River Jam Amphawa

The riverfront location was great, and there was a beautiful Thai style house across the river. That’s about the only nice thing I can say about the hotel. It needs work: the air conditioning leaked, the toilet paper holder was broken, and the bathroom floor was sunken with no clear boundary, so I nearly tripped. There was no one to be found at the front desk, and they seemed more focused on selling tours than looking after guests.

I was there on a weekday, and the view from the hotel was lovely. The rooms were good and the price was affordable, but the café and restaurant downstairs were closed during my stay. There also aren’t any restaurants or floating markets within walking distance. The breakfast in the pictures was so good 😇. I highly recommend the hotel.

There’s a lovely view of the scenic khlong from the balcony behind the guest house. The balcony has no furniture, though you could perhaps bring out the room’s chairs and side table. Downstairs, a large shared terrace sits right over the khlong; I saw another guest fishing there. Motorboats pass very occasionally, and sometimes there’s a lit up paddler at night. Breakfast is served on the terrace from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m., with nothing else available afterward. You can get hot water for tea anytime. Parking is private, easy, and not cramped. The young Thai owner, who also built the house, studied gastronomy in Europe. He’s very friendly, speaks good English (and I think French), takes time to chat, and is understanding of non-mainstream tourism. I didn’t ask him about any of the issues I mention below. Room 1 has a nice look, with wooden floors and historical touches, but it turned out to be very small and impractical. There’s no light switch by the bed or small desk, which has a vintage phone, and no electric socket by either spot. To switch the light, you have to get out of bed, and charging by the bed means using a long cable. There’s no cabinet, just a small open rack, so it seems more suitable for Bangkok weekenders than travelers with luggage. During my weekday visit, there were few or no other guests. The Wi-Fi signal was weak on my phone, and my laptop couldn’t find the hotel network at all. That was true even on the communal terrace, where the signal is strong; I’d never had that happen before. The bathroom is tiny, with no shelf for toothpaste and creams, so you have to put things on the little sink or toilet water tank. I’m not sure how a couple could fit all their toiletries there. There are plenty of hooks, though. No power outlet in the bathroom either. The hot shower worked well, and there was some natural ventilation without a noisy fan. One afternoon, the room was 34.8 degrees Celsius when I came back, but the air conditioner is powerful and quiet. Electricity stays on when you leave, so you can charge devices or upload and download while you’re out. I believe management controls the balcony light rather than guests; it shines into the room if you leave the curtains open. I didn’t ask about that either.

There are around eight rooms, including three by the river, and the surrounding area is okay. But I couldn’t sleep well because the room didn’t block noise. The people in the next room started making noise early in the morning and kept at it until I got up for breakfast. Breakfast had only one menu option, and I’m not sure whether they would serve anything else if asked. The room wasn’t completely clean either: some things left by previous guests were at the edge of the bed, and there was a lot of dust.