ARAYA HOTEL Uttaradit — villa rooms with private terraces and a pool, on a modest budget
If you want a place in Uttaradit with rooms roomier than the in-town towers, a terrace to sit on and a pool to cool off in after a long drive — ARAYA HOTEL is a name that keeps coming up. It's a 3-star, 78-room villa-style hotel on the Phitsanulok-Den Chai road on the way into town. The villa rooms have private terraces and run 36-38 sqm, parking is easy, and rates start at about ฿600/night. The trade-off is the location, around 4 km out from the city centre — great by car, but not walkable into town.
What sets ARAYA HOTEL apart from the in-town tower hotels in Uttaradit is the villa layout. Rooms sit in low-rise blocks spread across the grounds, with gardens, walkways, and private terraces or sit-out areas on many rooms. Rooms run around 36-38 sqm, noticeably bigger than a typical in-town hotel room. Self-drivers love being able to park right by their room and unload without dragging bags far.
Another thing you rarely get at this price is an outdoor pool and a fitness room. After a long drive or a full day out, being able to slip into the pool is something guests mention often. The grounds have a leafy garden, a shared lounge, a cafe, and a small minimart on site, so you can grab a drink or a snack without driving out.
Room types run from Standard Villa and Twin Villa up to Luxury Room and Boutique Villa. Guests consistently praise the spacious rooms, comfy King beds, and styling that feels more modern than you'd expect for the price. Rooms come with a flat-screen TV, wardrobe, work desk and air-con. The hotel opened in 2007 and was renovated in 2018, so the updated rooms feel fresher than the older stock.
"Really spacious room, comfy bed, a private terrace to have coffee on, parked right outside, and a pool to swim in — genuinely good value for six or seven hundred baht."
To be straight about it, the most common complaint in the reviews is inconsistent cleaning and upkeep. Some guests get a spotless room, others run into a bathroom that wasn't fully cleaned, musty-smelling towels, or marks on the bathroom ceiling. It depends on the room and the timing. If your room doesn't feel right on arrival, ask the front desk to switch you straight away.
A couple more things to set expectations: walls are fairly thin and hot water in some rooms is weak. You may hear the next room or the corridor, and a few reviews mention hot water that didn't work or was slow to arrive. As for the location on the main road into town — around 4 km from the centre of Uttaradit — it's easy to drive to and near Uttaradit Rajabhat University, but not suited to anyone wanting to walk around town or arriving by train without a car.
Overall, ARAYA HOTEL scores 8.3 out of 10 on Trip.com from around 81 real reviews. It's a solid fit for self-drivers who want a big room with a terrace, a pool and easy parking on a modest budget. Rates start around ฿600 and rise with the season and room type into the low thousands for Luxury or Boutique Villa rooms. If you can live with the out-of-town location and the patchy cleaning, it offers good value for the price.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Spacious villa-style rooms with private terraces and comfy beds
- ✓ Has a pool and gym, rare at this price
- ✓ Big car park, can park right by your room
- ✓ Varied breakfast and friendly staff
- ! Cleaning and upkeep are inconsistent in some rooms
- ! Fairly thin walls, you can hear the next room
- ! Out of the city centre, you'll need a car
- ✓ Rooms feel more modern than expected for the price
- ✓ On the main road, easy to drive in and out, near Rajabhat University
- ✓ Cafe and minimart on site for easy supplies
- ✓ Quiet, leafy garden setting
- ! Hot water is weak or slow in some rooms
- ! Some furnishings are starting to show their age
- ! Not walkable to anything, you rely on a car
- 💡If you arrive by train or have no car — the hotel is around 4 km from the centre and not walkable → for walking around town, consider Friday Hotel or Sunee Boutique in the city instead.
- 💡If you're very particular about cleanliness — some rooms aren't fully cleaned, towels or bathrooms can smell musty → check the room on arrival and ask to switch if it's not right.
- 💡If you're a light sleeper — walls are fairly thin and you may hear the next room or corridor → request a corner room or one away from the main walkway for more quiet.