It has been almost a year since we stayed at the Secret Garden, and now, sitting at the table planning our next adventure, we can only hope we find a place that comes close to this one. From the pickup at the airport, to the time we left, we thoroughly enjoyed everything about this wonderful spot. We stayed in the Frangipani room, which was great. It is very quiet, and a bit out of the way, but that just adds to its charm.

Pai’s cooking was definitely the highlight for us. We always felt welcome to walk into the kitchen and watch her cook the nightly meals, and she would explain all of the ingredients as she went along. We loved everything she cooked for us.

We did several trips into Borsang which is only a few minutes away by car, and there was never a problem getting dropped off or calling to be picked up. We also visited Patara Elephant Farm which was an amazing day. The night market in Chiang Mai is worth a trip, but is a bit hectic. The ride back in a local Tuk Tuk was an adventure in itself.

All in all we would highly recommend staying with Peter and Pai at the Secret Garden.

We stayed here in November 2011 and had a fantastic time. You have to get the local bus to Chiang Mai which takes approximately 30 minutes, so if you want to be central this is not the place for you. But if you want peace, quiet, nature and relaxation then you should stay here. Peter and Pai were very welcoming hosts and the food was fanstastic.

With my wife Marta, we travelled for 3 weeks in Thailand. After visiting Bangkok and relaxing on the beaches in the south (unfortuneately very touristic and where people look at you as a pile of dollars), our best memories stay with our stay in Chiang Mai in the North and the Secret Garden as a lot to do with that.

First of all, the place: the secret garden is a huge garden where every room is actually a nice and cosy house. All this in the middle of the nature (pond, rice fields, big trees, weird birds, etc). There is also a nice swimming pool we used once or twice.

Secondly, the people: the place is run by Peter (german origin but has been living in Chiang Mai for almost 30 years) and is wife Pai (local). It's really nice when you are travelling to get to stay at places with people like Pai and Peter. It's easy to see that the Secret Garden is their passion and they love to make everybody feel comfy. They gave us very good and objective adivces (not like tourist agencies that recommend what gives them the biggest commission) as for things to do and we had great fun (spending a day with elephants, hiking, visiting nearby villages, ziplining, etc). At night we had nice conversations with both Peter and Pai while eating Thai dinners and we really felt well.

Last bu not least the location. Although the secret garden is not located in the middle of Chiang Mai (it's in a small village a few kilometers apart), it really is a very good option.
Access to Chiang Mai is very easy and cheap, and the village where the secret garden is located (Bo tang if I rememebr well) is really a great option to know th real Thailand. There is virtually no tourist in that village and you get to know a real market (not crowded with tourists), get real massages, etc. We loved it!

In a nutshell, don't hesitate and go!

Marta and Math

We were spending 10 days in the north of Thailand and wanted a combination of city and country. Based on the Trip Advisor reviews we booked the Secret Garden for 4 nights. The 2 bedroom cottage which we were sharing with our grown daughter was very comfortable, spacious and well equipped. The rural setting is several acres of beautiful tropical gardens located near a suburb of Chiang Mai called Bor Sang, whose main attraction is the production of decorative paper umbrellas. The setting of Secret Garden is a peaceful spot with lovely insect, bird and frog choruses, except that you can clearly hear the voices and sounds from the neighboring cottages. Fortunately everyone seems to go to bed early and there is no raucous behaviour so it is tranquil for sleeping. The aircon is extra but we never needed to use it, the fans in every area are excellent and more than sufficient and it was a perfect pleasant temperature. The dining area is lovely and the breakfast (included) offered a range of good choices. We ate only one dinner there and it was tasty Thai food. However if you stay here dont miss the open air street food court in Bor Sang on Sankampaeng Road. If you want to spend time in Chiang Mai city itself keep in mind that you have to depend on the "white taxi-bus" (15 baht) system which you catch in the little town of Bor Sang, during the day it runs every few minutes. The Secret Garden owners or staff will drive you any time to catch the bus (or for any other reason to visit Bor San, such as that food court, skip the silly umbrella stuff). The problem is that to return from Chiang Mai city in the evening the taxi-bus is infrequent and doesn't run past 9:15. You can take a regular taxi or even a tuk-tuk back for around 250 baht. Secret Garden is an ideal place for a family with small kids who can run around and play in the pool and who want limited time in Chiang Mai city itself. Peter and Pai, the couple who own and operate SG, make them selves available for all your needs but seem a bit harried at times. I imagine it can be quite demanding to tend to guests and transport them in and out of Bor Sang 24/7. They also provide free transport to and from the Chiang Mai airport, which is a wonderful plus. All the other guests were lovely people too, the majority were families with young children from Europe, Asia and Scandinavia. Our only problem was the location of SG, and this was because we ended up wanting more city time, so this was a personal preference and in no way reflects on the excellent quality of Secret Garden.