Highlights
- Unique riverside location
- Peaceful and relaxed atmosphere
- Hiking, caving, birdwatching
- River tours, rafting, canoeing, mountain biking
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The Float House is an elegant boutique resort whose unique accommodation consists of ‘floating’ villas set right on the banks of the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, Thailand – a three or four hour’s drive away from Bangkok. The resort is accessed via an 11-minute ride from the Phatakein pier in a traditional long-tail boat. With no direct road access, the property boasts a genuineally secluded and serene feel. It lies within the Sai Yok National Park and is one of the most unique accommodation options in the area.
All of the villas here are handsomely decorated and furnished throughout featuring teakwood furniture, space and comfort. Each villa has its own private balcony and pier with swing chair and views of the river and the heavily forested surroundings. Facilities common to all of the villas include a 32 inch LCD TV with DVD player, air conditioning, tea and coffee making facilities and sun beds out on the balcony. The bedroom comes with either twin beds or a single king size bed, and the bathroom houses a rain shower.
Many of the activities are naturally centred on the river, though there are plenty of other things to do that are easily accessible from the hotel. Private long-tail boats can be hired for sightseeing river tours, or alternatively there’s bamboo rafting and canoeing excursions. Mountain biking is a popular activity, along with bird watching, hiking and even caving - many visit the Lawa Cave to see its vast underground chambers and fascinating rock formations. Every night after dinner, local people from the nearby Mon village put on an extravagant cultural dance show featuring authentic live music.
The Pontoon Floating Restaurant & Bar is open throughout the day and offers a choice of international dishes, as well as plenty of local Thai delicacies. The restaurant offers both a la carte and buffet-style dining, while the bar has a relaxed, informal atmosphere and a broad menu including fine wines, colourful cocktails, cool soft drinks and refreshing beers. Both the restaurant and the bar are open-air, with lovely riverside views.
Although children of all ages are welcome to stay at The Float House. While there’s no babysitting service, nor any child-oriented facilities or activities at the hotel itself, there are plenty of child-friendly activities in the surrounding area. Note that each villa can only accommodate one additional rollaway bed and due to the hotel’s waterside location and the fact that the balconies, piers and walkways are unfenced, parents are reminded keep an eye on their children at all times.
Thank you yet again for another meticulously organised and executed holiday (our 5th with you). Every aspect worked perfectly.
Please could you pass on our sincere thanks to your agent in Sri Lanka; Lakshita, our driver and guide, absolutely made the trip for us - he was so keen for us to have the best experience possible. He was organised, kind, interested, punctual, the car was always spotless, and he was an excellent driver. His extensive knowledge was really appreciated by us and was exactly what we had hoped for in a guide. I think the highlight for us was our day in Anuradhapura (7 hours of absorbing history and culture), but there was so much to learn and absorb every day. He also made several suggestions for things that he thought we might like that weren't in our itinerary, and then booked them for us. These included an ayurvedic massage after climbing Sigiriya, a cultural show (an hour of touristy fun!), reef snorkelling with turtles (a real highlight for me - I wish we could have stayed all day), a lagoon boat trip and visit to a cinnamon island, a turtle sanctuary visit, and a gemstone factory visit. He also managed to get us a private tour of Lunanguga, which Peter thoroughly enjoyed. We also really enjoyed the tea factory tour.
Our guide for the hike was also really excellent, and he and Lakshita made sure that our day was perfectly tailored to our (my) ability.
All our accommodation was also perfectly selected. Our favourite was the Ceylon tea trails bungalow (just perfect!), but The Villa Bentota came a close second as a perfect way to relax at the end of the trip. Our villa and the grounds at Uga at Ulagalla were also beautiful.
(Our only slightly disappointing day was the whale watching - no whales wanted to be seen on that particular day, plus I was very sea-sick despite taking meds! The tour organisers offered us a repeat day the following day, which we declined! Having said that, being out on the water was still enjoyable, up to a point...).
I'm sure I've missed out something - we basically loved it all and felt that the balance of the itinerary was perfect for us (we used the 'rest' day in Galle to do the snorkelling, lagoon, and turtles)
Thank you very, very much.
fiona g
reviewing Sri Lanka Highlights - Classic
on 27 March 2026
I just wanted to reach out and let you know what a truly outstanding trip we had.
The itinerary was perfect, the country, the people, the food.....wow, take me back!!!
Each of my family members made so many magnificent memories.
I cant thank you enough for all your help.
Maren B
reviewing Vietnam Northern Highlights and Tropical Beach
on 16 February 2026
We just wanted to thank you for an absolutely amazing holiday. Everything went exactly to plan and we were blown away with the quality of the guides, transport and accommodation. The itinerary was perfect for our family with a great mix of guided and free days and the different destinations complemented each other well. We will definitely be using Tourdust again for our next trip! Particular highlights were the Ha Long Bay cruise, Hanoi, and the morning cycle tour in Siam Reap
Jane P
reviewing Complete Vietnam For Families
on 14 May 2025