Felix River Kwai Resort

“Beautiful hotel but not what I was hoping for”

The resort is beautiful however some areas are undergoing renovations including the gym (which was one of my criteria for booking hotels on our trip) & apparently some of the rooms including our first room lacked an in room safe. There was a safety deposit box at the main reception desk however ... more

The resort is beautiful however some areas are undergoing renovations including the gym (which was one of my criteria for booking hotels on our trip) & apparently some of the rooms including our first room lacked an in room safe. There was a safety deposit box at the main reception desk however it was inconvenient. I did talk to the check in staff about it they were able To switch our room for us & nicely “upgraded” us to a River front room. The rooms including the bathroom were a good size. Minimal toiletries in the bathroom Bed was more firm than we are accustomed to but not uncomfortable. Pillows were adequate. There were two pools one for lane swim which people living in the community can use with a membership & a beautiful second pool in the middle of the property. The hotel is located on a less frequented side of the River Kwai altho in walking distance of the bridge & neighboring town of Kanchanaburi. We walked it daily during our stay choosing not to pay for taxis. Breakfast was a disappointment, choices were very limited. Fried eggs were cooked & left to the side of the grill area altho you could ask for fresh. We had one dinner at the hotel food was again mediocre & was barely warm when we got it. I don’t think they’ve fully recovered from the pandemic. I think there was a billiards table but I didn’t bother seeing it. It looked like several areas that may have been quite lively in better days were unused during our stay. There are several other hotels on the opposite side of the bridge in Kanchanaburi that I would look into if we were to return.

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“Beautiful First Class Riverside Resort overlook the Bridge of River Kwai”

Arrival on the last week of January for Friends Reunion in Kanchanaburi, our 4 families choose Felix River Kwai as our choice of accommodation. I recalled that this hotel used to be called 'Sheraton River Kwai' backed in 1990s. However, they are no longer with the Sheraton franchise for decades. ... more

Arrival on the last week of January for Friends Reunion in Kanchanaburi, our 4 families choose Felix River Kwai as our choice of accommodation. I recalled that this hotel used to be called 'Sheraton River Kwai' backed in 1990s. However, they are no longer with the Sheraton franchise for decades. Still, the hotel hold the charm of once were Five Stars hotel very well. Our group got the room on D Building which is adjunct to the reception. The hotel has very beautiful garden, nice swimming pool, wide and open lobby and reception areas. The service is good. Polite concierge, nice reception staffs, and the hotel tried to keep their hotel at the best condition as possible. The hotel itself give you the idea of what Luxury Resort should look like in 1990s. We got the room on D Block which is adjunct to the main Reception building. We asked for Deluxe Room with Balcony overlooking the River. We got everything that we asked for as the reception designated room D209 to us. The room has bigger balcony than most room on the same floor. I learned later that D Block rooms with 1 or 9 at the end of each floor got larger Balcony (as my friend got room ending with 1 and also got the same size balcony as mine one). The room is over 40m2 which is very large for standard room. The floor is polished wooden floor in an excellent condition. The bathroom is large with older fashioned bathtub. The room is old fashioned but very well maintained. Overall, it showed the quality of what the 90s Luxury 5 stars hotel should look like. Large, spacious, beautiful swimming pool, well decorated, big and beautiful landscape garden, large convention center with many meeting rooms, clean and tidy room, and large balcony. I walked around the hotel compound and love large trees with beautiful garden, and nice breeze along the walkway by Riverside. At the end of riverside walkway, there is a pier that you can see the legendary Bridge over River Kwai clearly. After all positive aspects, I also having similar comments from members those review before me. Despite all positive points, It is undeniable that this hotel is very old and some part that really show its' age. For example, the paint around the hotel are coming out, the wooden decoration on some roof areas are rusts. the open air car park is good but in 21st Century, EV chargers may be a good idea for customers with EV cars. It is undeniable that many facilities in this hotel may not be very well maintain. For example, the air conditioning in the lobby areas. The hotel used the portable air conditioning as a quick way to fix their problem. The lobby is very large covering 2 floors. So, it is very clear that the area on the ground floor has been very dark and not well maintain in comparison to the lobby on the 2nd floor (by reception). Also not all restaurants are open. While walking to our room, we can see that the large area that closed supposed to be either convention area or Chinese restaurant (due to decoration). It ended up that the whole hotel has only one opening restaurant on the ground floor. We dine at restaurant twice. For Dinner, we have a la carte menus. For dinner, we have selection of Thai meal such as Tom Kha Chicken, Tom Yum Soup, Stir-fried mixed vegetable, Pineapple Fried Rice, Thai Prawn Omelet, Jungle Curry, Cashew nut chicken, etc. Also, we ordered Beer and Wine. The price for beverages are relatively good. It is not overly expensive. But the selections are limited. Thai dishes such as Jungle Curry is very spicy but it is nice for Thai guests. Other meals are good BUT not outstanding. It is a good restaurant for modern First Class hotel but may need better decorations or presentations. For Breakfast, I have similar comment as other members. The meal has limited selection. Bread and cake sections are limited. No cracker or cheese selections, Jams are mostly supermarket grade jams (For Modern Luxury hotels always use Homemade). The cooking stations are good idea. But the selections are limited. I love the Thai Tea and Thai Coffee section. The Egg selections are limited. They offered only Fried Egg, Scramble Egg, and Omelet. The boiled egg only available at Congee station (need to have them with congee). The Congee need to work on their rice (it need to be crushed to the soup level but at this hotel the grain still visible). The buffet line are very limited. If you are looking at European selections, you have French Toast, Baked Bean, Bacon, Fried Egg, and Sausages. The sausages are tasteless and I need to put excessive amount of Ketchup for that. The Thai meal consist of Steam Rice, Fried Rice, Fried Noodles with small selection of other meals. Drink session consist of Water, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice. The problem is that the juices are not freshly squeeze. The Orange Juice is likely to be boxed Sunquist drink. Generally, the hotel is likely to used the same standard from their time with Sheraton. The standard is clearly a Luxury Hotels from 90s era with the same selection and used of raw materials. So, the current hotel positioning as a First Class hotel; it is meeting First Class hotel expectation. But with all the potential they have, I believe that it can push itself back to 5 stars hotel again. Overall, Felix River Kwai is a good First Class hotel with Large room of 5 stars hotel size. The hotel has excellent view of the river and beautiful garden. But the part that relatively ages and need renovation may need to be address by the hotel in the future. But generally speaking, this is one of the international standard First Class hotel in a small mountain city of Kanchanaburi.

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“A mixed bag”

As previous reviews state, this hotel is very run down. It is kept clean but the infrastructure, decoration etc. is very shabby. The reception staff were not as welcoming as we usually experience in Thailand and the breakfast was poor. However, the reason I gave it 3 stars is that we had a peacef... more

As previous reviews state, this hotel is very run down. It is kept clean but the infrastructure, decoration etc. is very shabby. The reception staff were not as welcoming as we usually experience in Thailand and the breakfast was poor. However, the reason I gave it 3 stars is that we had a peaceful nights sleep and for the position. Perfect location for a short walk to the bridge then over it to the little town on the other side of the river. I wouldn’t recommend eating in the hotel’s restaurant as very soulless but there are plenty of lovely places within walking distance.

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“Missed Opportunitiy”

This resort hotel has huge possibilities but it simply too run down. The grounds are potentially fabulous, but pathways are uneven, algae are growing in some unused pond areas and the lack of upkeep was evident everywhere. The room was very large with a beautiful view, but the bathroom was in s... more

This resort hotel has huge possibilities but it simply too run down. The grounds are potentially fabulous, but pathways are uneven, algae are growing in some unused pond areas and the lack of upkeep was evident everywhere. The room was very large with a beautiful view, but the bathroom was in serious need of updating. Breakfast was average. We stayed as part of a tour and this hotel did not live up to our other experiences in Thailand.

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