Reborn in 2020, the current 18th-century French Neo-Renaissance-inspired palace complex was built on the foundations of Chiang Mai’s most famous “Ghost Houses”. Locally known as the “White Lion House“ or the “House of Success Chiang Mai,” the grand, half-built structures sat entirely derelict and desolate due to the decline of the 1993 economic boom
Officially opened in December 2020 as a combined luxury boutique lodging and themed café. The core concept behind Versailles de Flore is to provide an affordable, royal “museum-style” dining experience without the elitist attitude, intentionally blending grand European opulence with casual Thai hospitality
The new owners focused on hyper-extravagant details—installing gold water fountains, Romanesque columns, and painted fresco ceilings—to juxtapose the property’s dark, creepy past with absolute royal beauty. It quickly became a viral travel sensation and a bucket-list destination for photography lovers visiting northern Thailand
The interiors feature painted fresco ceilings, dramatic arched windows, intricate gold-plated accents, and vibrant, highly saturated colours
We visited between meals, so we didn’t order full meals from the menu. We also visited in August, which is the handover period when the cafe transitions to new management, so everything was messy and disorganised. We ended up sitting in the hotel lobby for our meal instead of at the proper dining tables and chairs, which were in a separate building closed for renovation. I will talk only briefly about the food since the cafe has since changed its menu and management. We ordered a Bahn Mi, French toast with fresh fruit, and for drinks we got the fruit juice cooler and a café latte
Overall, the cafe attracts diners due to its fanciful decor and theme, which is a great spot for people to take photos for an entire day since many corners, rooms and spaces have different themed designs. The food is secondary here, and the bahn mi and French toast were pretty generic, although the drinks were much better
Address: 225 Sri Poom Road, Si Phum Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Opening hours: 8 am to 5 pm ( closed on Wed)
