The Verona at Tublan — An Italian Town Beside a Lake, Three Hours From Bangkok
The first time people see the photos, most assume they were taken in Italy. The Verona at Tublan recreates Verona — the Italian town behind the Romeo & Juliet legend — beside a lake at the foot of the hills, right next to Thap Lan National Park on the eastern Khao Yai gateway. The shots everyone comes back with are the medieval stone bridge spanning the lake and the infinity pool that runs straight into the water, looking out toward a clock tower and the mountain ridge. This is a place that sells its theme and its views far more than city-hotel polish.
The heart of the place is its Verona theme, built far more seriously than a typical photo cafe. There is an arched stone bridge crossing the lake, a clock tower, a Juliet house, a European-style piazza, and gondolas you can ride on the water. In the late afternoon the golden light hits the bridge and tower and reflects off the lake — guests say the scene genuinely looks like another country. The grounds are large enough to wander and photograph for an hour without repeating an angle, and that is the main reason people are willing to drive three hours to get here.
There are around 90 rooms split across themed zones. The terracotta Italian buildings by the water run from Verona Superior up to the Romeo & Juliet Suite and the Forever Love Suite, while a separate cowboy zone holds the tepee-shaped Tipi Houses, which are the rooms that allow pets. Reviewers describe the rooms as genuinely spacious with soft beds and a bright, airy palette, with a bathtub in the suite tiers and a fresh-fruit welcome basket. Most rates are sold as packages that bundle breakfast and four to six free activities depending on the room level.
Guests who have been describe the experience something like this: waking at around half past six when the sky is still grey, walking down to the pool terrace, and reaching for a jacket because the mountain air genuinely bites at that hour. The pool is empty and glassy, the first light of the morning stretching across the water in a single gold stripe, and beyond the pool edge — where the water meets the lake — the stone bridge and clock tower are still faint inside the mist. Several people say they stood there for a moment genuinely unsure where they were, because the scene does not look like anything you expect to find in Thailand after a three-hour drive from Bangkok. · Families travelling with young children describe a different kind of experience: barely finishing a single photo before the kids are already running for the stone bridge, forcing the adults to chase them across the grounds. But the shots that come back from the bridge at golden hour — late-afternoon light catching the arched stone spans and doubling in the lake below — turn out to be the best images of the trip. By that time the crowd thins out as guests drift back to their rooms, and the grounds take on a quieter, more atmospheric feel than the midday buzz suggests. · Guests in the Tipi House zone who travelled with dogs mention how rare it is to find a resort in Thailand that genuinely accepts pets in the rooms rather than just tolerating them at the entrance. The dogs run in the open grass, the families settle into the tepee-shaped rooms for the night, and the whole arrangement feels unlike any other stay they can compare it to. · Those in the Italian-building wing by the water describe rooms that turn out to be larger than the photos suggest — wide beds, clean linen, warm-toned lighting, and waking in the morning to a view of the lake and the terracotta buildings on the far bank that genuinely looks like a European calendar photograph. · What almost everyone agrees on is that the activity list is long enough to fill the day without repeating anything: horse riding in the cowboy zone in the morning, lunch at the Bliss and Bloom cafe in the flower fields, the infinity pool or a gondola ride in the afternoon, and then the stone bridge for the sunset light before heading back. The resort is unusually self-contained for its price tier. · The honest note that comes up repeatedly is that some corners show their age, a few cowboy-zone shops have closed, and some mornings the breakfast runs a little late. But guests who came for the theme and the views consistently say those shortcomings feel minor against what the place actually delivers — the image of golden light on a medieval stone bridge reflected in a lake, or the sight of morning mist lifting off the water from a pool terrace, turns out to be worth the drive every time.
The second draw, after the theme, is the infinity pool the resort bills as Thailand's first edgeless pool running into a lake. Its edge meets the lake surface so that swimming toward it you look straight out at the mountain ridge and the stone tower. White umbrellas and sun loungers line the deck in proper resort fashion, and families with kids tend to love it most because the water keeps children busy all day. Early in the morning, before the crowds, the pool is quiet and the light is at its best.
This is sold as an everything-in-one-place stay rather than just somewhere to sleep. The activity list is long and real: horse riding in the cowboy zone, ATV runs through the flower fields, a zip-line, a climbing wall, gondola rides, and feeding goats, sheep and miniature horses. Out front there is a small community mall and the flower-shaped Bliss & Bloom cafe set in fields of purple verbena. Day visitors who are not staying overnight can come in too, for a small 50-baht entry that doubles as a drink discount at the cafe.
It is only fair to be honest about the reviews — this place is not flawless. The aggregate score sits around 3.8/5 on TripAdvisor and lower on some platforms that carry only a handful of reviews. The recurring complaints are visible wear and patchy upkeep in places: some shops and parts of the cowboy zone have closed, and a few guests describe the grounds as quieter and emptier than they expected. Some breakfasts arrive lukewarm, and in-room supplies such as coffee sachets can run thin. Worth knowing before you arrive so the gap between brochure and reality is not a surprise.
Be clear-eyed about the location. The resort sits on the eastern Khao Yai gateway, right beside Thap Lan National Park in Na Di district, roughly a three-hour drive from Bangkok along Route 304 — there is no town and no street life around it, so everything happens inside the grounds. Many guests reach it via the Saraburi corridor and down Route 304, making it a natural stop on a Khao Yai–Thap Lan trip. A private car is by far the easiest way to come, since transport is hard to find out here.
Bottom line: The Verona at Tublan suits families and groups who want a photogenic stay with plenty of activities and a pool that keeps kids busy all day, within driving range of Bangkok. You come for the theme, the views and the lakeside pool. If you expect five-star service or every corner to look exactly like the promotional photos, dial the expectations back a little. Aim for the late-rains-to-cool-season window (November–February), when the flower fields are full and the hill air is at its best.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ The Italian-town theme is built seriously and photographs well everywhere
- ✓ Rooms are spacious with soft beds and a bright palette
- ✓ Long activity list keeps kids busy all day
- ✓ Infinity pool by the lake with mountain views
- ! Some areas show wear and patchy upkeep
- ! Remote location with nothing around it · private car needed
- ! Some breakfasts arrive lukewarm
- ✓ Genuine lake-and-mountain views, cool air in winter
- ✓ Very large grounds — easily an hour of wandering and photos
- ✓ Packages bundle breakfast and several free activities
- ✓ Pets allowed in the Tipi House zone
- ! Some shops and activities closed · quieter than expected
- ! Service not always polished for the price in peak periods
- ! A few in-room supplies provided sparingly
- 💡If you come mainly for photos and the theme — it delivers; the stone bridge, clock tower, infinity pool and flower fields are genuinely striking → just do not assume every zone will be open or as pristine as the promo shots, as some activities close seasonally
- 💡If you travel with kids or pets — the activity list is long, the pool keeps children busy all day, and Tipi Houses allow pets → great for families, but confirm with the resort that the specific activity you want is running
- 💡If you plan to come without a private car — think twice; it sits beside Thap Lan National Park with no transport or walkable street nearby → it works best when you drive yourself and spend the whole day on the grounds