You wouldn’t know it was there if you passed Rachamankha Boutique Hotel on the street. It’s truly a hidden gem. Not the least because Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai’s most well-known temple, is right next door.

But once you get past the colonnaded courtyards inside, you’ll find yourself in a serene architectural masterpiece. The hotel’s charming simplicity belies its luxurious interior, as it was constructed using the same lime plaster and hand-built bricks as the local temples and is designed in the style of traditional northern Thai housing.

There are enchanted quadrangles and secret gardens, numerous antiques from Europe, Asia, and Africa, and 2,000 books in the library. This is the ideal solitary fortress, surrounded by the ruins of the moat and old city walls.