Huen Por Liang the one of a kind condo you’ve probably never heard of

Could this be Chiang Mai’s dreamiest condominium DEVELOPMENT?

Hatched by the founder of long-running Thai fashion label Dapper and loosely

translated from the Northern vernacular as ‘home for the privileged’, Huen Por Liang came to fruition in late 1996.

With the internal design of the public areas by Bangkok’s visionary Habita, who, incidentally, are noted for their luxury hotel/resort architecture in Thailand, Vietnam, Mainland China and The Maldives, the solidly built exposed brick condo balanced blends an enduringly modern look with regional Lanna character.

Most suited to those who favour seclusion and solitude, the venerable Huan Por Liang wallows in a natural air of exclusivity. Wooing mainly foreign folk but also wealthier Bangkokian holiday homeowners, This represents a highly sought-after –if rarely available- residence that, still today, stands very much alone among the city’s condo landscape.

Find sanctuary at Huen Por Liang’s lush, disturbance-free WHEREABOUTS!

Tucked low along an unfrequented private lane (marked ‘no entry’ at both ends), the condo exudes a blessed ‘away from it all’ feel amid its pin-drop-quiet and fauna-rife jungly gardened grounds.

Yet as well as a 7-Eleven convenience store steps away on nearby Soi 4 Wat Umong, only 700 metres northward run Suthep Road. Across the way rises Chiang Mai University’s S1 parking complex, complete with cafés, restaurants, bank branches and co-operative shops. Neighbouring, beneath a canopy of trees, is the venue for the bimonthly Gong Khong farmers’ market with stalls selling traditional clothing and handicrafts, flowers and plants, fruit and vegetables, street fare and domestic dishes. While keeping on the topic of nourishment, ahead of the Faculty of Agriculture is a branch of Royal Project Shop stocking a healthy assortment of seasonal produce and Doi Kham brand foodstuffs.

Occupying roughly three square kilometres and bearing the hallmarks of a small town, CMU is otherwise a haven for an abundance of budget-priced coffee shops, bakeries and eateries, particular the nightly Rom Sak food court. There’s the Olympic size Rujirawong swimming pool, a sports stadium and a fitness centre. Those with more theoretical persuasion will surely be pleased to know that the uni also hosts a multi-storey library. Not forgetting, in the northwest corner of the campus, the sublimely picturesque Ang Kaew reservoir, with the scenic views of the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park as a backdrop, is a spot best appreciated during sunset.

Meantime, south-east of the intersection of Canal and Suthep Roads is the ever-bustling Ton Payom fresh market, and within a few minutes’ walk east, the unfailingly fashionable neighbourhood of Nimman;

And what about the ON-SITE AMENITIES?

Outside vehicle bays sufficient for some 15 cars, the condo’s bestowed with a comfortably couched open communal lobby boasting on the house shared wireless internet, a juristic manager office staffed Monday to Friday and half-day on Saturdays, twin passenger lifts [elevators] and though there’s no gym per se, a set of free weights and press bench.

A gratifyingly proportioned open-air pool is around the rear with a flagstone deck sporting a sala Thai pavilion and raft rattan loungers perfect for sun worshippers and chill hounds alike!

IMPRESSIVE CONDO SUITES!

As one of the lowest density condominiums to prevail in Chiang Mai, the seven-storey Huen Por Liang counts just half-a-dozen ground level 1 bedroom, one bathroom units providing a twice-the-average-size 79/80 square metres; then, spread over the first to top floors, 17 3 bedroom duplex pads with at least the same number of bathrooms and ranging in dimension from 150 to 300 sq m; not to neglect the fact that all 23 units are set on breezy, greenery-decorated single-loaded corridors.

At the condo, expect fully furnished and equipped interiors with air-con throughout, timber flooring, hard-wired fibre-optic broadband, separate work/study and Western-style kitchen quarters with partitioned dining and double volume living space, and expansive glass-fronted balcony; oh, and complimentary room cleaning.

But it doesn’t stop there – seldom present or unique among condos the country over. Several of the units at Huen Por Liang are fitted with in-built gas burners and ovens, plus the outdoor environment’s thickly tree-covered. The insides can get surprisingly cool; would you believe a good number even star a working fireplace with a chimney!