Lion Cafe Resort

The rooms are nice, but the place felt strange, especially as a solo traveler, and I’d suggest staying somewhere else. It’s quite remote, a Grab ride to get anywhere costs around 500 THB, and the resort doesn’t rent scooters. You also have to pay 400 THB to take a photo with the caged animals. Check-in was a poor start. We arrived around 7pm and spent about 10 minutes walking around the lobby calling for help. A guest eventually found a staff member for us, a male guard who was drinking and partying with a friend in a staff area. They laughed when we asked questions, and that unprofessional attitude continued. We’d already contacted the property through Agoda and got no reply. We’re still here for a couple of days, so we’ll see if anything improves.

A relaxing, fun place with a lovely feel to it. The food is good, and it’s not far from Chiang Mai Night Safari. There’s a mini zoo with pygmy goats, rabbits, a monkey, and some very friendly dogs.

I found the animal conditions devastating. The lion cub spends most of the day in a tiny cage, not an enclosure where he can walk around. They take him out to feed him and briefly entertain tourists, then put him back. At night, loud pop music with heavy bass plays in the room where his cage is kept, sometimes for hours. There’s also a grown lion, goats, and snakes in enclosures that are too small for them. I can’t recommend supporting this resort if you care about animals being treated with respect.

The rice was hard and seemed old, and the garlic chicken tasted old too. I couldn’t finish the meal and now I’m worried about getting food poisoning. The coffee came in a paper takeaway cup even though I was eating in, and there weren’t any napkins on the table. Prices weren’t cheap either. I came for food and coffee, but can’t recommend it.