Older hotel with dated furnishings but still clean and comfortable with teak everywhere. Enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it to others

The service was one of the best I've ever had, for me it was really a surprise. I haven't experienced such good service even in some 5-star hotels. The room was pretty neat and the environment is very nice as well. Under my balcony is a swimming pool and outside are brook and wood and everywhere is green. Having breakfast there with the view of the wood was a very enjoyable experience. Only the location is a bit far from the town, but with a car it would be no problem. Definitely will stay there again if get the chance.

After the tiring/torturous drive from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son, we were exhausted. After driving thru town and missing any other accomodation we spied the Imprerial Tara, a very favourable rate and a quick look at the rooms and we were in. Rooms overlooking handsome gardens are large and clean to the extreme. Large pool and deck area were ours alone to use. Breakie was ordinary, but given the rate we paid, could not complain. Staff were friendly to the maximum degree. Overall highly recommended

If you are not a fan of up-country Thai hotels circa 1990, then you would not like the decor of this hotel. For us, though, it was comfortable with charming Thai touches - very much in keeping with its location. Huge lobby with comfortable cane sofas, very airy, polished wood floors, etc. The rooms are large with polished floors, freshly painted, and, well, comfortable. We were on the second floor overlooking the pool and the expansive garden of tall teak trees - and there was a balcony for looking out over a very restful view, with a stream tickling in the background. The pool was invigorating, but there are a few issues with maintenance, tiles missing and irregular cleaning. Also we had a problem locating towels one day.
As for the food, breakfast was okay, the usual choices, but not the best we had in Thailand. The first day we had an excellent lunch in the restaurant, so much better than the dinner we had that night in town. So we decided to have dinner the second night in the restaurant. Not as good an experience, as the lunch. The kitchen seemed to be in a bit of a muddle, and we had to wait more than one hour for not especially tasty food. There weren't many other patrons either.
Overall, the service was fine, though limitations in English of some front office staff meant you had to pick your staff member carefully if you had a question about something out of the ordinary.
Yes, the hotel is a bit of a hike from town, but it was fine - as long as you don't choose the middle of the day (I am 60, so it is not THAT far). We didn't catch the hotel shuttle, as it is not very frequent, and did not go at the times we wanted. We found much better eating options on the way to town, especially near the Rooks hotel, but you need to be adventurous and not mind your food spicy. There was also a lovely coffee bar with cakes just near the lake which was a little oasis. This was our second visit to Mae Hong Son, having visited before in 2002. We were very happy with our choice of hotel, but we were a bit saddened to find the town less lively than before. However, the night market was much better, with lots of 'lanterns' being released into the heavens. Magical. The whole place is very laid back. There are also some lovely walks you can do around the hotel, past little hamlets, seeing village life.