Location
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is located just outside the East of the Old City of Chiang Mai, within 15 min walk to the eastern Tha Phae Gate. The hotel's location is nearby 2 night markets in the vicinity. Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is 2 min walk from the Night Bazaar and 5 min walk from the Night Market. It is 10 min away from the Ping River. However, the hotel is rather far from shopping malls in the city such as Maya Lifestyle Shopping Mall and Central Festival Chiang Mai. One point to note, Central Festival Chiang Mai offers shuttle bus service that stops by Dusit D2 Chiang Mai at scheduled timing.
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| Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Signage |
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| Hotel Facade |
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| Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Reception |
The Suite
There are 2 types of suites in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai, namely Studio Suite and the larger D'Suite. I stayed in the Studio Suite which has a total room size of 64㎡ . The Studio Suite in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai has 3 sections to the suite, namely Living Room, Bedroom, and Bathroom.
Entering the suite in
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai, the minibar is hidden in the wooden cabinet to the right of the main entrance. Here is where one would find the mini fridge, electric kettle and glasses. Opposite the minibar, a door leads to the walk-in wardrobe, which is also linked to the bathroom (more about the walk-in wardrobe later). Further into the little corridor from the main entrance, the suite opens up to a spacious living room. The decoration in the living room is contemporary yet exudes a Thai flavour,. The choice of colour in the suite is also in line with the familiar bright orange we have seen in the hotel lobby, extending the vibrant and energetic spirit into the suite. The furnishings in the living are stylish yet functional. A large work desk, tucked into the wall of the living room on the right side, extends from the hidden minibar to the midpoint in the living room. This large work desk serves as an alternate space for me to put my things onto. There are a few power sockets on the wall, which makes it an excellent place to work and to charge my lifestyle devices.
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| Entrance to Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Studio Suite |
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| Mini bar is tucked inside the cabinet next to the main entrance to the suite |
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| Work desk with plenty of space |
A small table built into the wall next to the work desk functions as extra space which is perfect for me to place my shopping. A curved couch, capable of sitting 4 persons wraps around the corner of the living room all the way to the wall separating the living room from the bedroom. At the end of the couch is where one would find complimentary beverages such as coffee, tea and bottled water with a coffee machine nicely tucked in the corner of the living room. A couple of wall lights on either side of the wall, in front of the large panel window that looks out into
Doi Suthep, provides additional lighting in the living room of the suite. Across the curved couch is a large LED TV mounted onto the angled wall, which is perfectly angled for watching TV. A small glass top coffee table is placed between the TV and the couch. There is a single seat orange couch chair placed at the corner of the living room, providing the additional seat for guests to entertain their guests. The entire living room did not feel cramp and has loads of space to move around, as the furniture is arranged flushed to the wall around the living room.
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| Couch in the living room with a glass top coffee table |
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| Coffee and tea area |
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| Living room in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Studio Suite |
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| TV in the living room |
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| View of Doi Suthep from the suite |
A large wooden sliding door serves as the entrance to the bedroom from the living room. The bedroom is also heavily decorated with a Thai theme, together with the bright orange colour theme that is seen throughout Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. The bedroom feels cosy due to the colour scheme used and the lighting, making the entire bedroom feels very comfortable visually. Entering the bedroom, a wooden-framed king bed sits in the centre of the room. The height of the bed is a tad high, nonetheless, the sleep quality is excellent on the bed. However, I find the pillows too soft to my liking. On either side of the bed are bedside tables, but only the table nearer to the window has power sockets. Tucked by the large window panel on the right side of the bed is a couch, perfect for watching the TV in the bedroom or just for relaxing and enjoy the views of the mountain from the bedroom. Opposite the king bed, mounted on the wall, is a small TV. Despite the placement of this TV is a little off, guests are still able to watch the TV from the comforts of the king bed.
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| King bed in bedroom |
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| One of the bedside table in the bedroom |
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| Couch inside the bedroom |
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| Couch and a small TV in the bedroom |
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Studio Suite has a large bathroom. The bathroom is accessible from the bedroom and the living room. Entering the bathroom from the bedroom, a shower cubicle sits opposite the door. Only regular shower head is found in the shower cubicle, however, the pressure from the shower head is great. The sink is located next to the shower cubicle where one can find ample space to put additional toiletries on the sink countertop. To the right of the sink, tucked into the corner of the bathroom is where the toilet is located. Opposite the sink, next to the large panel window that looks out into the bedroom is the bathtub. The bathtub seems to be tucked in a corner, making getting in and out of the bathtub difficult. I appreciate the window panel as it allows guests to watch TV from the bathtub. The sound from the TV in the bedroom is also piped into the bathroom, making it ideal to watch TV while relaxing in the bathtub. Dusit D2 Chiang Mai provides their house brand bath amenities, which is both of good quality and feels luxurious.
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| Shower cubicle in the bathroom |
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| Sink in the bathroom |
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| The toilet is located beside the sink area |
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| Bathtub is placed next to a large window that looks into the bedroom |
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| Bathroom amenities |
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| Dusit D2 uses their in-house brand bath amenities which feels luxurious |
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| Bathroom Amenities |
Walk-in Wardrobe
The walk-in wardrobe is found in between the bathroom and the living room.
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai employs an open concept for their walk-in wardrobe. Other than the 2 doors accessing the wardrobe, there are no wardrobe doors. The wardrobe space is large, allowing guests to change up after their shower. Next to the door to the bathroom, is where a 3 tiered drawer is located. These drawers provided additional storage space for small personal items. On top of the drawer is the in-room safe. A large ledge for guests to put their luggage on is located opposite the wardrobe.
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| Walk-in wardrobe where we stow our luggage |
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| Wardrobe in the suite |
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| There are places to put one's luggage in the walk-in wardrobe |
The Club Lounge in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is located on level 7 of the hotel. There are armchairs for smaller groups and several dining tables capable of sitting up to 6 guests for larger groups. Guests staying in Club rooms and suites can check in and out from the Club Lounge. Guests can walk in during the opening hours for complimentary drinks. Hors-d'oeuvre are served every evening in the Club lounge, where guests staying a club room and suites in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai can enjoy. The selection for Hors-d'oevure in the Club Lounge is, however, limited.
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| Sitting area in the club lounge |
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| Hors d'oevure served in the evening |
The swimming pool in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is located on level 1M. The freeform swimming pool is a little small but is still capable of letting guests to swim a few laps in. There is a limited number of suntan chairs at the pool area.
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| The free-form swimming pool is rather small |
D:Fit is the gym in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. The gym is located on the 10th floor of the hotel, with the entire floor dedicated to the gym. There are the standard treadmills and elliptical machines in the gym. which allows guests to do a decent workout. There are also some weight machines in the gym. There is a steam room inside the toilet in the gym.
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| Entrance to D:Fit, the gym in the Dusit D2 Chiang Mai |
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| Gym in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai |
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| The gym is well equipped with exercise machines |
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| Weight area in the gym |
Soi Cafe
The package that we booked includes breakfast and dinner. Both meals are served in
Soi Cafe, located on the ground floor, next to the lift lobby in
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. Similar to many hotels, buffet breakfast was served in
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. Breakfast includes both oriental and western options, such as porridge, salad, bread to name a few. There is also a small selection of Thai food available during breakfast. There is a hot counter which prepares eggs, chicken noodles, pancakes and waffles that are prepared a la minute. Food on offer during breakfast is fresh and delicious. There are some variations in the breakfast served daily.
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| Soi Cafe signage |
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| Cold bar in Soi Cafe during breakfast |
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| There are cooked food which changes every day during breakfast |
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| Cooking station where noodles and eggs are cooked a la minute |
Dinner was served in
Soi Cafe as well. During our first night there, we were given options of Thai cuisine (fish in black pepper sauce) and western cuisine (chicken steak). We opted for the Thai cuisine. The food was delicious and flavourful. During the subsequent 2 nights, instead of set dinner,
Dusit D2 Chiang Mai offered us seafood buffet dinner. There was a good spread of food during dinner service. Cold dishes are placed in the centre of the restaurant, with options such as sea snails, cockles, cold soba shots and salads made available to guests. There is a section where guests can choose from a range of raw meats such as pork, pork ribs, chicken, salmon and dory fish, where the chefs will barbecue for guests. There are also cooked sections with fried rice, noodles, pizza available. As with breakfast, there is a minor variation during dinner service to the cooked food. The food on offer was delicious, with the right amount of flavouring to them.
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| Thai set dinner that we had on the first night |
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| Cooked food served during buffet dinner |
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| Cold bar during dinner where calms and sea snails are served on top of many other dishes |
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| Barbecue station with numerous options |
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| Cooked food options |
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| Cooked food options |
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| Pizzas as part of the buffet dinner |
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| Desserts are tasty |
Service
The service we received in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is impeccable. Every staff who we came across displayed the nature of the Thais that we have all came to know about, hospitable and warm. They seem to go all out to ensure we feel comfortable in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai and our requests are being met with. The excellent service came weeks before we even departed for Chiang Mai when I coordinated with the hotel via email. The reservation supervisor, Panatsaya, was very prompt in her replies and gave us assurance that our requests are being captured. As the package we booked comes with return airport transfer and a vehicle for us to use for 8 hours, Panatsaya was able to quickly coordinated our requests and our flight details to arrange for the drivers to pick us up. During her absence, the coordination continued with her colleagues, Preenan and Pennapa. We were being picked up by the hotel staff the moment we walked out of the restricted area in Chiang Mai airport upon our arrival.
The staff at the main entrance, Young, welcomed us and quickly unloaded our luggage when we reached the hotel. By the time we were done with the check-in procedures and proceeded to our suites, our luggage was already waiting for us in our suites. When Young saw us heading out and helped us hail a taxi. He helped us translate to the cabby on our destination and even ensured that we were not overcharged. Young is always very welcoming and gave us the warmest smile whenever we bumped into him at the entrance to the hotel. Young drove us to the airport during our departure and refused to let us handle our luggage. At the airport, he even took the initiative to help us get trolleys and loaded our luggage onto them.
The staffs at Soi Cafe did a tremendous job in making us feel welcome. Phet showed us to tour table on the first night we had dinner. She was welcoming and made us feel like VIP. We requested for warm water from Phet during our dinner. 2 nights later, we met Phet again at Soi Cafe. After showing us to our table, she asked if we prefer to have warm water. Such observant and taking the extra mile in remembering our preference, despite being 2 days ago goes to show that the level of service rendered by Phet was impeccable. I don't even remember what I had eaten the night before, let alone expecting Phet to remember our preference for small items such as water. I was pleasantly surprised by Phet.
Poy is another staff working in Soi Cafe in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. We would see her every morning during breakfast service, standing at the entrance to the restaurant welcoming guests. I am glad to find that we only have to mention our room number on the first day during breakfast and Poy took the effort to remember our room numbers. During subsequent days, Poy did not even asked our room numbers and showed us to our table without delay. As one of the members of our group is a vegetarian due to religious reasons, I requested to Poy if the kitchen was able to prepare some vegetarian meal for my friend. To my surprise, instead of rejecting us, Poy got the kitchen to whip up a vegetarian meal and even checked if my friend like the taste. Subsequent mornings during breakfast, Poy would sit us at a table and quickly went into the kitchen to place the vegetarian meal order without us reminding her. She would never fail to check if the meal was sufficient for my friend.
Puchong is another staff working at Soi Cafe. During one of the dinner service, Puchong showed us around on the food options for the buffet dinner. He recommended us to try out the barbecue ala minute and would help us take our order and brought the cooked food to us. Puchong even took the initiative to bring us some sauces which he had recommended us to try with which food. Indeed, the sauces did make the food taste better (not as though the food is not good enough). Puchong would always check on us and ensured that empty plates are cleared and our water is being topped up.
There are still many unsung heroes, who either work in the background (such as the housekeepers) or whose name I did not manage to get. They made us feel welcomed in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai and portrayed the traits of Thais that the world has come to know of. I have travelled to Thailand many times a year and this is the first time I experienced the warmness and hospitality of the Thai people in Thailand.
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| A very nice touch in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. The housekeeper would place a different souvenir every day for guests to bring home |
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| Welcome drink served in the bar at Dusit D2 Chiang Mai |
Overall
I highly recommend one to come stay in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai should one visits this Northen Thailand City. The Studio Suite in the hotel is very spacious and comfortable. The design of the suite is functional and the infusion of Thai elements and contemporary decor makes the suite feel very cosy. The location of Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is excellent to explore the daily night markets and the rest of Chiang Mai. What left a good impression on us was the impeccable service. Every staff member truly embraced customer-centric and displayed the hospitality and the warmness that the Thais came to be known about. The staffs always saw with a smile and are very welcoming. I would come back to Dusit D2 Chiang Mai the next time I return to the city.
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