The Tree Riverside — Gabled Cabins on the Phetchaburi River with Air-Conditioned Tents in the Forest
If you want a Kaeng Krachan stay that isn't the usual timber river house, The Tree Riverside @Kaeng Krachan is the name people bring up first after they get back. The resort is built as a row of steep-roofed Nordic cabins in grey and pine, arranged around a free-form garden pool and facing the widest bend of the Phetchaburi River. What guests keep mentioning are the air-conditioned riverside tents and SAVIO, the on-site restaurant where you can eat to the sound of the water all day — and it's only a 2.5-hour drive from Bangkok.
The Tree Riverside is a newer resort set on a wide bend of the Phetchaburi River in Kaeng Krachan district. The design runs to steep-gabled Nordic cabins in grey with pine accents, and inside the ceilings open all the way up to the rafters. There are 76 rooms across 8 types — from Superior rooms in a two-storey building with balconies, through Villa, Villa Suite and Pool Villa, to air-conditioned tents (Tent Zone A/B) in both canal-view and river-view positions. Guests like that most rooms open straight onto the garden and the water without a long walk.
The centre of the place is SAVIO Café & Restaurant on the water, serving Thai food built around local ingredients alongside European dishes, open roughly 10:00–22:00 and welcome to non-guests too. Breakfast is a buffet with Thai, Asian and English options. A short walk away is Fikka Cafe, a riverside coffee spot that several guests single out for early mornings when mist sits over the river. One TripAdvisor reviewer called the food at SAVIO 'enchanting' — a high bar for a resort this deep in the forest, and one reason the dining gets repeat mentions.
One guest recalls: "They opened the door in the morning to mist over the river, sat on the balcony with a coffee and birdsong — they really didn't want to drive back to Bangkok."
Activities are what set The Tree Riverside apart from an ordinary river stay. Kayaking and rafting run right out front on a calm, wide stretch of the Phetchaburi River that suits beginners and kids. There are boat tours on the Kaeng Krachan reservoir to see 'monkey island' and the suspension bridges, and the resort lends out bicycles for free to ride around the grounds. With a playground, gym and a lot of open space, families with young children get particular value out of the layout.
On location, the honest note is that this place sits out in nature with no public transport reaching it. It's about a 2.5-hour drive from Bangkok, and you'll want your own car or a pre-arranged transfer if you plan to head into town or eat elsewhere. The resort is roughly a 25-minute drive from Kaeng Krachan National Park and close to the Kaeng Krachan dam. If you're here for the Pa La-U waterfall or the Phanoen Thung sea of mist, it works well as a base — just plan the car side of things carefully first.
The Trip.com score sits at 8.7/10 from 47 reviews, with cleanliness leading at 9.1 and amenities and service both at 8.7. On TripAdvisor it holds 4.7/5 and ranks #1 among Kaeng Krachan B&B-style stays. The honest feedback from guests flags limited English among staff — international visitors are advised to keep Google Translate handy — and the occasional rough edge in the booking or dining process. These are real limitations worth knowing before you go.
Pricing is strong value for the design on offer. Superior rooms start around ฿1,500/night, with air-conditioned tents and villas rising by view and size, and Pool Villas with a private jacuzzi running roughly ฿4,000–6,000 depending on the season. Long weekends and the cool season (November–February, the Phanoen Thung mist window) fill up fast, so book at least 2–4 weeks ahead for those dates.
The bottom line: The Tree Riverside works best for anyone who wants a well-designed riverside resort at an accessible price within easy driving distance of Bangkok — families with kids, couples escaping the city, or groups who want to paddle and idle by the water. If you want the most privacy and the budget stretches, the Pool Villa with its outdoor jacuzzi looking onto the garden is the room guests come back to review most.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Gabled Nordic design, high open ceilings in the rooms
- ✓ Quiet riverside setting with the sound of water and birds
- ✓ Staff friendly and genuinely helpful
- ✓ Strong value for the design and the space you get
- ! Out in nature with no public transport — own car needed
- ! Limited English among staff
- ! Booking and dining process occasionally rough around the edges
- ✓ Air-conditioned riverside tents — glamping that sleeps cool
- ✓ Free-form garden pool ringed with loungers and bean bags
- ✓ Plenty to do — kayaking, rafting, free bicycle loans
- ✓ Family-friendly with wide grounds and a playground
- ! Far from Phetchaburi town — eating out beyond the resort is awkward
- ! Cool season and long weekends sell out — book ahead
- ! Mobile signal is weak in spots out in the forest
- 💡If you don't have your own car — the resort is out in the forest with no public transport; arrange a transfer with the resort in advance or rent a car from Bangkok → otherwise getting anywhere is difficult
- 💡If you're coming for the Phanoen Thung sea of mist — November–February rooms go fast and you must book the park vehicle ahead → reserve the stay 3–4 weeks out and sort the park transport separately
- 💡If you want the clearest river view — specify a Tent River View or a water-side villa when booking → the Canal View tents look onto the canal more than the main river