To echo many other reviews, the architecture of the Rachamankha was simply stunning, but the wow factor ended for us there.
This is a '5 star' hotel at $200USD per night; a relatively modest sum of money for a hotel room in the west, but in Asia, this is expensive. Beyond the aesthetically pleasing nature of the hotel, we could not understand where the added value was in the extra 400-500% we spent staying here as opposed to a solid 3 star hotel.
Our bedroom was pleasant but very tired looking. The bathroom in particular was disappointing and could do with an update. The hotel was very quiet, to the point that there was no atmosphere. This was a shame particularly as we were staying over the main Christmas period, which brings me on to my next point.
From what we saw of other customers, the hotel's customer base were overwhelmingly western and yet beyond 6 wreaths hanging in the windows of the restaurant, the hotel was not decorated, compared to pretty much every other hotel In Chiang Mai, adorned with lights and Christmas trees.
Breakfast was a pleasant affair, a wide selection to choose from, from the buffet table,however the muffins were rock hard stale and when I ordered eggs with sausage, the sausage presented on my plate was a naff frankfurter. This is not the quality of food for a 5 star hotel. Similarly the small touches which you would expect to pay for such a hotel were missing.
The airport is a 5km, ten minute drive away, costing around 200baht in a taxi and yet the hotel quoted me 450baht for a transfer (I refused to pay this price and we agreed on 300baht). In a 5 star hotel I would expect this to be complimentary, particularly when the drive is so short. Room service was another issue. When I eventually got through to someone, I spoke with a member of staff who spoke next to no English and was told the only item of food I could order was fried rice (the room service menu had a number of sandwiches and burgers which for some reason were off limits to me but this wasn't explained why).
The questionable quality of food at breakfast, the issues with room service, the lack of English spoken by many members of staff and the thieving nature of overcharging a customer for a service way above market price are the hallmarks of a much lower standard of hotel than this alleged 5 star establishment. Yes the buildings were nice to look at, but I don't think that justifies the price here and I will spend my money elsewhere when I return to Chiang Mai.