Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand: Located on a hill overlooking the Ruak River, Burma and the mountains of Laos sits the 15-tented rooms of the Four Seasons Camp - Golden Triangle. The camp is set up to do a three or four day all-inclusive package, which includes elephant trekking, my favorite, and a spa treatment as well as some local tours. The camp has the feel of an African safari camp, but regrettably, it fell short in providing the same luxury and service I have experienced at five-star camps in Africa.

First Impression: Breathtaking, exciting, remote, luxurious and one-of-a-kind all came to mind.

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Reception: The greeting was nice but not as amazing as the property would lead you to expect. Moreover, when it came time to discuss the arrangements we had discussed with them months before our arrival, our host had no clue and none of the arrangements were prepared. When we asked our host about the picnic described in their brochure, again, he had no idea how they do it or where they do it. I was beginning to question if this is truly a five-star, luxury, Four Seasons property.

The Tented Room: *We had tented room number 15 located at the very end of the property. Reminiscent of a safari camp that you would see in old movies, the room or shall we call it, the tent, was beautiful beyond belief. I have seen many safari camps in Africa and this tent ranks right up there with the best of them.

The centerpiece of the room is the large soaking tub, perfect for relaxing at the end of the day or after a morning of elephant trekking. From the tub and actually, from anywhere in the room, you had striking views of the jungle and river.

Outside, along the front of the room was a large deck that could have been perfect for lounging during the day except there was only one built-in bench, and they only provided one chair. It would have been great had they provided lounge chairs and to protect you from the blazing sun, an umbrella. Oddly enough, instead of lounge chairs there were two massage tables. When we asked to have our spa treatments on the deck, they said, no, that was not an option. In my opinion, the deck was a beautiful piece of the room that was totally wasted.

Room Service: Disappointingly, the Four Seasons Golden Triangle does not offer room service. Their explanation is because of the animals. I find this a very strange reason especially after multiple safaris in Africa, where in-room dining is always available and if I am not mistaken, Africa does have animals. The deck of our tented Camp, with its stunning view would have been the perfect place for a romantic dinner. Sadly, this was not an option.

Housekeeping: As you would expect from the Four Seasons, housekeeping, was perfect.

Concierge: There isn't a full-fledged concierge on staff at the Golden Triangle Four Seasons, it is however, handled by the host. Unfortunately, the host was not clear about camp activities, his follow through was consistently slow or nonexistent and there was just an overall feeling of disorganization. I definitely did not feel like I was at a five-star, luxury hotel or a Four Seasons property.

Activities: Included in the stay is the elephant training and trekking. It is absolute must! Training takes about 30 minutes, and before you know it, you will be on the back of the elephant and on one of the most amazing rides of your life. Also included is the spa treatment. I recommend you have the spa treatment the same day as the elephant trekking. Your legs will love you for it!

Other included activities include the Golden Triangle tour and the Opium Hall Museum. Both activities, while not as exciting as the elephant trekking, are still very enjoyable. Try to book the Golden Triangle tour so that you are there when the shops are the busiest. This will show you what a true Thai market is really like.

Restaurant: There is one restaurant, Nong Yao, at the Four Seasons Golden Triangle. Every meal they served, breakfast, lunch and dinner was amazing. Service tended to be on the casual side, yet they were still attentive, friendly, and prepared to make sure your experience was great.

Overall Impression The Four Seasons Golden Triangle has so very much going for it; a beautiful location, the most gorgeous tented rooms I have ever seen and a great concept. However, the lack of organization, follow through and a clear goal of customer service really kept the property from reaching the level of bombastic. Is this a place I would visit again, probably not. Is it a place I would recommend? Yes, but solely because of the amazing tented-rooms and the elephant trekking.

*One word of warning, the tented rooms are far apart so be prepared to climb steps and hills and to walk a good 10 or 15 minutes from your tent to the reception/restaurant areas. While I was there, a few couples changed their rooms part way through their stay so they were closer to the activities.

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