Hatthatara Resort — A Canalside House in a Coconut Grove, Ten Minutes From the Amphawa Crowds
If you want to visit Amphawa Floating Market but would rather not sleep in the middle of the market crush, Hatthatara Resort is the answer regulars keep recommending. It's a tiny place — just 8 rooms tucked into a canalside coconut grove in Tha Hat sub-district, about a ten-minute drive out from the market. What guests mention again and again is the Thai-massage spa with a sauna and steam room and the canalside restaurant where you eat under the trees — a slow, garden-house mood you won't find at a hotel in town.
Hatthatara Resort is genuinely small — just 8 rooms set in a canalside coconut grove in Tha Hat, Mueang Samut Songkhram. The buildings mix bare concrete and wood, and the whole plot is planted so densely that it stays shaded most of the day. Rooms are bright, with wood floors, queen beds, a flat-screen TV, a fridge, air conditioning and an en-suite bathroom; some have a balcony looking onto the garden. That small scale buys you quiet and privacy you don't get beside the market — but it also means rooms are limited, and weekends fill up fast.
What sets Hatthatara apart from the usual Amphawa stay is the spa and Thai-massage service. There's a treatment room, a sauna and a steam room on site, and plenty of guests say a foot or body massage after a full day at the market genuinely loosens the legs. One TripAdvisor reviewer went so far as to title their review the best massage in Amphawa. Massages are charged separately from the room, but they're inexpensive compared with a spa in town.
One guest wrote that "the photos online don't do this place justice — it's like a little tree house above the canals," and that the staff looked after them so well they didn't want to leave.
The canalside restaurant is the other thing people talk about. It's an open-sided wooden pavilion with a corrugated roof, where you eat under a big tree that grows up through the deck, with warm lighting after dark. It serves Thai food and the breakfast that's included in the room rate. The canalside lounge has patterned encaustic floor tiles and a woven egg chair and timber seats where you can sip a coffee and listen to the water — the slow rhythm several guests cite as the reason they chose to stay out of town.
On location, Hatthatara sits down a quiet lane in Tha Hat. It's about a 10-minute drive to Amphawa Floating Market and a similar 10 minutes to the Maeklong Railway Market (the famous umbrella-pulldown market). The upside is calm — birdsong, clean air, no crowds. The trade-off is that nothing is within walking distance of the resort; you'll need a car or a hired ride every time you head out. Driving yourself is easily the most convenient option, and there's free shaded parking.
The overall score sits around 8.5–8.8 from several hundred reviews across Agoda and Booking. Staff service and cleanliness rate highest. The honest gripes from lower-rated reviews flag some older rooms and garden humidity in the rainy season, Wi-Fi that's stronger in the common areas than in the rooms, and — because it's a small property — late check-in after 20:30 needs advance notice. Worth knowing before you book.
On price, rooms start around ฿799/night for the small room, with the garden-view queen and the four-bed family room costing more. Weekend and long-holiday rates climb and the 8 rooms sell out quickly, so book at least 2–3 weeks ahead for a Saturday–Sunday stay. Compare Agoda, Booking and Trip.com before committing — the gap between them can be real.
The bottom line: Hatthatara suits travellers who want to take Amphawa slowly — sleeping in a quiet garden and driving into the market in bursts — more than anyone who wants to step out of the room straight into the stalls. You get a spa and a canalside garden-house feel at a light-on-the-wallet price. If you're coming as a group, look at the four-bed room; it works out better value than booking two small rooms.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Staff genuinely attentive and friendly — always ready to help
- ✓ Thai-massage spa and steam room draw a lot of praise
- ✓ Quiet canalside garden setting, great for unwinding
- ✓ Tasty breakfast, relaxed canalside dining pavilion
- ! You need a car — nothing is walkable around the resort
- ! Some rooms are showing their age
- ! Garden humidity can be noticeable in the rainy season
- ✓ Quiet, private setting with easy driving access to Amphawa Floating Market
- ✓ Lots of greenery and blooming plants — shaded throughout
- ✓ Massage and spa good value; many guests return for it
- ✓ Clean rooms, comfortable beds
- ! Wi-Fi stronger in common areas than in the rooms
- ! Only 8 rooms — weekends sell out, book ahead
- ! Late check-in after 20:30 needs advance notice
- 💡If you don't have a car — the resort is down a quiet lane and you'll need a hired ride every time you go to the market → if walking straight to the floating market matters, a place in central Amphawa fits better
- 💡If you're travelling as a group — the four-bed room (two queen beds) is better value than booking two small rooms → tell them your party size at booking so you get a room that sleeps everyone
- 💡If you're coming mainly for the spa — massages are charged separately from the room, so call to reserve a spa slot ahead, especially on weekends → the treatment room is limited and books up fast