Sala Rattanakosin

• 15 rooms, 25 to 66 m2, on floors 3 and 4
• Wat Arun views from the river-view rooms
• Eatery and Bar on level 1, rooftop bar on level 5
• Tha Tien Pier beside the hotel
• Nespresso machine and minibar in every room

Essentials

Sala Rattanakosin is a small riverside hotel at 39 Maharat Road on Rattanakosin Island, with views across the Chao Phraya to Wat Arun. The hotel’s own fact sheet counts 15 rooms. It stands near Tha Tien Pier, so river boats and the Wat Arun ferry are a few steps from the door.

There is no BTS here. The nearest rail link is Sanam Chai MRT, about 7 minutes on foot. The hotel’s fact sheet gives 33 km to Suvarnabhumi and 27.5 km to Don Mueang airport. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are about 10 minutes on foot.

Overview

All rooms are on the 3rd and 4th floors. The fact sheet lists six types: Standard (4 rooms, 25 m2, 4th floor), Deluxe (2 rooms, 32 m2), Wat Po Deluxe (2 rooms, 32 m2), Wat Arun River View Deluxe (5 rooms, 32 m2), one Corner River View Deluxe on the 3rd floor (32 m2) and one Wat Arun River View Suite on the 4th floor (66 m2). The Wat Arun River View Suite has a bathtub. All rooms except Standard have a rain shower, and each room has a Nespresso machine, a refrigerator and minibar, a safe and Wi-Fi.

It is a good fit for visitors who put the view first and want the temples on foot. The building has no lift, so rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors mean stairs, which rules it out for anyone with knee or hip trouble. The 25 m2 Standard rooms are the only category without a named view, so book a river-view category if the view is the reason you are here.

Other riverside names with a pier and a shuttle boat are compared in riverside mid-range hotels in Bangkok.

Tip: A 3rd-floor river-view deluxe saves one flight of stairs and still looks across to Wat Arun. The 4th-floor rooms sit closest to the rooftop bar, so a night owl upstairs will hear more.

Food and drink

Eatery and Bar

The riverfront restaurant on level 1 overlooks the Chao Phraya and the Temple of Dawn, with indoor or outdoor tables across two floors. The menu mixes Thai and international dishes. It is the easy choice for a dinner with the river and the temple in front of you, without leaving the building.

Rooftop Bar

The rooftop bar is on level 5, directly opposite Wat Arun, with lounge seating and a balcony, a selection of cocktails, Thai craft beers, wines and light snacks. It is an open-air spot, best at sunset, and the same terrace gives views of Wat Pho as well.

Amenities

The hotel has no pool or gym; its amenities are the location, the two bars and restaurants and the river views. In-room dining, laundry and dry cleaning, and tours and excursions can be arranged, and the hotel lists an airport transfer service.

Because there is no lift, pack light and ask the hotel before you arrive about luggage help up the stairs. Tha Tien Pier gives river-boat links to the rest of the city and the ferry to Wat Arun, which is the practical way to move around in the middle of the day.