Dheva Mantra Resort

This is the grown-up option in Kanchanaburi. Most places along the Kwai trade on rafts, floating rooms and cheap beer, and there's a time for that, but if you want a proper bed, a saltwater pool and a spa within walking distance of your room, this is the sort of stay that fits. The look is colonial, heavy on heritage detail, and the rooms lean upscale rather than rustic. Couples do well here. So do people who've spent the day out at Erawan and want somewhere quiet to land.

Riverside dining on site means you don't have to go back into town at night unless you feel like it, which is fair enough after a long day. The Bridge on the River Kwai and the national parks are all comfortably reachable, so the resort works as a base rather than a place you hide in for three days. Come between November and February, when the heat eases off and walking around Kanchanaburi is actually pleasant.