"Imagine Bangkok traffic and you’re probably picturing tuk-tuks and motorbikes zipping down congested roads, not wooden boats sailing at a quick clip along the river. But the city is laced with a network of canals that played an important role in trade and commerce during the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of these waterways have been filled in, but a good number remain. Stay at a hotel like Riva Surya, situated right on the banks of the Chao Phraya River — something like the Grand Canal of Bangkok — and you’ll have easy access to the watery labyrinth that earned Bangkok the nickname “Venice of the East.”" - Tablet Hotels