The Mosbys in China: Chiang Mai

While in Thailand, we tried to stick to budget friendly accommodation options the majority of our trip. It's something that most people have to do when you travel somewhere for 2+ weeks. We were blessed to find such a gorgeous, comfortable hotel in Bangkok for the price we paid. Truly, I felt lavished and content at the Ibis. I could have slummed it the rest of the trip (which we did the rest of our time in Chiang Mai!) but I'm glad we didn't. Before our trip to Thailand, when booking our accommodation, I had that dream of a private little villa with a private little pool. The kind of dream you see in travel bloggers Instagram posts. I did my research and found a little piece of paradise in Chiang Mail; Narittaya Resort & Spa. It was so much better than I could have expected. Tucked away in Northern Thailand, away from the hustle in bustle of the city but close enough to grab a bite to eat for dinner, is Narrittaya. It gave me all the "Travel Blogger with Luxurious accommodation" feels while being affordable and with in our budget. The grounds were gorgeous, filled with that lush green you think of when you picture Thailand.

The people were friendly with that Thai hospitality. They treated us like their only guests. Sometimes it felt like we were! It was so quiet and peaceful it was hard to believe the hotel was almost full.

Narittaya has a "slow life philosophy." Check out the intro on their website:

"More than ever before, modern individual is running a unique hurdle race where the speedometer pointer determines its own existence. Detachment from nature and its pace, linked with the seasons and other elements out of our control seem to be a mirage in today’s Western societies. Cities become anonymous and we just hover around submerged in our own peculiar universe of interests. Rush is the motor of all our actions; it is the grand prix kinetics that surrounds all our life, speeding it up, making the most out of every single second, worshipping a speed that does not makes us better.

The Slow Movement does not aim to shake the very foundations of all that have been built to date. It intends to reveal the possibility of living life fully but at a slower pace, where individuals can control and own their existence. The key lies in finding the right pace for each part of our daily race. We should be able to run when it is necessary and cope with the feared stress that too many a time is upon us; however, we should also be able to know when to stop and enjoy an extended present which too often ends up buried by near future duties.

At Narittaya Resort and Spa, we take our environmental and social responsibilities very seriously. Whether it's developing resorts and toiletries using sustainable materials, recycling waste materials, growing our own organic food or preserving ecosystems, we are always prepared to take the initiative. The acronym SLOW LIFE (Sustainable-Local-Organic-Wellness Learning-Inspiring-Fun- Experiences) explains Narittaya’s philosophy. Our aim is to create unforgettable, enlightening experiences that rejuvenate each guest's love of SLOW LIFE. It's about illuminating lives whilst treading lightly on the earth."

We loved that the hotel lent out bikes for us to ride and explore our surroundings. There's nothing like biking through a dirt road with rice paddies on each side (see below). Because of our bikes, we were also able to find Care for Dogs Foundation, just up the street from Narittaya. We biked farther than those little bikes were meant to bike, I'm sure. We even found a State Garden and a Honeybee and Cricket farm.

Every room has a gift bag of Narattaya's house-made lotions, shampoos and conditioners.

The grounds were filled with these gorgeous flowers, that had fallen from the trees. The groundskeepers would gather them and place them in baskets around the property. They made for beautiful baskets of bright yellow flowers.

Every morning we were served delicious, fresh breakfast, inspired by the gardens surrounding us. Narittaya bakes its bread on site, gathers eggs from their chickens and cooks largely from their own garden. They seek a holistic approach to their whole property, including their food.

The best part of our stay is that we had our own little bungalow. That's our slice of paradise above with the two elephant statues guarding our way.

Our villa hosted a private pool, outdoor tub and verandah. We loved relaxing in the verandah poolside while journaling, reading and blogging.

Inside was clean and simple. The decorations allowed for the surroundings to speak for themselves.

We enjoyed our time laying out and taking the "Polar Plunge" in the pool! I had no idea Northern Thailand would be as cool as it was. It was a little chilly for swimming but perfect for travel.

We highly recommend Narittaya. It was the perfect getaway for us on our trip. After a busy week in Bangkok it was nice to take a few days to rest and recover for the next round of our adventures while in Chiang Mai. If you're looking for a restful retreat, chose Narittaya. While you're there, take a morning or afternoon walk and walk a dog or two, too.

While in Chiang Mai we spent some time learning about Care for Dogs. While we were there we learned about their great need for people to walk the dogs. Since our Villa was only a few streets away, we decided to take a day to go for a run & walk some of the shelter dogs.

We probably walked 8 to 10 dogs that day! We'd take two, run around, play in the forest & head back for 2 more. It was great exercise & a wonderful time to love on some dogs, who don't often get much people interaction or walks.

Each dog had it's own quirk. This guy was the cutest. He was covered in healing mange & other skin problems, so he wasn't exactly the dog you'd long to pick up and cuddle at first. He had a severe inner ear infection so he could only walk in circles. It was sad but quite funny to see him happily turning circle after circle. He could however walk straight if on a leash. He had the sweetest personality & loved going on a walk.

These two were quite the challenge. The one Zachary was running with loved the walk, and was fine walking with us, but if you got to close to his face or body with your hands he'd start to growl & bar his teeth. He had come from a very abusive environment, leaving him with little trust for new people, but he liked us enough to be walked by us! The one I was walking had been ran over. His back and back legs had been broken. He has healed & recovered remarkably, but he still has trouble walking long distances. He'd happily be walking, when his back legs would sort of collapse. Poor thing was so resilient and not at all bothered by his constant collapsing, though.

Being in Thailand, we had beautiful scenery all around us to enjoy.

The last two we walked were my favorites. They reminded me a lot of Chara. They had also come from abusive environments & were slightly stand offish, but still full of that spunky, puppy spirit.

We took them through the woods, where they rolled around and pounced on things.

There was a trail through the woods that led straight to our Villa from Care for Dogs. Where we stayed, The Narritaya, had amazing organic food & villas and offers discounted rates for volunteers working at Care for Dogs. If ever in Chiang Mai again, we will seriously consider taking an extra few weeks to volunteer with this great foundation & of course, have breakfast at Narritaya.