Eight Days in Chiang Mai with LaurZen

8 days / 7 nights — December 1–8, 2026.

Chiang Mai has a way of changing the volume of a life.

You arrive carrying whatever has been yours lately ~ too much work, too many decisions, a body asking for care, a private grief, a quiet longing, a season you have yet to fully name.

Chiang Mai offers its own rhythm.

Morning light. Temple bells in the distance.

Mountain air. Long meals.

Markets, gardens, bodywork, movement, conversation, and time.

This eight-day journey was built inside that rhythm.

We keep the group small.

There is time together, room to wander, and space to follow what your body is asking for.

Some mornings begin with movement. Others begin over tea and a slow breakfast. Days may carry you into the mountains, through a local market, into a massage, around a table, or back to the villa for an afternoon by the pool.

I know this part of Thailand through years of living here and through the people and places that have become part of my own story.

LaurZen brings those relationships into the week through trusted local people, thoughtful experiences, beautiful surroundings, and a pace that gives each woman room to settle into herself.

You may come tired. You may be standing at the edge of reinvention. You may simply feel ready to step outside your usual rhythm for a while.

You can arrive exactly there.

The Rhythm of the Days

Over eight days, we move through nourishing food, cultural experiences, nature, movement, bodywork, conversation, and plenty of rest.

Your days have shape and freedom.

Choose an adventure. Stay by the pool. Wander the market.

Take a class. Book a massage. Sit with tea and watch Chiang Mai move around you.

By the end of the week, the shift may live in simple places.

A steadier breath.
More room in your body.
A quieter mind.
A clearer sense of what deserves your attention.

Sometimes a new chapter begins there.

What Awaits You

Thai Culture & Local Life
Visit artisan communities, markets, temples, and some of the places connected to LaurZen’s own history in Thailand. Meet local people and experience Chiang Mai through relationships built over years.

Movement, Nature & Bodywork
Yoga, workshops, poolside massage, time outdoors, and restorative practices are woven throughout the journey.

Freedom to Flow
Join the day’s experiences or follow your own rhythm. This is your week, too.

Real Conversation
A small group creates room for honesty, laughter, connection, reflection, and the conversations that tend to happen when life finally gets quiet enough.

Why LaurZen

LaurZen retreats are intimate, personally held, and rooted in a long relationship with Thailand.

I pay attention to the details that shape how a week feels ~ the pace of the mornings, the emotional temperature of the group, the meals, the people we spend time with, the places we enter, and the space between plans.

We travel thoughtfully, spend locally, and honor the Thai communities and traditions that make this place what it is.

Eight days in Chiang Mai.

Come curious.
Come tired.
Come ready for something to move.

We’ll meet you there.

Included in Every LaurZen Stay

From the moment you land in Chiang Mai, the essentials are handled.

Airport Transfers
We’ll arrange your arrival and departure transportation between Chiang Mai airport and the villa.

Welcome to the House
Settle in with a fresh juice, unpack, breathe, and take your time arriving.

Drinks Throughout the Day
Seasonal fruit, fresh juices, smoothies, organic teas, coconuts, locally grown hillside coffee, and Kangen water are available throughout your stay.

Daily Yoga
One 60-minute group yoga session each day with an experienced teacher.

Your Villa
Essential oils and diffusers in the rooms, strong Wi-Fi throughout the property, shared spaces to gather, and 24-hour pool access.

Local Transportation
Private group transportation for scheduled retreat experiences, including local markets, yoga studios, cultural outings, and included excursions.

Once You’re Here

We want the practical pieces to feel easy.

Your room is ready.
There’s water in the kitchen.
Someone knows where we’re going.
There’s a car when we need one.
There’s space when you want it.

You’ll also have the option to add experiences that call to you ~ massage, elephants, cooking, art, mountain days, and special dinners.

Arrive. Settle in. We’ll take it from there.

You’ve been carrying a lot for a long time.

You’re somewhere between who you have been and who you are becoming.

You want to travel deeply, eat beautifully, move your body, meet interesting people, and experience Thailand through someone who knows it personally.

You’re craving more space around your thoughts and your days.

You miss your own curiosity.

Or maybe life is actually quite good ~ and you know it’s time to go somewhere that wakes up another part of you.

You don’t need a reason bigger than that.

Clay, Paint & a Quiet Afternoon

A table of handmade pottery.

Paint. Canvas. Time.

We’ll spend the afternoon looking closely at shape, shadow, texture, and the earthy colors of Thai ceramics, then paint what catches our eye.

Experience has very little to do with it.

This is an afternoon for making something with your hands and seeing what happens when you give one simple thing your full attention.

Cook Up Authentic Thai

We start in the garden, gathering herbs, vegetables, and ingredients growing around us.

Then music goes on.

There may be dancing.

Our Thai chef teaches us how to make a few favorite dishes, sharing the flavors, ingredients, and small techniques that make Thai cooking what it is.

We cook together. We laugh. We eat what we made.

Come hungry.

Coffee in the Mountains

Up in the mountains, we spend time with a Karen community and the people who grow coffee here.

We’ll learn how Arabica coffee moves from plant to cup, hear about the land and farming traditions, and taste coffee grown and prepared close to its source.

There’s time to walk through the village, take in the mountain landscape, sit together, ask questions, and listen.

Coffee tastes different when you know where it came from.

This is one of those days.

A Day with Elephants

We spend a full or half day with rescued elephants in the mountains outside Chiang Mai.

You’ll meet the elephants, help prepare their food, feed them, and learn from their caretakers about their personalities, histories, daily lives, and conservation.

Then we slow down and let the elephants set the pace.

On our last retreat, Taylor Dayne shared a quiet moment with Mama Elephant.

The photograph says plenty.

Some encounters stay with you.

A Day on the Mountain

We leave Chiang Mai for the cooler air of Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain.

A local guide leads us through forest trails, native plants, waterfalls, and the changing landscape of the mountain.

We walk slowly enough to notice where we are.

Lunch somewhere green.
Cool air.
A few hours in the forest.
The mountain doing what mountains do.

A good day to get out of your head and back into the world.

Optional Add-On: Private Thai Chef’s Table

Spend an evening around an intimate table with a world-renowned chef exploring the flavors of Thailand through a beautifully prepared multi-course dinner.

Each course carries a story ~ local ingredients, Thai traditions, and creative expression on the plate.

Several courses.
One table.
An evening to linger over.

Available as an optional experience for an additional cost.