Our brief stay at Amphawa Riverview was highly enjoyable. I strongly recommend staying here for anyone visiting the Samut Songkhram region. If not for the proximity or the great price, then for the picturesque river views. It really sets the mood (see picture).

ROOMS: The guesthouse looks like a two story raft house floating on the water (see pic). It extends by a curved pathway into the generous outdoor riverside deck, the same place where breakfast is served. The rooms closest to the river look larger and have full windows facing the water. The remaining rooms are narrower, but also detailed beautifully with thai decor and wood trims (see pic). Beds are harder than the North American standard but reasonably comfy. The airconditioning is efficient and the small fridge is handy. The bathrooms are spacious and cleanly tiled. The nicest feature for our group is that all of the rooms open onto the same balcony that overlooks the water (see pic). Great for chatting, a smart use of space, quite a few bugs walking on the rails but that's to be expected. No mosquito bites surprisingly!

SERVICE: We got good service for the short period of time we spent here (less than a day). They were prompt with emails and provided as much information as they could. When our driver got lost, they patiently talked to him until we found our way. We were greeted with big smiles the entire time, though there were moments where communication was difficult. Breakfast was small, with thai coconut cookies, toast and bananas but definitely adequate. As mentioned below, they will prepare alms as offerings to the monks - both fresh and dried types.

LOCATION: I would hazard a guess that nearly all guests are here to see the Amphawa Floating Market, which is within walking distance of this lovely guesthouse. The market operates only on weekends after 5pm, but beyond that, Amphawa is a sleepy village with little else to do other than firefly tours at night. Please note that this is NOT the easiest place to find in the dark, and our driver got very lost. Make sure you either print out the map on the website or else tell them to call the hosts. Though we were not here for a weekend, we chose to stay here for a couple reasons. The first is because it placed us within 15 minutes of other attractions like the Maeklong Rail Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Saved us the hectic 6am drive through Bangkok rushhour and another 2 hour drive back! The second is the inexplicable attraction of presenting alms to the monks who paddle by each morning. It was such a beautiful way of starting our vacation.

We stayed at Amphawa Riverside for 1 night whilst making our way south. It is about 1 1/2 hours from Bangkok so could easily be done as a side trip from Bangkok. The market is open from around 5pm on Saturday and Sunday evening which makes a pleasant change from many of the canal side markets that you have to get up early for. The market has a relaxed feel on a balmy night with lots of little eateries, coffee shops, trinket stall, clothes etc to wander around and the 'floating' part of the market is actually lots of food vendors on boats who sell different types of foods, noodles and special, local delicacies that you eat on the steps of the canal.

Our accommodation Amphawa Riverside was a lovely family homestay, but the guesthouse is separate from the families house so it's more like a guesthouse with lovely rooms with lots of cozy wood, beautiful bathrooms and the place was really clean. Outside the rooms is a huge deck with big bean bags to laze around on and then down below the guesthouse is another huge, riverside deck again with bean bags that you watch the comings and goings on the river. The lovely family who own the place couldn't have done enough for us and they arrange for a boat to take us to the market in the evening and then for a firefly tour afterwards for a reasonable price. The next morning a simple breakfast was included of tea and toast, eggs and a delicious Thai breakfast soup. Prior to breakfast we all presented alms to the monks which was a wonderful and humbling experience.

I would highly recommend you visit this place and stay with this wonderful family.