Tayan Resort River Kwai

It's a little way from downtown, but this resort works for a family, friends, couples, or even someone travelling alone. You're above the water currents and surrounded by nature, with birds chirping and a lovely kuku sound. At night it's a perfect spot for dinner under the moon, a BBQ, or looking at the stars.

The river setting is nice and quiet, and the food was acceptable. The front desk staff gave us a friendly, helpful welcome. Still, the place is old and badly needs a refresh. The riverside rooms have the usual defects: loose or broken bathroom fixtures, wood panels and furniture partly chewed up, and piles of trash under the floating cabins. The stairways felt scary, nails stuck out of floorboards, and some chairs looked ready to break under someone's weight. The staff boys are friendly, but seem untrained, clumsy, inattentive, and lazy. The two stars are really just for the front desk. These are things management could fix, if they want to. Compared with international places, it doesn't feel like a real option for foreigners. We didn't want to stay more than one night. The price per night is far too high for the level of service compared with other resorts. Three stars is enough. I hope they improve, and wish them the best.

We checked out right away. Brown water came from the taps, there were ants all through the toilet, and the pool wasn't filled. We had booked a VIP room with a hot tub. Several wild dogs were wandering around too. The hotel is made up of rafts on the river, but the bridge to them was broken, so we had to carry our luggage across the rafts. Our shoes got soaked with river water. I wouldn't recommend coming here if you're elderly or looking for Western luxuries.

There are better places closer to the attractions, and I won't return. We paid too much for what we got, though we had booked within a week of a long weekend. The service was friendly but mostly poor, and the room only okay. We were in H-202, a standalone bungalow away from the river with enough room for two. The bathroom sink was the nicest feature. One outlet was broken and sticking out of the wall, as shown in the photo, and the shower pressure was sometimes poor. The Wi-Fi either wouldn't connect or was too slow, and DTAC data was poor as well. Breakfast was what you'd expect from a buffet: mediocre Thai dishes and terrible Western or international options.