Jdomb's Travels
Anantara Bangkok Riverside, located on the Chao Phraya River, is like its own little city within Bangkok. The resort has a variety of amenities from rooftop tennis courts and a swim-up bar to ten different on-site restaurants and live entertainment. With so much to see and do just at the resort, you nearly don’t want to leave! It is located convenient to many of the city’s sights and with a free boat shuttle to Bangkok’s skytrain, it’s easy to get around. The resort even has a variety of guided urban adventures to help you explore bustling Bangkok. Take a look at why we loved Anantara Bangkok Riverside:
Anantara Bangkok Riverside
1. Stunning riverside location
Though Tim lived in South Korea for a year and we’ve been to the Maldives, our trip to Thailand was really my first real visit to Asia. Bangkok is a sprawling, bustling city. Unlike most of Europe where the cities have a “center” where most of the sights are located, Bangkok’s sights are spread out. Anantara Bangkok Riverside is located right on the Chao Phraya River and practically across from one of our favorite markets, Asiatique. With free shuttle boat service for guests, it’s easy to reach many of Bangkok’s sights from the hotel. Plus, the river location had some of the best sunrises and sunsets we saw during our time in Thailand.
Regular pancakes? Not at Anantara!
2. Breakfast fit for a king
A good breakfast is something important to us when booking a hotel. It’s the most important meal of the day and gives us the fuel we need for active days of adventure activities and sightseeing. Anantara Bangkok Riverside’s breakfast buffet has to literally be the largest I’ve ever seen! There were no shortage of choices and when there was an Indian wedding one night, breakfast the next morning featured a special selection of Indian dishes in their honor. Even the world’s pickiest eater would be able to find something at this breakfast buffet.
A little blurry but, Tim and I enjoying our Anantara Menohra dinner cruise
3. Chao Phraya River Dinner Cruises
We’re always drawn to rivers and the way the buildings glimmer on them once night falls. Not big on nightlife and bar hopping (though Zoom at Anantara Bangkok Sathorn is definitely worth a visit!), we do enjoy river dinner cruises. Anantara offers Manohra Chao Phraya River dinner cruises on their restored rice barge. We feasted on a multi-course dinner of Thai favorites like Tom Yum Goong (a spicy prawn soup that we also learned how to make at our Spice Spoons Cooking Class at Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan), massaman curry, fish and seafood, and mango sticky rice as we floated by Bangkok’s riverside sights.
Of course, Anantara isn’t the only one to offer Chao Phraya River dinner cruises, but as we cruised by other boats loaded with hundreds of passengers we did appreciate the smaller size and more intimate feel.
Feeding the fish!
4. Feeding the fish
Thai people consider it good fortune to feed the fish. There’s a number of places where you can purchase a loaf of bread or food to feed the fish for around 10 baht. Anantara Bangkok Riverside has their own canal running from the Chao Phraya River through the resort and hungry fish are always waiting to be fed. You’ll find a basket of bread on the bridge crossing the canal and Anantara invites you to feed the fish with it. I think we fed them every time we crossed that bridge! Also keep an eye out for the resident monitor lizard; he’s pretty cool to spot!
5. Thai Classical Dance Show
To make dinner at the Riverside Terrace even more memorable, Anantara has a free nightly show featuring authentic Thai dances with classical music and colorful costumes. Such performers dressed in the equistely embroidered costumes have been entertaining spectators since ancient times.
Tim making an offering with the instruction of our Anantara Streetwise Guru at Wat Yannawa
6. Urban adventures
Though Anantara Bangkok Riverside has every amenity so that you literally never have to leave the resort, we do like to do urban exploring. Anantara’s gurus will take you on a guided urban adventure like the Streetwise Guru tour that we took. Not only did our Streetwise Guru show us the best street food to eat, Tim learned the proper process to make an offering at a Buddhist temple and we visited less tourist frequented sights like the Pak Khlong Talat flower market.
Related: Check out our list of 10 Things to Do in Bangkok.
Rebecca Molander playing in the Piano Lounge
7. The variety of bars and restaurants
Bangkok was our last stop on our two and a half week trip around Thailand and by that point, delicious as Thai food is, we were definitely ready for a little more variety in our lives. Anantara Bangkok Riverside has 10 different dining options right at the resort with everything from Italian to Polynesian. They even have a Benihana!
There are a variety of bars too, from the swim up pool bar to the Piano Lounge featuring renowned pianists and singers. With live entertainment and a creative cocktail menu, Trader Vik’s was also a fun night spot to grab a drink before retiring to our room.
Our Deluxe Premier River View Room
8. Spacious river view rooms
Once upon a time, I used to say that a hotel room was just a place to sleep and shower. But a hotel room is actually your sanctuary away from home while you’re on your trip. I appreciate stylish design and a space I can both relax and get work done in. Our Deluxe Premier River View room had plenty of space for us to move about, a sofa to relax on, balcony where we watched a few sunrises over the river, and marble bathroom with double sinks and separate bath and rain shower.
Anantara Health Club
9. Fitness center and tennis courts
With all those delicious restaurants and the massive breakfast buffet, it’s a good thing Anantara also has an excellent health club. With a variety of machines and even classes, you can definitely stay fit while traveling. There is even a rooftop tennis court. Now, that’s a match with a view!
A treatment room at Anantara Bangkok Riverside Spa
10. Anantara Spa
Nestled in the luscious landscaping, Anantara Spa offers their signature spa treatments that we’ve come to know well across their twenty-some properties around the world. The Anantara Signature Massage has become a favorite of mine as it leaves you deeply relaxed. There’s also a steam room, salon, and relaxation area.
Know Before You Go
Deluxe Premier River View rooms start around $200 per night with breakfast and a variety of packages and special offers are available. Check the Anantara Bangkok Riverside website for the best offers.
Anantara Spa is open from 10am – 10pm daily.
Anantara Manohra Cruises are nightly from 7:30 – 9:30pm. Make a reservation online.
Disclosure: We were guests of Anantara Hotels & Resorts during our time in Thailand in order to bring you this story. As always, all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Jdomb's Travels