Tongtara Riverview Hotel

The views were fantastic, and the location felt just right for us. There weren’t many Westerners in the area, so we got what felt like a more authentic first taste of Thailand. This was our first hotel after arriving, and we had a perfect four-night stay. Go out for coffee early if you can. It’s a nice spot to sit and watch people, and you might see the monks. Thanks, Tongtara, we’ll be back!

We booked twin beds but were given a king room, with no chance to switch. The room was a bit dirty, including a creepy spot of blood on the mirror. They also only offered one key, and the Wi-Fi didn’t work on the higher floors at all. There was no thermostat, so the room got uncomfortably warm at night. The water pressure was poor, though, well, it’s Thailand. It’s a nice-looking hotel with these issues, but I’d only consider it for a last-minute stay and wouldn’t recommend it otherwise.

The service was great, but it didn’t make up for the room problems or the price. We booked three rooms, and all of them were in poor shape and clearly needed renovation, even though the outside and shared spaces looked attractive. In every room, the bathroom floor kept getting wet from leaking or pooling water, even when nobody had showered. Drying it didn’t help for long. The beds were extremely firm and creaked with the slightest movement, so sleeping well was difficult. Sheets had holes and visible stains, including what looked like oil marks in several spots, which hurt the sense of cleanliness and comfort. The pool and fitness center hours were inconvenient too, only 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so there was no chance to use them early in the morning or in the evening. The stay ended up feeling stressful rather than relaxing. Based on our experience, I wouldn’t recommend it to someone seeking a comfortable vacation.

The room smelled very bad, and the bathroom wasn’t clean. Breakfast was disgusting too: I found insects by the plate on the salad side, and people were using the same serving spoon. Wego gave me a choice between smoking and non-smoking rooms, but the whole hotel was non-smoking.