beautiful, wonderfully decorated for our wedding anniversary as we were celebrating whilst away on our trip. The facilities of the hotel were pristine, all the staff so warm, friendly and attentive without ever being intrusive which can be a fine art! We had chosen 3 activities to enjoy during our stay, walking with giants, spice spoons market trip and Thai cookery lessons and a delightful relaxing spa treatment each, and we enjoyed every aspect of each activity, hard to decide which was our favourite! Being so close with the elephants was an amazing treat, considering how big they were, they were just so gentle and calming, and a real pleasure to see how well they are being looked after here by Winn and the teams of expert Mahouts, their connections with these gentle giants is just fascinating to watch. We also absolutely loved the session with Chef Pisit Jinopong, or “Chef Jino” as we all called him for the day! He is the head chef for the resort and his knowledge shone through, sharing details of his incredible career spanning over 30 years and working in some very interesting places. We visited the local early morning market in Chiang Saen to experience the vibes and produce available and meet some of the local people, a great way to immerse yourself in local culture, very interesting and enjoyable. From here we went to a local farm run by a local family and enjoyed their hospitality with a traditional breakfast prepared for us, even including a few nips of their own homemade whiskey! Back at the hotel we went to see their own hen houses and mushroom farm area as they work hard to focus on environmental sustainability and use as much local and fresh produce for their restaurant menus as possible. They also highlight throughout the hotel how they avoid use of plastics wherever possible too, which is a very positive element. The cookery class back at the hotel was excellent, we learnt how to prepare and cook a 3 course traditional Thai meal and had the bonus of being able to sit down together and enjoy each course as it was ready, it really was fantastic and absolutely delicious! Chef Jino tasted our dishes too and was impressed with balance and flavour so seems we didn’t do too badly! Overall this hotel experience for us was one of the best we have ever enjoyed, the food, ambiance, service and style of the whole place was truly excellent and did not disappoint, we have stayed in some pretty decent hotels when travelling over the years but this really stood out and the team at the Golden Triangle should be extremely proud of what they are delivering here, it is honestly wonderful and perfect for a special occasion destination. Thank you to all working so hard here to bring the very best to your customers, you are certainly achieving your goals!

The elephants: We had visited elephant sanctuaries and elephant safaris before but this was far better than all previous experiences. The elephant camp consists of approximately 20 elephants with professional vets on site and individual Mahouts (elephant guardian) for each elephant. The elephants are well looked after and there are different experiences you can do with them. We did the 'Walking with Giants', this is a 1 1/2 hour walk with the elephants and a vet. Nisa, the vet, explains about th... The elephants: We had visited elephant sanctuaries and elephant safaris before but this was far better than all previous experiences. The elephant camp consists of approximately 20 elephants with professional vets on site and individual Mahouts (elephant guardian) for each elephant. The elephants are well looked after and there are different experiences you can do with them. We did the 'Walking with Giants', this is a 1 1/2 hour walk with the elephants and a vet. Nisa, the vet, explains about the elephants and you're able to watch them close up. We enjoyed it so much, we did it twice. Room: A very spacious room with a view overlooking the elephant camp. We woke up each morning to the most beautiful view and could while away the hours on the balcony watching the elephants with the binoculars. The room was very clean and comfortable with possibly the biggest bathtub we'd seen. Service: All the staff were excellent, very friendly and accommodating of all requests. Dew our driver was a gentleman, and ensured a very comfortable trip to and from the airport. Tony at the front was always smiling and helpful. Tuk, looked after us very well and made sure all our activities were booked and ran well. I'm sure I've missed out a few names but all staff were excellent. Breakfast: An excellent spread with wide variety of dishes. Highlights were the fresh juice station, the truffle scrambled eggs and the fresh honey, straight from the hive! Gym: A well equipped gym with high quality machines and selection of dumbells. They also have cycles, which you can take around the ground or on the main road. Roads are quiet, so felt safe cycling on them. Treetops Restaurant Experience: This was definitely a highlight. We were hoisted up high in to the trees to enjoy a stunning view at sunset with delicious food. Spa: We had the signature massages, an excellent experience with a beautiful view. Pool: Lovely pool with a jacuzzi area as well. Location: About an hour from the airport. This was a very special stay, if you like elephants, I would highly recommend. We can't wait to come back!