Our Review
Our Latest Review that made us proud!
“Still awesome - and amazing value for money”
RBB2007 Zoetermeer, Netherlands | Reviewed December 28, 2011
This is a great place for backpackers who want to avoid Khao San - and have a great River View! Don'be mislead though by the webiste. When I saw the website I thought; OMG, this nice place has been turned into a venue for tourists who value comfort above all. Fortunaltely, not a lot has changed. Yes, some rooms are refurbished, but not to a worrysome extent. For some reviewers apparently expecting luxury: what do you expected for 1000 baht in a meteropole? Presently I am sitting on the roof terrace Of Riverview Guesthouse. Which was recently completetely renovated, It ia still awasome. Unparalleled, unless you are prepared to pay $ 300 ++ in the neighbouring Shertaton (and sit amidst the typical Sheraton hotel vistor, the kind of businessman I once was myself.
“Authentic Bangkok Experience”
globe trotter May 11, 2010 | Trip type: Solo travel
The River View is my home away from home, I cannot recommend it enough. The staff are all very helpful and friendly. It is tucked away in little alleys a stones throw away from the river, amongst many little businesses recycling car parts, chinese temples, local markets and the bustle of authentic Thai life. It is not on the tourist or backpackers circuit and therefore provides rich experiences of the real Bangkok. It is a short walk to Pier N4-Marine Department Pier on the Chaopraya River , Chinatown, antique area at River City and much much more. Check out their website for more info. One of River View's highlights is its 8th floor restaurant with fantastic views of the Chaopraya River (see header of website...it really is like this!!!) in day or night. Good food, river breeze great place to hang out with birds eye view of Bangkok. The River View is a budget guest house and not a hotel. It may not meet everybody's needs but its friendly and personal atmosphere is worth a lot.
“Unschlagbare lage zu unglaublichem preis...”
ch-weltenbummler Muttenz, Switzerland Mar 20, 2010 | Trip type: Couples
diese hotel bietet f?r einen budget-preis alles, was es f?r einen angenehmen bangkok-aufenthalt braucht: ger?umige und sauber zimmer, eine traumhafte aussicht auf den fluss vom guten rooftop-restaurant, sehr hilfsbereites personal. eine lage in gehdistanz zum bahnhof, zur monorail-station und zur bootsanlegestelle. zudem befindet man sich am rande von chinatown, einem spannenden viertel der stadt.
From Our guests
"A FIVE STAR GUESTHOUSE "
" There are few times one can give 5-stars to a guesthouse. But when it is about Riverview Guesthouse in Bangkok it is possible. "
Erik Robert Naeslund, Sweden, our friend for 20 years
They have something which even the real five star hotels in Bangkok miss; open-air balconies overlooking the river and its fascinating life. The rooms are big and clean, friendly staff, situated in a special area with its early morning markets and just next to the exiting Chinatown. Add to this also the nice roof top restaurant with a beautiful outlook over Bangkok - plus good Thai food - and one can find it happy to be in Bangkok. It is an extra advantage to be able to avoid the car queues and instead have an express-boat stop just nearby, at Harbor Department.
This place is full of good things. One more is the very cheap prices – like 10 Euro for a double room with balcony, fan + big shower room and toilet. I found this place 15 years ago and have lived there as many times and always been happy there."
From Trip Advisor
Our favourite review
"Rewarding but Not for the faint of heart" August 10, 2006, Sacramento
I stayed here several years ago - things could have changed. But I'm moved to write because of the recent negative review here. Classic situation of different people want different things. All of the description in the negative review was accurate - the rooms are large but somehow dingy looking. My bathroom drain stank. I had no view whatsover. The lobby is seedy.
But... the location was wonderful for me. The adjacent streets have lots of small engine repair shops and are full of life into the night. There are nearby ferry landings for getting up to the Palace etc. A major hotel complex is a five minute walk away if you need some tourist services. The Gold Buddha (the one where the plaster covering chipped, revealing the gold underneath) is within walking distance. There is a chinese temple between the hotel and the river with occasional interesting events.
The best is the small restaurant on the top floor. Food is OK but there is a skinny little outside balcony where you can sit in the evening, drink beer and watch the boats go by in the lights on the Chao Praya River.
So if you want a room that's pleasant to hang out in, I don't think this is the place. But if you want good access to the river and to relate more immediately to a Bangkok neighborhood, you might like it.
This TripAdvisor Member:
Liked:View of river, non touristy, lively neighborhood, river ferry access
Disliked:Rooms were dingy and bathroom sink stank
Tips/Secrets:Consider carefully - great for river and neighborhood, cheap, large but dingy room
From Guide Books
1. The Lonely Planet’s : Top 5 Author Pick
“Authentic location, awesome views and scruffy rooms."
Perched on the river in Chinatown, far from the backpacker ghetto, this is a fantastic choice for those who really want to see and feel Bangkok. Above the basic rooms sits a wonderful rooftop restaurant with magnificent views and a breeze worth gold in this town.
You'll find the River View among narrow laneways where the motor of daily life turns and hums, men weld in scrap metal kingdoms and women ladle out noodle soup. Birds squawk from wooden cages as cats skulk in shadowed doorways. This is true local living. If you are happy without air-con, the fan rooms are the ones with the wonderful views over the river and the adjacent pagoda, and those without bathrooms have balconies. More expensive rooms have less vista but come with air-con, wooden furnishings and fridge. OK, so the mattresses are crummy and the bathrooms could do with a scrub - get a massage for your back, wear flip-flops in the shower and then go chill out at the wonderful rooftop restaurant/bar. There you have an exceptional panorama over Chinese dragons and the city sprawl with the Chao Phraya river snaking majestically through it all.
Reviewed by Annabel Hart
AUTHOR EXPERIENCE The rooftop is a wonderful spot to read or write, sip a beer or eat some inexpensive Thai food - particularly at sunset when Bangkok turns its lights on and becomes a lady of the night. Around the corner on soi Wanit 2, across from the Harbour Department, a little stall called Pet Tun Jao Tha has rice noodles with roasted or stewed duck.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/thailand/bangkok?poi=121272
2. Frommer’s:
This special little place is deep in the heart of Chinatown, only 5 minutes from the railroad station, and a stone's throw from the river. It is not particularly comfortable, but the atmosphere of the busy neighborhood and nearby Chinese temples and shops (and, of course, the river views) attract visitors in search of an immersion experience. Part of the appeal is that to get here you'll have to wander through the neighboring sois, lanes, and labyrinthine alleys. Rooms are nothing special, just guesthouse basic, but some have great views and dining at their rooftop restaurant is an experience in itself.
Note:Be sure to grab a business card at the front desk so you can find your way home once you've checked-in (dropping breadcrumbs won't quite do it).
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/bangkok/H1709.html
3. Fodor's:
This family-run hotel is one of the only budget accommodations that overlooks the river. The eighth-floor coffee shop has a great view. The accommodations may remind you of college dorm rooms (though they have far fewer amenities than the average dorm), but they're clean and comfortable. The staff will go out of its way for you, even staying up to accommodate late flights (someone sleeps downstairs during the night, in case you need something). One drawback is that tuk-tuk drivers sometimes have difficulty finding the place. The easiest way to find it is to head north from the Royal Orchid Sheraton; you can see the guesthouse's sign pointing down a side street. 45 rooms. Restaurant; no a/c in some rooms, no room TVs. AE.
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=bangkok@21&cur_section=lod&property_id=19055
From Trip Advisor
"A FIVE STAR GUESTHOUSE "" There are few times one can give 5-stars to a guesthouse. But when it is about Riverview Guesthouse in Bangkok it is possible. "
Erik Robert Naeslund, Sweden, our friend over 20 years