Hello, Happy Xmas!
Has anyone stayed at the Navalai River Resort in Bangkok? It has very good reviews but I am worried about the location as it is in the vicinity of Chao Phraya River , Phra Athit road, sometimes described as a suburb and other times as very central. This will be my first time in the city and I would like a central location. I am looking for something small with character and a pool. Does anyone know it or the area? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I've not stayed there, but I checked the location on a couple of hotel websites. It is by the river (which is a good thing) is in the KhaoSan area, the prime area for backpackers (which is either good or bad depending on your point of view), and is a long way from any Skytrain stop (not so good). Traffic in this area is very heavy, making taxi travel slow.

Whether it is central depends on what you want to do in Bangkok. On one hand, it's close to some of the renowned wats on the other hand it's a long way from the main shopping district. Bangkok is quite spread out.

it looks quite nice but somehow i doubt it in that area....it is not cheap at $95, but i see one $65 rate which is not bad....

i would call the area central rather than suburban....its not sukhumvit central but it is in the middle of the city...

there are tons of taxis in that area and buses...

I walked past this place while it was under construction. It is right at the Banglampu pier of the river express, so it's very easy to get the boat to the Skytrain (though that would take time). The location is very convenient to the major sights. You could walk to the grand palace, as well as national museum, national art gallery, etc. Phra Artit Road has become quite popular in recent years, with several nice restaurants and pubs. It's a bit more sophisticated than the scene at Khao San.

As noted, the main drawback is the distance you'll need to travel to get to the high-end shopping areas, but the district itself has quite a few interesting local markets.

Thank-you so much. This is all very helpful. I think we may go for it. They gave me a rate of approx 50 euros for the best room with balcony overlooking the river. We aren't on a budget but as I mentioned we do prefer smaller local places to the big intenational hotels. Also we aren't all that interested in shopping malls.More into nice restaurants and markets in interesting characterful streets. So this may be just right. I just hope it isn't seedy!
I will definitely let you know when we get back.
Meanwhile we have booked a house at the Railey Beach Club!