Thailand — Nakakiri Resort & Spa (นาคาคีรี รีสอร์ด แอนด์ สปา), Thong Pha Phum, Changwat Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Time to move on
September 2015
After spending a few days around “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, it was time to move on.
Using hotels.com, I booked into the Nakakiri Resort & Spa (นาคาคีรี รีสอร์ด แอนด์ สปา), Thong Pha Phum, Changwat Kanchanaburi, Thailand. But there were some problems.
First, Nakakiri Resort & Spa (นาคาคีรี รีสอร์ด แอนด์ สปา), Thong Pha Phum, Changwat Kanchanaburi, Thailand, was not where it was reported on hotels.com. I followed the directions and the guide on hotels.com, and there was nothing when I arrived at the “entrance” to the hotel.
Foursquare had the correct location. However, when I transferred the position from Foursquare to Google Maps, Google struggled to get me to the hotel as there was no obvious road to the resort. Google Maps tried to position me on the opposite bank of the river from the hotel, as that was as close as it could get. I almost got the car stuck in a narrow lane that just stopped on a dead end.
After 90 minutes of driving around lost, I finally arrived at Nakakiri Resort & Spa (นาคาคีรี รีสอร์ด แอนด์ สปา) and encountered my second problem. There was no record of my booking, even though I had a confirmation email and number.
The Nakakiri Resort & Spa (นาคาคีรี รีสอร์ด แอนด์ สปา) was an odd hotel. I was not impressed with the place. My guess was they had gone the 'package deal route'. The place looked nice, but it felt like it had seen better days.
My room was comfortable and clean. The AC worked (just). The bathroom was a bit odd in that it was open to the elements; there were small, screened windows with no glass, so the temperature was the same as the outside, and you could hear everything, and everyone could hear you. The bathroom floor had numerous gecko droppings, and the toilet was heavily stained. There was a TV in the room, but no English channels.
Before my evening meal, I had a wander around the grounds.
I found the pool. It had no one in it, and there was no sign of it being used.
The hotel was in a lovely, quiet setting. Most, if not all, of the rooms like mine were empty, which was odd as hotels.com said I had the last room.
I was able to walk down and see the river. The same river that I had trouble crossing to get to the hotel.
It looked like there were plans for access across the river, but they had been abandoned, as the floating structures were now piled up with debris.
The river area was great for seeing bird life.
I also found the hot springs, and they looked abandoned. Not at all clean.
My evening meal was OK. It was not great and a bit gritty. I had a fried noodle dish with chicken and a beer.
I had a pretty good night’s sleep, but the two very loud karaoke sessions going on at the same time, which finished at 11 pm, didn’t help.
Breakfast was poor. The omelettes were pre-cooked, and so were cold and greasy. There was no cereal or yoghurt, and the fried rice was cold.
I didn't enjoy my stay at Nakakiri Resort & Spa (นาคาคีรี รีสอร์ด แอนด์ สปา), which was a shame as it looked great online.
What didn't help my experience was:
- Not being able to find the place.
- Arriving and no evidence of my room booking, even though I had a confirmation email and number.
- No hot water for a shower in the morning.
- A poor breakfast.
On the plus side, I had the best Wi-Fi speeds since leaving Vietnam.
Foursquare: Nakakiri Resort & Spa
