The Five Best Riverside Hotels

2. Sand Rivers, Tanzania
Set on a wide curve in the Rufiji river in the north of Selous Nature Reserve, Sand Rivers is one of Tanzania’s best safari lodges. Built by the naturalist Richard Bonham in 1984, it was a pioneering base for walking safaris. The game driving is top-notch, but this lodge is still best known for its guided nature walks along the water. Guest rooms, with decks and thatched roofs, are on the riverbank, and are largely open, so crocodiles, hippos and elephants can be (safely) seen from your bed.
Sand Rivers (www.sand-rivers-selous.com) doesn’t take direct bookings. Audley Travel (01993 838 500; www.audleytravel.com) is one of several UK operators offering holidays there. Four nights cost from £2,300 per person, including return international and domestic flights and all-inclusive accommodation

3. Avan Dzoraget, Armenia
Two hours north of the capital Yerevan, Avan Dzoraget sits between the Debed river and the rocky mountains that characterise this part of the Caucasus. One of five establishments planned to put this little-visited country on the chic hotels map, Avan Dzoraget is the brainchild of James Tufenkian, an Armenian-born New Yorker. The rush of the river can be heard, if not seen, in each of the 34 rooms, all featuring a rich stone and cool marble decor that recalls the Debed’s banks. Armenian rugs are found throughout, and the bedding is made by the Armenian Knitting Ladies, a 200-strong local collective.
Avan Dzoraget, Lori, Dzoraget, Armenia (00 374 10 655 877; www.tufenkianheritage.com/hotels). Doubles from 61,152 drams (£102), including breakfast

4. The Oriental, Thailand
From this venerable hotel on the bank of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya, you can take in many of the sights of South-east Asia’s most colourful capital: commerce, commuting, and most aspects of life in between, seem to take place on the river. The Oriental’s riverside pool and terrace restaurant are perfect for watching the cheerful chaos of traditional longtail boats vying with ferries for right of the waterway beneath you. Rooms in the oldest part of the hotel (dating back to 1867) have more of a colonial feel, but the newer wing has better views of the water. Cross the river in the hotel’s boat to visit its temple-like spa.
The Oriental, 48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand (00 66 2659 9000; www.mandarinoriental. com). Doubles from US$315 (£166), room only 

5. Sir Christopher Wren’s House Hotel, UK
You can’t get much closer to the Thames than this 96-room hotel. The original core of the house was built as a family home by the eponymous English architect responsible for, among many other buildings, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Greenwich Observatory and Hampton Court. The building has been extended over the years, with some rooms having recently been given a stylish overhaul by the current owner. A few rooms have decked balconies just above the water, perfect for watching boats go by, along with geese, ducks and plenty of regal swans, extending their domain from nearby Windsor Castle.
Sir Christopher Wren’s House Hotel & Spa, Thames Street, Windsor, Berkshire (01753 442 408; www.sirchristopherwren.co.uk). Doubles from £97, room only