jingjai,
Thanks for all the useful info about the hotel in your post.
For that standard of hotel it looks to be a bargain.
I'll be taking the family later in the year for sure.

Zidane

Out and about, usually clean, safe, inexpensive accommodations, preferably without breakfast provided as usually a disappointment. Out of Udon Thani, it’s fairly a straight shot on Hwy 210 via NBLP, till hwy 201, turn right heading north. Usually stay in town/municipality, which has a sign directing you that way at NokKeaw Rd, a right, which turns into ChumSai rd on other side of circle. Stayed at individual Hotel, just past the circle, 2nd building I think. A car park is in the rear, BUT, entrance to car park is also from the rear, so if planning ahead, continue around circle and take 1st left, or go past the hotel and around the block at first right turn,. Entrance on parallel street behind. Rate was 500 baht, inc. 1 ABF, or 2 rice soups, BUT, strangely, if wanting another rice soup, was told 100 baht charge, go figure. Room was fine, Thai cable, location excellent. Night market, which was very laid back and nice, w/good offerings. Enjoyed the salad bar, 7 baht per 100 grams, clean and fresh, couple dressing to chose, and free water station for her customers, along with soap and water, for those wishing to wash hands............a first anywhere. Location of night market was exit front of hotel, go right, to corner, then that whole street till next corner, which is same street for parking entrance to hotel, so can travel either direction.

Also very close to the lake in town, with shops around same. All within walking distance. Exit parking lot of hotel, or exit front door and go left to corner and hang a left. Should see park/lake shortly, mere 100 meters from parking lot corner. Upon approach to lake, a road encircles the lake, then a small walkway circles the lake itself on other side of street. At that intersection ‘T’, you can either bear left and cross foot bridge to park island, almost an island, or, hang a right, stay on the shop side of road, and enjoy a very nice Rum/raisin ice cream sundae, or you favorite coffee, hot or cold desert style, along with some finger cakes, or a tuna or ham/cheese sandwich I noticed on menu. All inexpensive, 2 scoop sundae, 25 baht, yummy. Then cruise around the park, and get a smoothie, 40 baht to refresh afterwards, again at the “something Coffee Bar”.

The breakfast was a disappointment, no surprise, ABF, one slice sandwich ham, 3 little wieners, scrambled eggs by request, as the others looked cold, fresh toast, and ok instant coffee. As disappointing as that was, the rest of the menu was rather nice and well priced. At all times of the day, the small restaurant was full. Had one meal there, no complaints.

A mere 2 day stop, a couple pics below, not much that I can be added to BM’s fine collection of shots on 1st page of thread, well done BM. One old shot of Phu Rua.



coffee shop/ice cream, yummy




night market, wash, water, salad bar

nice read this thread,i am heading to loei in a couple of weeks,have booked the amari loei palace,i got it for 800 baht a nite for a standard room,that was booked quite in advance tho.still excellent price if they are half as good as the bkk amaris.will hopefully post pics and let you know how i get on when i am back,but i will be there for best part of a month.
thxs
steve

It is a very peaceful hotel from what i saw....800baht is more like it, maybe they read this thread and realized the 3000baht was tooo much,friendly people around and a nice place allround steve...and don't forget to post some photos

beer monkey wrote:The Sun Palace Hotel,address is 191/5 Charonrut Rd , phone 042-815717 042-815545. 042 812654

300 Baht per night - 1000 Baht for ViP,these were the prices displayed but probably will differ on the day you arrive i payed 650 for vip. had 2 rooms 2 TV's Minibar AC. nice and quite,but if you get the ViP room in the carpark beware of cars parking/leaving after 12 midnight, but did't disturb me.

4-5 floors i think in main building,carpark, friendly staff,resturant and massage available
near to The Loei palace ($pang-pangฃ) and near to Tescos.KFC.and next door to the lake/gardens.


about loei.
http://www.amari.com/tta/desguide_loei.asp

just got back from loei,stayed at loei palace for 9 days at 900 baht a nite.only wanted it for the pool,but found out anyone can use pool for 60 baht a day.
went to sun palace then for a week,300 baht standard room,vip 500 baht.nice place but basic.
can organise car rental at loei palace,or if you want a bike,near the honda garage on the roundabout is a bike repair place that rents them for 200 baht a day.
few bars and 2 nightclubs i found.few steak houses,german restaurant,thats about it western style.
nice relaxed place is loei.kfc was open but tescos wasnt,looks like it being opened soon.
at least 8-9 hotels in the city centre from 200 baht upwards.
steve

Good tip off with the pool and bike.

Made my first ever trip to Loei for a couple of days earlier this week along with my wife and son.
We,too,stayed at the Amari Loei Palace hotel and found it excellent.We got the room for 1000 baht which included breakfast for 3 people.....a bit of a steal really !
Note that if you try to book on the Amari website the same is down as 1300 baht so it pays to either go on spec or get your Thai wife/girlfriend to phone up the hotel direct and book beforehand.
The hotel is very nice and whilst it cant compare to the Pullman (Sofitel) in Khon Kaen it is certainly a cut above anything Udon has to offer.It has a nice pool and,I believe,a gym.You can also hire bikes from the hotel for 80 baht per day.Next door there is a nice little park where the locals go for a walk or jog in the evenings.
The room was a decent size and modern with good views of the surrounding hills.....nice to see the mist rising from them in the morning.
The restaurant is good as well.As might be expected from a 4* hotel it is a little expensive but has a good selection of Thai food and farang fare includes Salmon Steak,Grilled Seabass and Pork Chop all costing about 265 baht.
A large Leo costs 89 baht and the wine list includes small bottles of local wine called Chateau de Loei ? costing 225 baht.
Loei town centre is nothing exceptional.A typical nondescript Thai town really.It lacks something like a Central Plaza shopping mall to add a bit of spark to the place.
But people go to Loei for the surrounding countryside.Its quite scenic and parts of it on the road from Wansaphong to Phu Kradung reminded me a bit of the UK countryside with the greenery, rolling hills and even a bit of drizzle to add to the nostalgia !
If you go via Nong Bua Lamphu a good stop off point is the Erawan cave just 2 kilometres off the main road.Its quite a hike up the mountain to the cave & big buddha (about 600 steps,I reckon) but there are rest points on the way up where you can take in the views.
Heading back from Loei an alternative scenic route,although a fair bit longer,is via the Mekhong Valley (Chiang Khan-Pakchom-Sangkhom-Si Chiang Mai heading towards Nong Khai).
I'd certainly recommend spending a few days in this area if you are so inclined and dont think you will be disappointed if you choose to stay at the Amari Loei Palace.
The weather seemed to be a lot fresher in Loei,as well.Tuesday night there was little humidity and temperatures just under 70f....no need for the aircon !

Accommodation options near Phu Rua National Park, stayed at Phu Rua Resorts, less than 5 kms to road to park, I think, which there is also a small market and food vendors, in case wanting a snack away from resort restaurant. Of course after breakfast, we went to the department store (7-11) for some snacks, beverages I always bring with me, in cooler, just in case no frig, and I’m a CC.

PRR, not Royal PRR, not PRR Chalets, but PRR, on left, about 45 kms after turn to park from 201 to 203. The room, cheapest, 800 baht separate bungalow, basic, hw/frig/ac/twin firm beds/balcony, semi private, no sex, well, maybe at night, if bold. Nice view from balcony, 2 pics below, as a stream runs behind whole resort, nice background noise, and also a nice hill along the length of resort also. Making for nice views. Can manage a little shade on balcony, one corner where I was for a bit, till ready to type this, as all downloaded and ready to be put in reply. Then the afternoon heat got to me. Breakfast / dining area was very nice area to sit and relax, as shaded in parts outside, if not, inside area w/fan and still nice view of countryside/hill/falls/stream, pics below.

Restaurant…..for dinner, I had the ‘panang chicken’, special order, 95. Ree, stomach not up to par, shitake mushroom and shrimp 110, being the high end of stir fries, veggie stir fry being the low end, 60. The rest 85-95. Rest of the menu is fairly priced, with exception of soups, tom ka/tom yam starting at 120. One water, and dinner was 230 w/30 tip/260 total. Room comes w/brekkie included, as asking what it was at check in, rice soup or fried rice……….oh joy. Pleasantly surprised, it was actually quite good, as we both went with fried rice/shrimp, which came with toast and quite tasty coffee. So the CC in me calculated, fr/t/c…50/20/30, making 2 breakfasts a 200 baht value, so 600 for the room, a fair price, due to location location location.

The plus…………location, all things facing stream and hillside, and nice falls at the restaurant deck area.

The negatives, website says 800, Ree called ahead, 800, ok, reservation, hang up, before asking name, go figure. Arrive, quoted 900, which usually I would simply turn around and leave, but sitting in car for almost 6 hours, I took the long way w/stops, conversation ensued, called, blah blah blah, then woman sitting at computer turns and acknowledges call, after to long a wait, obviously waiting for us to say, ok, 900, but notices I’m ready to leave, and all is squared away, at ‘our special rate’. so have the little lady call and make reservation, or you will be faranged when checking in. The room, good and bad, good..location again/balcony, bed next to window for ac’d view, the bad, lack of good initial building skill, and maintenance, hmm, big surprise. Would compare to top mansion or ruysuk, nothing special, except location, and TM/RS better maintained. Hot water was warm, not a problem now, but here during cool season, I don’t think it would feel very warm, as coming out of ground much colder. An extension cord, is recommended if having any electrical with you, as I always do. Only one outlet, with 2 plug ins, tv/frig. Dresser with light, actually no bulb, as nowhere to plug in anyway, and light in bathroom, exposed, instead of glass covering which was missing, along with a partially screened vapor exhaust area to roof, hence mozzie entrance, so bring your mozzie zapper, ‘don’t leave home without it’

Besides the negatives, actually minor, I’m almost nit picking, but it is a ‘resort’, and hoping the high end rooms are in better shape, or I wouldn’t consider them a good value. Apparently negative not a problem, as we stayed another night. Consider it a decent value for the area, and of course, that location thing, especially if planning on going to PRNP, which is not for me, as been there when free, or allowed in, I’m special, as we got there so late, no charge as closing within hour of so, a few years back. Went to main overviews, nice, but nothing different from the country side I drove thru this time, taking the kut chap road, to ban phu, then coming in loei from the north, 290 kms total, much slower than direct route, but much nicer scenery, which meant slow at times, as many curves and hills to negotiate. But very nice, so for me, CC, no need to pay 200/me, 50/car, 20-40 thai entrance fee for park, to basically see the same thing. IMO, think the drive was better than what’s in the park. Ok, enough, pics below, hope this helps, I would recommend a stay there, or at least a reservation, as there are many other places on the way into the park, none of which I checked out, you may want to before checking in, but stop and look at the view from restaurant first, then do little recon, probably return unless finding something better. I was too lazy and late in afternoon to look. Did stop at florra hill resort on the way, 650 w/brekkie, passed on it, as tried to scam us for more expensive room, saying none available, and one that is, someone checking in early tomorrow, so can’t rent out…………………yea right. And very few cars in the parking area or room areas, must be packed. At PRR, I believe we were the only ones staying there.

From the balcony:




From restaurant/dining deck area:

We went to the same resort Christmas 2008...a few photos included. If you want a killer view, leave the resort, headed back toward Udon, just a few KM from the resort, take a left to the road that runs to Thali (we did our 90 day check there no problem in Dec). About halfway to Thali, you'll be at the top of a mountain range with a wow-view of the valley below. Nice sala up there for photo opportunities.
The tasty meat dish was on display at the market, in the unrefrigerated section. I considered it for breakfast, but decided to take a pass.

Thanks for the photos and write ups chaps.....thats the place for me, note the colour changes and water flow per season, very green and fast flow sandy colour water in LA's pic, and Parrot Dec 08 A Bit Drier but clearer less flowing water.

talk about a difference in pice, wet/dry.........how about a little overnight lite rain, could go brown water rafting now.


ok, back home, direct route 203/201/210, 200 kms/3 hrs, as opposed to arrive north of loei, 290 km/6hrs, with couple stops, lunch and check out land and quick tour of ban phu. quick pace back to udon, not too many problems passing and as pointed out, nobody passing me, which the reason for one of the 2 quick stops, 1 pit stop, 1 money stop/100 baht, as i was the only dummy in the right lane as we crested the hill, immediately got over, as i saw them way down bottom of hill, almost hit the one, as trying to play 'busy talking, not looking, so can't stop', didn't work, 2nd officer in direct line of being hit. thought about pulling a Stan, but not that location as couple stations up the road if wanting to call ahead. of course the usual routine, license, give him both, hands me one back, then says, hey, mb license, well, you had then, pick one. speeding, 120, don't think so, passing truck, now chit chat time, where from, how fast they drive there................honey, talk, he's not writing, ask what he wants..........now please, he's turning page.........can pay you, so don't have to go back to NBLP, 100 BAHT/BYE. she's a little slow at time, if they don't take the license, and get out of the sun and start writing right away, they would rather have the money, but he wasn't going to ask, have to offer. can i pay you instead of ticket and going back to NBLP......

in his defense, i was and am usually speeding, but so was everyone else. don't lie to me and say you have speed strips, just ask and lets go. no complaints, friendly chap, better than the alternative, but....

anyone thinking of going, they had mud/rock slides on hilly part of road, in couple spots, right before NPLP, so down to one side, one lane each, and looks like it will take at least a week to clean up. need some heavy equipment for that one. also, as you pass NBLP municipality, lake/7-11, hop over to the left service/frontage road, and stay there as long as possible, as the are resurfacing the to loei side. you may even consider going half way, the way i went to it, kut chap road/2263, then left back to 210 instead of to ban phue, which will put you at na klang when back on 210, via 2097 south. especially if planning on the weekend, kut chap way, adds about 15 kms, and a bit slower road, but no detour/construction. probably about the same, but you'll be moving the whole time.

good luck.

tried a couple times to upload this, from the dining/deck area out back of hotel.

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This thread on Loei is very interesting. I have been to Loei, as my tgf lives in village near Nong Hin, and i did like it there. I will be retiring in about a year or so to Issan, and am considering settling in Loei as opposed to Udon Thani. I have seen no property to buy or rent on the internet for Loei, and suspect the only way to find out is asking when I am there in Loei, which i will be visiting in September, all being well. Has anyone any idea on property in Loei by chance?

Although Udon has the AEK hospital and shops, Loei is only about 80 miles away i believe. I think i would like the quieter lifestyle Loei may offer, and it is nearer tgf village as well. Plus property would be cheaper maybe, as not many farang there yet? If anyone has any thoughts, pluses or minuses on maybe settling in Loei, i would be very interested in hearing them. Cheers!

Phil R
If you are in Loei the Krung Thai bank have a display board of houses and land for sale. I think they are properties the bank has foreclosed on but not certain about that.The bank is upstairs but the display board is directly opposite the atm,s downstairs,groundlevel.
Other than that i am unaware of any actual real estate office. When we bought our land it was through somebody who knew someone etc etc. Word of mouth seems to work quite well here.
I might add the properties on the Krung Thai display board seem to be very reasonably priced

PhilR wrote: Loei is only about 80 miles away i believe.

And the rest Phil. Takes nearly 2 hours by car.
If your planning to live there, hope you like Issan food. Very few Western food outlets.

According to google maps, UT to Loei is about 150km, or 93 miles.

Thanks coillingwood the information about Krung Thai Bank in Loei, i'll certainly visit there this September. As for the two hour drive to Udon, i do like Issan food Galee, within reason of course! But like here, i could do the weekly 'big shop' in Udon as i do here maybe? So, 93 miles, quite a way but if i remember a pretty good road between the two!?

As for local knowledge Brian. As you know when at the Loei Palace before, i asked about a rental car, and i'm sure a car of a mate of the receptionist appeared, fronted by his girlfriend who could speak English! So i'm sure that local asking will pay dividends there. And, i think because property is so uncommercialised still, hopefully the prices will stay low, which suits me just fine!

Little bit of caution required when buying from the Banks.
Make sure that the property is actually physically empty before you buy & change all locks on moving in!!
The road Loei/Udon is pretty good, but I guess 2 hours each way is a fair estimate of the time it will take.