Observing life while cruising the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok gives a different view of Thailand and a new appreciation of travelling by boat.

Escape

When I search “boats” in my photo feed (just for something to do) I’m surprised when 339 photos appear.

Skimming through them, I spot me leaning on a barge on a London canal, me jumping off the bow of a phinisi sailboat in West Papua, me in a funny-looking round boat in Vietnam. And then there’s me on a canoe trip down South Australia’s Glenelg River, and me riding a longboat in Thailand, and me cruising on a stand-up paddleboard in Cairns (does that count as a boat?). And on it goes. It’s not something I’ve ever thought too hard about, but it occurs to me that perhaps I quite fancy travelling by boat.

Adding weight to this moment of self-realisation is my latest water-bound adventure, a cruise aboard Anantara’s Loy River Song boat. The two-night, three-day journey begins in the capital of Bangkok and ventures upstream on the Chao Phraya River to the ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya, stopping at some of Thailand’s cultural landmarks along the way.

In the Covid-19 era, “new” has naturally come to mean at some time in the past two years. Loy River Song was launched in July 2021, but has only started welcoming guests on board this year. I’m lucky enough to be one of them.

The 33m vessel, with its wide girth and flat bottom, has been bespoke-built in the tradition of Thailand’s century-old teak rice barges that are a popular sight (Covid aside) plying tourists along the Chao Phraya. But where the old barges tend towards traditional wood design and Thai adornments, Loy River Song distinguishes itself with a mud-brown exterior that favours functionality over flair – motoring past, it doesn’t necessarily turn heads.

But on board, it’s a different story – this is the kind of luxury that puts a spring in my step even when hauling a suitcase. Loy River Song has been fitted and furnished for a maximum of eight guests, with just four lower-deck staterooms named for the Chao Phraya’s four headwaters – Nan, Yom, Wang and Ping. My room, Nan, is understatedly styled with quality fabrics, timber floors and teak shutters. At just over 36sq m, it is generously sized with a king bed, smart ensuite featuring a black and white chevron-tiled floor, and niceties such as rattan day bags and Jim Thompson bathrobes. There’s also a concierge button to attend any need. I didn’t use it, but I dare say a fresh towel or a cup of tea below deck would have been at the ready.

The attentive staff and decadence continue on the upper deck, where a relaxed, open-plan salon has a long dining table topped with vases of fresh roses, and a lounge area with low-slung silk-upholstered chairs, where guests play backgammon or dip into a small library of books on Thai culture. With music piped in and aircon on, it serves as a place to escape Bangkok’s humidity as the heat builds during the day. In the afternoons, when big sliding windows and doors are opened, the breeze ensures a relaxing place to watch the scenery drift by.

And what heady scenery. The Chao Phraya springs at the confluence of the Ping and Nan River in Nakhon Sawan province and flows 372km through Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand. From whoa-to-go, this ancient trade and travel route is a window onto Thai life.

In Bangkok, it is a murky hubbub of passenger ferries, barges and tugboats – an aqueous highway crossed with concrete bridge spans and lined with architectural intrigues, including Wat Arun, a 19th-century temple clad in a mosaic of Chinese porcelain that glimmers pearlescent in the sunlight. We stop here and at the Royal Barges Museum to admire eight of the Thai royal family’s splendiferous river barges.

As we journey upstream, the greyness of the city slowly gives way to green, and vignettes of regional life start to unfold: clusters of wooden stilt houses, factories, boat-building businesses, villages home to gold buddhas and gleaming temples.

Our stops over the three days are well timed for a leg stretch and a deep dive on Thai history. At Bang Pa-In, the Thai royal family summer palace, we wander around the architecturally eclectic temples, monuments and residences inspired by the travels of King Rama V during the 18th and 19th centuries – a European manor, a Chinese throne room and a Cambodian temple among them. At Wat Bot, where a huge gold Buddha overlooks the river, we join young, orange-robed monks along the waterfront promenade.

In the heritage-listed ancient old town of Ayutthaya, we marvel at the 14th-century red brick pagodas and headless statues of Wat Mahathat, and the bell-shaped “chedis” of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, which are known to house the ashes of 15th-century kings.

Fittingly, in between stops, we eat and drink like kings. At the communal table, “light” breakfasts include baskets of pastries, plates of fruit and European favourites such as eggs Benedict with salmon. Lunch and dinner are five-star style with à la carte menus featuring Thai royal cuisine one night and gourmet western dishes the next.

Each day, come four o’clock, tiered silver trays topped with delicate canapé mouthfuls are served on the fore deck. We sip freshly mixed Martinis and Gimlets as the sun makes silhouettes of coconut palms and peaked rooftops.

On our final day, as we return to Bangkok, a lavish brunch is served. Platters of oysters, little dishes of caviar and a bowl spilling with lobster legs, langoustines and prawns are delivered to the table. As Loy River Song passes under bridges and motors past temples and longboats, sending gentle waves to the shore in its wake, we sip Champagne to celebrate our journey. Is it any wonder I quite fancy travelling by boat?

The author travelled with Anantara and Loy Pela Voyages.

ESCAPE ROUTE

Getting there

Thai Airways flies direct to Bangkok from Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. 

Staying there

Loy River Song’s two-day/one-night all-inclusive rate for two people sharing a cabin starts from $3470 plus taxes (88,000 Thai baht) per cabin. The three-day/two-night all-inclusive cruise for two people sharing a cabin starts from $7297 plus taxes (185,000 Thai baht) per cabin. 

Loy River Song departs from Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, which has 281 guestrooms and 95 suites set in a tropical riverside setting. Rooms start from $146 a night.