‘Lanna’ the name of the region around Chiang Mai means ‘a million paddy fields’ and the Four Season’s Cooking School is set in the Mae Rim valley, overlooking terraced rice fields and misty mountains. Four Seasons properties are spectacular and this resort - tranquil, panoramic yet minutes from Chiang Mai, the artistic and cultural capital of north Thailand is no exception. The hands-on lessons at the stunning Lanna cooking school is the hands down most luxurious way to learn to cook! The cooking school pavilion, built with rich timber floors, zinc exhaust fans and huge glass doors is a fabulous workspace. Each participant has their own cooking station and the open air dining terrace has spectacular views of the mountains and gardens. You can choose your 3 cooking sessions from 6 different cooking modules, each covering different aspects of Thai cuisine – from spicy salads to soups, traditional curries to elaborate 5 course Thai meals. You’re encouraged to use the proper names for dishes, so Kaow Soi Kai or Kaeng Hung Lay will soon be rolling off your tongue as effortlessly as you’ll be turning out perfect crispy fish. In the schools herb gardens there’s lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and garlic…and there’s a morning trip to an exotic local market with all its wonderful sights, sounds and smells. You’ll stay in a garden pavilion, a luxurious living space with high ceilings and teak floors. Each pavilion set in two storey groups of four, has a bedroom with its own sitting area. This extends on to a Thai ‘sala’ – a private outdoor living space with wood floors, a Thai style daybed, dining table and a cooling fan wafting high overhead. The bathroom with a deep soaking tub overlooks the beautiful secluded gardens. And while you’re not cooking or luxuriating in your spacious pavilion, you can pamper yourself at one of the world’s finest tropical spas – a temple of rejuvenation! Non cooking companions can lap up the luxury while you learn.