Ayothaya Riverside House

We loved staying in our “room on the boat”. The staff were outgoing and accommodating. It’s a lovely, unusual spot, but tricky to find since Google directs you to drive through a temple to get there.

I loved staying here. I’m not much of an outdoors person, so I was nervous about the room setup: an open window with bars but no glass, a wall that stopped short of the ceiling, and a shared outdoor shower. But I didn’t see any bugs, and the mosquito net around the bed helped me feel protected. The staff were lovely, and bicycles were available to rent. It’s close to the ruins, though on the opposite side of town from the train station. At night I could hear people at the bar across the river; early in the morning, there were birds and other animals, so it can get noisy.

We stopped here to rest on a long road trip. The atmosphere by the Chaopraya River is nice, and the women working as maids were lovely, but it was only OK for us. The house has no air conditioning, though the boat house does have an old unit. Ships passed all night, a cat jumped into the room, there were lots of ants on the mattress, and birds started chirping from 3 am. The toilets are shared.

The room was really comfortable, and we could relax by the river. We got a great welcome when we checked in, and played music at night since the owner loves guitar. It’s a very traditional place where you feel at home, and really good for the price. We’d definitely come back!