Thailand Guide
The central plains
Accommodation
1 Apple's Guest House East off Thanon Maenam Kwai 
034 512017 
www.applenoi-kanchanaburi.com The welcoming duo who ran the original Apple's Guest House and school for 13 years have now relocated and branched out into two new spots. The new guesthouse is set round a swimming pool and garden and has smart, modern fan and air-con rooms behind the airy two-storey restaurant. There's wi-fi throughout and free transport to Apple's Retreat. Price: B450
2 Apple's Retreat Across Sudjai Bridge, 600m from Thanon Maenam Kwai 034 512017 www.applenoi-kanchanaburi.com Apple's Retreat sits in a green and tranquil spot, with a lovely Kwai-side restaurant and terrace. Rooms are across the road in a two-storey building, with views across farmland to the hills beyond, plus a swimming pool and garden. There's wi-fi throughout and free transport to Apple's Guest House. Price: B450
3 Blue Star Guesthouse 241 Thanon Maenam Kwai 034 512161 www.bluestar-guesthouse.com Popular, clued-up guest house with a wide range of good-value accommodation, including very cheap, basic fan rooms in a row house; attractive, well-priced bungalows set over a lotus swamp; and cabins raised on elevated piles with downstairs bathrooms and high-level bedrooms or private upper-level terraces. The land runs down to the riverside area, though views are dominated by the overgrown islet in front. Call for free pick-up from transport terminals. Price: B150
4 Felix River Kwai On the west bank of the Kwai Yai 034 551000 www.felixriverkwai.co.th Occupying a lovely riverside spot within walking distance of the Bridge Over the River Kwai (or a 2km drive from Thanon Maenam Kwai – a little inconvenient if you don't have transport), this is one of the top hotels in the area, though it's starting to look dated and a little faded. It has over two hundred large air-con rooms, plus two swimming pools. Rates depend on whether you want a river view, and are sometimes discounted during the week; reservations are essential for weekends. Price: B2600
5 Jolly Frog Backpackers 28 Soi China, just off the southern end of Thanon Maenam Kwai 034 514579 www.jollyfrog.net Many backpackers' first choice, this large, efficiently run complex occupies a lovely stretch of the riverfront, fronted by a grassy lawn and flowering shrubs, and has a popular restaurant (good for fresh coffee and home-made bread from 7am). Aside from some cheap single rooms and a few doubles with shared bathrooms, it mostly comprises bright and comfortable en-suite rooms in two-storey bamboo-walled blocks around the shady garden. You can swim off the jetty, though be careful of the strong current. Price: B200
6 Nita Raft House 271/1 Thanon Pak Praek 034 514521 
nita_rafthouse@yahoo.com Located away from the main fray, this is a genuine, old-style guest house with a very laid-back atmosphere that's been run by the same couple for years. The fourteen simple floating rooms are among the cheapest in town and all offer some sort of river view; some are en suite and the best have air-con and a private terrace. There's a lounge for watching DVDs, and sampling the tasty guest-house food. Price: B200
7 Oriental Kwai Off Route 3199 in Ladya; 15km north of Kanchanaburi 034 588168 www.orientalkwai.com In a quiet spot beside the Kwai Yai, this Dutch-Thai run little hotel offers just ten thoughtfully designed cottages in a garden with pool, petanque, volleyball and a miniature driving range. Cottages are air-con, have wi-fi and DVD players and are tastefully decorated in modern Asian accents; some are wheelchair accessible. There's nothing to see in the immediate area but you can rent cars, motorbikes, kayaks and bicycles or join tours to all Kanchanaburi attractions. Price: B2400
8 Ploy River Kwai Thanon Maenam Kwai 034 515804 www.ploygh.com Strikingly different in style from other guesthouses on this road, this is a smart little enclave set back off the road but with distant river views only from the restaurant. The chic, sleek, contemporary-look rooms each have a platform bed and air-con, with extra charged for those with garden-style bathrooms or TVs. Good discounts if you book a week ahead. Price: B750
9 The River Kwai Bridge Resort Thanon Maenam Kwai, about 2km north of most restaurants 034 514522 www.riverkwaibridgeresort.com Good value simple but chic modern cream clapboard semi-detached bungalows ranged in facing rows amidst frangipani and jasmine shrubs on a narrow strip of land that runs down to the river. All bungalows have air-con and wi-fi, there's a pool and a restaurant terrace with top views of the bridge, just a few hundred metre upriver. Price: B1000
10 River Kwai Hotel 284/3–16 Thanon Saeng Chuto 034 510111 www.riverkwai.co.th The town centre's top hotel is nowhere near the river, but it's very good value even if it lacks the atmosphere of its riverside competitors. Rooms are of a very high standard, and all have air-con and cable TV. Hotel facilities include a pool, nightclub and Internet access. Price: B1500
11 Sam's House Thanon Maenam Kwai 034 515956 www.samsguesthouse.com Choose to stay in comfortably furnished stilted timber bungalows set among a dense tangle of riverine lotuses or on dry land in contemporary styled white A-frame concrete bungalows. All rooms are en suite and all have the option of fan or air-con. The most expensive of the lotus rooms face onto the river, though views here are occluded by the overgrown islet directly in front. Price: B300
12 Tanavill Guest House Soi England, 265/2 Thanon Maenam Kwai 034 518274 tanavill-guesthouse.e-monsite.com The cheapest rooms at this motley collection of huts have by far the best outlook: they sit in a row on pontoons, with an easy chair apiece for maximum enjoyment of the excellent views, and the river as your private plunge pool. All share bathrooms and have fans and mosquito nets. The much less interesting en-suite huts are dotted around the garden further back and some have air-con. It's a very quiet spot, at the end of a winding lane.Price: B300
13 VN Guesthouse 44 Soi Rongheabaow 034 514082 www.vnguesthouse.net In a pretty location on a quiet stretch of the river just south of the Maenam Kwai hub, this place offers very good rafthouse rooms: they're large and en suite and come with either fan or air-con; the best have lovely outlooks and they all have terraces and wi-fi. Rooms on dry land are unexceptional. Price: B300