Most of its competitors in the large four-star category are either clustered together in the congested night bazaar area or out of the centre, dotted around the Superhighway. Amora on the other hand is just to the north of Tha Pae Gate along the outer moat road, Chaiyaphum, both within easy walking distance of the sights in the Old Town, the bars and nightlife of Tha Pae/Loi Kroh and the lively night bazaar area.

Conspicuous and easy to find with great views. Photo: Mark Ord

It is just about set back enough from the busy road that traffic shouldn’t be an issue to anyone but the most sensitive of hearing sleeping in a front-facing lower floor room, while the rear opens out directly onto the maze of quiet sois heading down to the Ping River.

The spacious and classy lobby houses a coffee shop, bar and restaurant and the included buffet breakfast gets excellent reports. WiFi is available throughout and they have a good-sized pool plus gym and in-house spa. The main drawbacks are—as a large hotel with some 200 rooms—service isn’t going to be as personal as in a smaller establishment, and decor in both public areas and rooms is very much generic. Lanna style this isn’t.

Standard hotel-fare. Photo: Mark Ord

Rooms perhaps don’t quite live up to the impressive lobby’s promise but they are clean and of a decent size, and come with all the regular four-star facilities. Don’t expect anything special though—particularly from the superior rooms—though deluxe rooms are slightly larger with a few more northern Thai flourishes and better quality furniture. Be sure to shop around online for a competitive discounted rate.