A few days ago, I tried the breakfast buffet at Melia hotel. Melia, Chiang Mai opened just a month ago. They opened in the modernised premises of the old Pornping Tower Hotel.
I have to say that they have done the most out of a 1970s building. Pornping was one of the oldest high rise hotels in Chiang Mai and still operated until 2018. The reviews were mixed in the end, but many reviews mentioned that Pornping was highly dated. So was excited to see if Melia added some magic here.
Anyhow, Melia was supposed to open even earlier but with the pandemic and all, now is definitely a better time than a few months ago.
How was Melias breakfast promotion?
My wife and I didn’t stay overnight at Melia; more of a staycation light where we escaped one of many rainy mornings and days here in Chiang Mai to make the most of the breakfast. Melia is running a promotion in May and June. I think that 400 baht is an excellent bargain for the quality and food served. There were enough choices of Western and Asian food, with a bit of a focus on Spanish sweets.
My wife enjoyed the pork rice porridge and the salads, and we both concluded that the coffee tasted great. We could choose between hot and iced coffee.
What frustrates me a bit is when hotels play the chicken trick, though. In the already prepared dishes, they were all chicken-based. A” Gang Hangley Curry with chicken“!? It should be pork belly, of course.




Then the juices were of the sugary colour enriched refill style that you normally find in old 2-3 star Thai hotels.
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The conclusion is that the breakfast was definitely worth the price, but there is also room for improvement. For a 5* hotel did not expect that kind of “savings” on certain things.
What seems interesting to try out also is the High Afternoon tea at the hotel with a Spanish profile.
Having a look at the rooms at Melia
Whilst we were there we took the opportunity to do room inspections. Something I really liked was the light and white colours in the rooms. And real coffee machines, Nespresso style in the rooms. There was also a selection of no less than six different type of pillows.
The pool area was decent enough, and there is a rooftop bar/restaurant under construction.

What you have to live with are the cramped sizes of rooms. Shallow ceilings and narrow corridors. This is the heritage of the old building.
If you are very tall, your head might even touch the ceiling. It is not a hotel for anyone with claustrophobia.
Excellent location, plenty of parking space, great interior decoration and if you get bored of the rain escaping to Melia for a breakfast promotion is not a bad idea.






Look at some other options of hotels in Chiang Mai as well. Akyra Manor and U – Nimman offers great food also. And with nice roof top Swimming Pools.