Rachabhura Hotel

I’d give it a solid three stars. It seems to be aiming for a four-star resort, but quite a bit is missing at this price. I paid just under 4k THB for one night in a pool-access villa. The room was clean and had the necessary amenities, with direct pool access from both the bedroom and living room. The place feels new and modern, and check-in staff were very friendly. After check-in, a staff member drove me to the villa in a golf cart, but didn’t offer to help with my bags or check that I could get in. He just said “this room” in Thai and drove away. There are two clean pools, one for villa guests and one open to everyone, and both are long enough to swim laps. The villa also had two pools I could use. Inside, though, the living area had no spare power socket besides the one used by the TV and router. I had to run my charging cable from the dressing table to power my laptop. It also lacks modern touches like a smart TV with streaming or proper screen mirroring, and USB charging outlets. The open-air fitness area is a nice idea, but mosquitoes swarmed me as soon as I started exercising, so I went back to my room to do HIIT instead. Sitting outside for long was unpleasant too, with lots of flies and mosquitoes. The big flies would land on me and wouldn’t leave. The resort needs better ways to control the insects. I skipped the restaurant for lunch and dinner after reading reviews about the food. Breakfast confirmed that choice. The selection was dull and disappointing, whether Thai or Western, even if I’d been paying around 1.6k for a basic room. Restaurant staff weren’t very friendly either. Management seems to be selling this as a luxury resort, but while the infrastructure is there, the rest doesn’t live up to that aim.

The location is good, but Rachabhura Hotel didn’t feel like a real five-star stay to me. Breakfast was very poor, worse than at some regular three-star hotels I’ve stayed in. The gym is tiny, and the pool area doesn’t feel inviting or cozy. Service was okay, nothing special. I don’t understand how the hotel qualifies as five star.

The restaurant has plenty of food choices and a lovely view over the river. It’s a nicely designed riverside hotel, close to the center of Ratchaburi.

I had such a good time there over New Year. The food was awesome, and I had no idea this beautiful place was in the city.