D Varee Diva Rimnaam — River-View Balconies on the Chanthaburi River, a Bridge from a 300-Year-Old Old Town
If you want a Chanthaburi stay where you open the curtains in the morning and find the river and a green garden right in front of you, D Varee Diva Rimnaam (now operating as Rimnaam Klangchan Hotel) is the name that keeps coming up. It's a riverside hotel on Maharaj Road, opened in 2015, with 40 rooms across four terraced buildings. The detail guests return to most is the private balcony looking over the river and pool, paired with a location that puts the 300-year-old Chanthaboon riverside community a few minutes' walk across the bridge.
D Varee Diva Rimnaam opened in 2015 across four terraced buildings that step down toward the Chanthaburi River. The exterior pairs bare red brick with steel balconies and a row of orange umbrellas — easy to recognise from the water. The 40 rooms split between Deluxe King, Deluxe Twin, Premier and a Jacuzzi Suite, most of them around 32–36 sqm with a private balcony you can actually sit on, looking at the river, garden or pool. That balcony is the single thing guests mention most in their reviews.
What really sets this place apart is the location. Step out of the hotel, walk a few minutes across the bridge, and you reach the Chanthaboon riverside community — a 300-year-old quarter of timber shophouses, coffee spots, old-style sweets, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in Thailand, about 1.5 km away. Guests say much the same thing: you get the quiet of the hotel side of the river, but a short walk lands you in a lively old quarter — a combination that's hard to find in Chanthaburi.
Guests describe it best: "Sitting on the balcony in the morning with a coffee, watching a thin mist over the river, it was so quiet they could only hear birds — then a walk across the bridge for old-town sweets and noodles."
The pool runs as an outdoor lap pool parallel to the building, with sun loungers and orange umbrellas on a timber deck, plus a separate children's pool for families. In the evening, warm lighting reflects off the water and the brick wall and it photographs beautifully. Breakfast is served in a restaurant under a curved teak ceiling — review after review agrees the breakfast is better than expected for a hotel at this price, with both Thai and Western options. There's also a small wood-panelled bar for the evening.
Other facilities include a glass-walled fitness room looking onto the garden, free parking, a meeting room with a business centre, and laundry service. The lobby uses a glowing onyx-stone reception counter and full timber joinery that reads as smarter than the room rate suggests. Several guests single out the strong shower pressure, comfortable beds, and crisp clean sheets — the fundamentals are all handled here.
The score sits at 9.1/10 from 73 Trip.com reviews and 4.4/5 from 102 Tripadvisor reviews, where it ranks #3 of 28 hotels in Chanthaburi. Guests praise the cleanliness, the river-view balconies, and the friendly staff. The honest complaints: sound carries between floors because the insulation isn't thick, some rooms have a river view partly screened by trees, and the area around the hotel is still developing, so flagging a taxi on the street isn't easy. Worth knowing before you book.
On price — D Varee Diva Rimnaam starts around ฿1,200/night for a Deluxe Room in normal periods, which is genuinely good value for a riverside room with a balcony. During long weekends or the Chanthaburi fruit season (May–June) rates climb to roughly ฿1,800–2,500 and rooms fill quickly, so book 2–3 weeks ahead. The Jacuzzi Suite with an in-room tub costs noticeably more, but it's worth a look for couples wanting something special.
The bottom line: D Varee Diva Rimnaam suits travellers who want a quiet riverside room on a modest budget, with old-town Chanthaburi only a few minutes' walk away. It isn't a luxury hotel, but you get a river-view balcony, an attractive pool, a good breakfast, and a location that's genuinely hard to match. If you're a light sleeper, request a top-floor or corner room when you book.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Rooms clean and spacious with attractive river-view balconies
- ✓ Breakfast better than expected — both Thai and Western
- ✓ Staff friendly and attentive
- ✓ A few minutes' walk across the bridge to Chanthaboon old town
- ! Sound carries between floors — thin insulation
- ! Area around the hotel is quiet; flagging a taxi isn't easy
- ! Some rooms have a river view partly screened by trees
- ✓ Quiet riverside location close to the old quarter
- ✓ Clean pool and well-kept gardens
- ✓ Comfortable beds and strong shower pressure
- ✓ Good value — a riverside room with a balcony on a modest budget
- ! Restaurant/bar hours can be limited — check ahead
- ! Rooms fill fast during fruit season — book early
- ! Few English-language TV channels
- 💡If you're a light sleeper — request a top-floor or corner room when booking → insulation between floors is fairly thin and you may hear the room above late at night
- 💡If you want a full river view — specify a high-floor river-facing room at booking → some lower rooms have the view partly screened by riverside trees
- 💡If you don't have your own car — the old quarter is an easy walk, but for anywhere further keep a ride-hailing app handy or rent a car → street taxis rarely pass around the hotel