Reviewed by Matt Brace
Intro
On the banks of the Chao Praya river, the Avani+ Riverside offers romantic bath tubs, great food, cocktails to die for, a sky-high pool and fabulous views from pretty much everywhere.
Overview
The Avani+ Riverside offers a good stay in the thrilling Thai capital. We loved swimming in the rooftop pool, sipping world-class cocktails at super-cool outdoor bar SIN and dining on great food at SEEN restaurant. We also took advantage of the facilities at the adjacent sister hotel Anantara Riverside, including its peaceful spa. It‘s worth remembering that the Avani+ Riverside is a conference venue and can get busy with delegates, so try to time your stay to avoid that.
Location
The hotel is next to the river, a five-minute ferry ride south of the Icon Siam luxury shopping mall.
Look and feel
Check-in is on the 11th floor, which is decorated with artworks and installations by local artists. Near the check-in desk is a small bar and café, while at the other end of the floor is the breakfast venue, Skyline.
The real star of the show is the view. You can see for miles out over the city and its surrounding floodplain. If you go to the far south-western windows of Skyline and look down you’ll see the brilliant gold Buddha of the Wat Bang Nam Chon temple (the temple is well worth a visit, by the way). It had just had its latest gold touch-up when we were there and it was radiant in the sunshine.
The gym makes the most of the views too but they’re even better at the outdoor pool, which is on the rooftop and shares an open-air floor with SEEN restaurant. One floor up (on the very top) is SIN, which is an unforgettable bar with amazing cocktails and a huge, bright-red DJ booth.
Service
We had fabulous service in both SEEN and SIN. Attentive and charming local staff explained dishes, ensured our food allergies were catered for and had a joke with us every now and then. They were excellent. However, we did run into a service issue in our room. Despite us having the Do Not Disturb sign on, a staff member knocked repeatedly, waking us from a nap. We were not best pleased.
Best room for two
The hotel has 250 rooms and suites. We had a Riverview Junior Suite (62sqm), which is probably the most romantic room for couples and offers great views: the bedroom looked south–southwest while the bathroom looked east. Both views were great but unfortunately there was a big TV in the bedroom, which blocked about a quarter of the vista. I tried rotating it so we could see more but it was still in the way. It was a shame as watching the sunset from there is a much better show than anything on TV. The suite also had a lovely chaise longue – the perfect spot for a relaxing read.
In our bathroom we had twin sinks, a walk-in rainforest shower, heaps of storage space and a bathtub. The staff had written on our bathroom window “Enjoy Your Stay” along with some stars and a rainbow. Very cute.
Food and drink
The two showstopping food and beverage outlets are SIN and SEEN. SIN is one of the coolest outdoor rooftop bars in Asia while SEEN is a romantic restaurant with equally stunning views.
The SIN team were fabulous and produced our best cocktails of 2025: a Pomme Hugo (Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label with gin, apple, mint and elderflower, and a Oaxaca French 75 (the same Veuve with mezcal, tequila, watermelon cordial and plum wine). They were world-class.
The food and service at SEEN were equally excellent: we had yellowfin tuna tataki and seared Hokkaido scallops in a celery root bisque and pickled radish. I had the seared red snapper in a hot hollandaise sauce with katsuobushi (dried, smoked tuna), which was gorgeous. My wife said the teriyaki-glazed Niwatori miso chicken was also great.
The staff insisted we have the signature dessert called ‘Baby Banana’, which is a remarkable concoction – a caramelised banana which looks just like a small Ladyfinger, with Philadelphia cheese mousse and Valrhona chocolate. Total knockout.
On our second night we took a dinner cruise along the Chao Praya river. Despite a poor dockside start, the cruise turned out to be very romantic. Our pre-cruise canapes were pork, despite the team knowing – and indeed reconfirming with me just minutes earlier – that I do not eat meat.
After watching a short traditional Thai dance we cruised away from the dock. The experience on board was delightful: fine crockery, wonderful staff, so many delicious courses we lost count (all food allergies perfectly catered for) and an array of Bangkok’s glittering temples passing by. Lovely.
Sustainability
The hotel engages in several sustainability initiatives. It focuses on reducing waste and eliminating single-use plastics, and supports the Scholars of Sustenance Foundation Thailand by donating surplus food to local communities – 316kg last year, equivalent to around 1,300 meals, with an estimated saving of around 800kg CO2e.
Couples will love
Taking a romantic bath together and looking out over the dazzling city lights, having world-class cocktails at rooftop bar SIN, alfresco dining in style at SEEN and taking early morning dips in the sky-high pool.
Book via the hotel’s website www.avanihotels.com/en/riverside-bangkok, call (+66) 2431 9100 (free phone 1 800 961 327 – English only) or email reserveavani@avanihotels.com.
Matthew Brace
Matt Brace is a British award-winning travel writer and hotel reviewer, creator of the Six Minutes Somewhere Else travel podcast and author of five travel books. A former foreign correspondent for The Independent, The Observer, The Times and other leading newspapers, he has covered everything from world news to luxury escapes. Matt has spent the past 25 years living and working in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Abu Dhabi as a writer, editor and communications advisor. His work combines the authority of a seasoned journalist with a storyteller’s eye for the people and places that define a destination.
