Riva Arun Bangkok is a sanctuary of calm and sophistication amid the crazy, exciting and colourful chaos that is Bangkok. This boutique 25 room luxury hotel exudes a stylish elegance amidst a timeless heritage, and is surrounded by some of the city’s most treasured historical sites. Explore Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the Siam Museum, and the Grand Palace all from the doorstep of this modern yet colonial-style hotel in the heart of Bangkok.

Riva Arun Bangkok is nestled on the banks of the dynamic and mighty Chao Phraya River, where ferries tirelessly plough the waters from pier to pier and long tail boats skim along the surface, like weightless flying fish, leaping and landing as they speed toward their destination.

The hotel entrance is down a typical Thai-style laneway, lined with an eclectic mix of coffee, jewellery, food and niknak establishments, which leads to a culdesac of riverside restaurants and our beautiful, light-filled, glass fronted hotel.

On entering Riva Aru’n’s stylish lobby, we are greeted by friendly staff and offered a seat. While door cards are organised a welcome tray of tea and biscuits arrive. But these aren’t just any old biscuit, these are ‘Kleeb Lamduan’, a traditional Thai shortbread cookie, shaped like Lamduan Flowers. In addition to being delightfully pretty to look at, the biscuits are also delicious – light and fragrant with a delicate melt-in-the-mouth texture. The process of making these little beauties is fascinating too, because although they are similar to western-style shortbreads, they have a secret ingredient – they are smoked with a Thai scented candle! See Recipe 🌼

Check-in sorted, we are whisked up in a sparkling lift to our Grand Deluxe Room on the 3rd floor. The first feature that takes our eye as we enter is the bird’s eye view out over the river. From our king size bed, through floor to ceiling windows, we have a full view of the Chao Phraya River and the iconic Wat Arun temple on the opposite bank. Our room also boasts sliding glass doors, stylish contemporary furnishings, luxurious linen, Wi-Fi, air con, flat-screen TV, minibar, safe and a pristine white-tiled bathroom with spa bath, shower and separate toilet. The room’s interior design is sleek and light-filled, influenced by elements of Chino Colonial architecture, but with a cool, contemporary vibe. It oozes sophistication and old world charm, a characteristic that defines the very heart of Bangkok itself.

We drop our bags and immediately head upstairs to the rooftop restaurant ‘Above Riva’ on the hotels fourth floor for drinks, dinner and sunset views. The restaurant’s ‘Twist of Thai Cuisine’ menu offers a unique fusion of local flavours, market-fresh ingredients and creative global influences. We immediately order a Singha Beer each and peruse the extensive menu and wine list. We settle for Combo Spring Rolls, Calamari Salted Egg and Green Curry Duck which do not disappoint, their names familiar, but served with a modern and inventive twist.

From our outdoor terrace table, as the sun sets, we watch the river begin to mellow and the hazy daylight soften. The hefty dinner cruise boats and catamarans begin to appear, embarking on their colourful journeys, wining and dining their guests as they ply the waters to throbbing beats and flouro light shows. But the atmosphere from up here, above the river, remains calm and sublime.

As night falls, the lights of Bangkok come to life, and Riva Arun’s rooftop location takes full advantage of it with magical views on three sides. From the mesmerising sight of Wat Arun awash with a golden glow across the river to the pristine spires of Wat Pho, we are entranced by Bangkok’s night-time magic.

We spend the following four days exploring the local neighbourhood on foot, chugging down the Chao Phraya by ferry to meet up with a variety of tours to temples and floating markets, and visit Icon Siam for some exceptional retail therapy and treating ourselves to awesome meals at local restaurants in the evenings.

It turns out Riva Arun is the perfect base for our 5 day immersion into Bangkok life, all due to its central location and easy access to ferry terminals and local attractions. We are an 8 minute walk to Rajinee Pier, our go to spot for catching river ferries which we find are plentiful and on time. The Flower Market, Tha Tien Fresh Market and Yodpiman River Walk are also within walking distance from Riva Arun.

We cannot fault this hotel. The staff are friendly and helpful, the rooms are impeccably clean, stylish and comfortable and we feel very safe wandering around this area of Bangkok morning and night.

Staying at Riva Arun on the Chao Phraya River is truly being at its heart. This is where Bangkok lives and breathes and it is the lifeblood of this pulsating city. We are coccooned within the comfortable and convenient sanctuary that is Riva Arun Bangkok with all the colour and excitement of Bangkok laid out at our doorstep.

We highly recommend staying at this beautiful hotel!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Location:

Getting There:

We travelled by private sedan transfer from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, which we booked on the Get Your Guide App. This was a seemless means of transport delivered by company Golden Dragon. The representative sent a whatsapp message when we landed and once we were through immigration, it was easy to find the meeting point at Gate 3. We waited with the representative until the car arrived, and she then escorted us to the car and handed us over to the driver. Easy!Traffic is heavy heading into Bangkok, but having a friendly driver and comfortable ride makese the 1 hour-long trip enjoyable and relaxing.

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