Issan Holiday

[1FinickyOne]

just go to one of the hotels cites like agoda and look at the hotels being offered in the ciites you want to go... that should give you an idea...

[ftpjtm]

18 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Where to go depends on what you are interested in: sightseeing, temples, waterfalls...?

 

The first thing to take into consideration is that Isaan is a big place, and that points of interest can be far and away from each other.

For example, in order to visit the Kongchiam area, in Ubon province, with the national parks around, you need to spend at least 2 days and drive 80 km, one way, from Ubon city...and by the way there is a top notch hotel right on the Mekong river in Kongchiam, with top notch food...one of the best places I know in Thailand.

 

Thus, the first thing to determine is how much time you want to dedicate to this trip.

Then comes the mean of transportation: do you have a car? Will you be alone, driving yourself?

 

Unless you are ready to spend a great deal of time in this region, and to drive a lot, you will probably have to chose between going North (Korat, Udon, Loei...) or going East (Buriram, Ubon...).

 

Then, and only then, it will be time to set up an itinerary...

 

Thanks to treehouse_monkey and masuk for some of what I'm looking for.

 

In answer to you, Brunolem, I'm not really sure what I'm looking to see. Easy accessibility for one, no all day hikes up mountains. Perhaps I should ask this way. If Issan is a great tourist region as claimed by CNN, what is the premier tourist attraction? If I were to spend 2 - 3 days somewhere in Issan, which city would be the "go to" place? And what would be the reason to choose that city, what are the must see attractions?

 

RE transportation, I would go along with my Thai wife, and possibly a like minded Thai/Western neighbor couple. We have a car, but would fly if more convenient. We have no problem driving, budget is not an issue, and would far prefer renting a car vs riding mini vans.

 

North? East? IDK, which is the best place to go?

 

BTW, what's the name of the "top notch hotel right on the Mekong river in Kongchiam"?

Edited November 11, 2017 by ftpjtm

[Brunolem]

32 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

Thanks to treehouse_monkey and masuk for some of what I'm looking for.

 

In answer to you, Brunolem, I'm not really sure what I'm looking to see. Easy accessibility for one, no all day hikes up mountains. Perhaps I should ask this way. If Issan is a great tourist region as claimed by CNN, what is the premier tourist attraction? If I were to spend 2 - 3 days somewhere in Issan, which city would be the "go to" place? And what would be the reason to choose that city, what are the must see attractions?

 

RE transportation, I would go along with my Thai wife, and possibly a like minded Thai/Western neighbor couple. We have a car, but would fly if more convenient. We have no problem driving, budget is not an issue, and would far prefer renting a car vs riding mini vans.

 

North? East? IDK, which is the best place to go?

 

BTW, what's the name of the "top notch hotel right on the Mekong river in Kongchiam"?

The hotel name is Tohsang Kongchiam...they have a very good website...

 

Visiting Kongchiam is more about being in a beautiful setting than being in Isaan, because the place is quite isolated and far different from the usual infinite landscape of paddyfields and small villages that caracterizes a large part of Isaan.

 

Having said that, I think it is not really possible to get a "feel" of Isaan by staying for a few days in a big city.

 

That is because cities are not really representative of the region...they are more like a concentration of whatever wealth exists in a province.

 

For example, if you stay in Ubon at the Sunny Hotel and go to Central Plaza shopping center, you feel much closer to Bangkok than to the villages that are just a few kilometers outside the city.

 

So, once again it is not easy to make a choice because there are so many factors to consider.

 

Buriram could be a possibility, because the province has a number of points of interest, is not too far from Chonburi-Bangkok, and quite representative of Isaan in general...

 

[Ombra]

21 hours ago, treehouse_ monkey said:

Come visit Buriram.  It has changed a lot since I first visited in April 1989. I came out here to live permanently in January 1998. The population was listed as 35,000 people in the city.  Now it is well over 200,000. New roads, bridges, entertainment centers--a great Thai football team, an F3 racing track. Thai Grandprix is scheduled for February 2018. Some very nice hotels" Amari, Best Western, Alvarez, Princess Sita. Amari's  food is extremely delicious. Three western shopping malls-- Robinsons, Taweetkit and Big C. My son is the night manager at Amari. Had some friends stay there for a week this past month and they were very pleased. When we first arrived there were only 2 flights per week. Now soon to have 12 flights per day. To me Buriram is home. There's no place like home

Your son and his colleagues deserve congratulations for proving top-class service. The wife and I stayed at the Amari last Tuesday night, and we appreciated the comfort, good food, and courteous service. We put a very complimentary message on TripAdvisor on an earlier visit. I wish that there were more such hotels in Isaan.

[ftpjtm]

49 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

The hotel name is Tohsang Kongchiam...they have a very good website...

 

Visiting Kongchiam is more about being in a beautiful setting than being in Isaan, because the place is quite isolated and far different from the usual infinite landscape of paddyfields and small villages that caracterizes a large part of Isaan.

 

Having said that, I think it is not really possible to get a "feel" of Isaan by staying for a few days in a big city.

 

 

I'm sold on the Tohsang Kongchaim, it looks great. You say Kongchaim is 80km one way from Ubon city? Does Ubon city have an airport, looks like one helluva drive from Chonburi. 

 

I'm not particularly interested in seeing paddy fields and small villages, when the in laws were alive I got my fill of that. 

 

Any suggestions of sights in the Ubon/Kongchaim vicinity that could fill a couple of days while staying at the Tohsang? 

 

BTW I may need to do a border crossing during my upcoming stay in Thailand, is it possible to do that near Kongchaim?  

[Brunolem]

19 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

I'm sold on the Tohsang Kongchaim, it looks great. You say Kongchaim is 80km one way from Ubon city? Does Ubon city have an airport, looks like one helluva drive from Chonburi. 

 

I'm not particularly interested in seeing paddy fields and small villages, when the in laws were alive I got my fill of that. 

 

Any suggestions of sights in the Ubon/Kongchaim vicinity that could fill a couple of days while staying at the Tohsang? 

 

BTW I may need to do a border crossing during my upcoming stay in Thailand, is it possible to do that near Kongchaim?  

Ubon has an airport with many flights every day.

Coming from Chonburi, the easiest is to get a Thai Smile flight from Suvarnabumi.

Then in Ubon airport you can rent a car and drive the 80 kilometers of good road to Kongchiam.

 

In this area, there are many national parks, such as Pha Taem and Kaeng Tana, really worth the visit...also many waterfalls.

 

And the Lao border is very close...there is a major border crossing at Chong Mek, not far from Kongchiam.

[AliasJohn]

Would be easier for you to get a flight direct from Pattaya UTP airport with Airasia to Ubon. Then rent a car from Jay Jay car rentals and drive there. Kongchiam is where the Mun River and the Mekong river meet and there are many relaxing restaurants high on the banks over looking the river. For your boarder run you are only about 30 kms from Chong Mek on the Lao boarder so you could knock that off to. Many other things to do in that area. Really nice spot.

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[ftpjtm]

6 hours ago, AliasJohn said:

Would be easier for you to get a flight direct from Pattaya UTP airport with Airasia to Ubon. Then rent a car from Jay Jay car rentals and drive there. Kongchiam is where the Mun River and the Mekong river meet and there are many relaxing restaurants high on the banks over looking the river. For your boarder run you are only about 30 kms from Chong Mek on the Lao boarder so you could knock that off to. Many other things to do in that area. Really nice spot.

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Thanks! Is there anything worthwhile visiting in Laos in the Chong Mek area? I'm assuming the car rental agencies don't want cars crossing the border? How is the best way to handle that?

Edited November 11, 2017 by ftpjtm

[AliasJohn]

The closest town from the border is Pakse which is about a hour from the border. If you have time it's worth going to the Bolaven Plataue out side of Pakse. You are not permitted to take a rental car over the border. That's not the rental company rule it's the law. There are duty free shops on the Lao side so you can do a bit of shopping.

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[sotonowl]

Don't know where you are mate but to be honest it may be better for all concerned that you stay there.

[henry15]

I travelled many times in Isaan the last 20 years. The  change is unbelievable. Very nice new roads, many new 2-3 and 4 stars hotels. Even many small Homestays are up to standard, mane new shoppingmalls. I live in Bangkok Metropolis and in many Isaan townss like Udon and Kon Kaeng, you find the same suburban lifestyle as in bangkok.

[Brunolem]

7 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

Thanks! Is there anything worthwhile visiting in Laos in the Chong Mek area? I'm assuming the car rental agencies don't want cars crossing the border? How is the best way to handle that?

There is nothing to see in Chong Mek...rather ugly in fact...

You can easily park your car close to the Thai immigration, then it's all on foot.

You probably won't be alone, so you just follow the flow, and that will lead you to the Lao immigration office which is not readily visible (I had to ask).

On the way back, you can make a stop a the duty free shop (alcool and chocolate)...and that's about it.

 

Edited November 11, 2017 by Brunolem
Rephrasing

[Brunolem]

19 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

I'm sold on the Tohsang Kongchaim, it looks great. 

By the way, better call the hotel for booking...they generally give you rates which are half of those on the website.

 

Last year (my last visit), rates started at 2,000 baht per night.

 

If you can afford it, they have beautiful newly refurbished corner rooms, with large balconies facing the Mekong...around 2,500 to 3,000 baht.

 

And I won't mention the private villas...very pricey and not really worth it I think...

 

[Martyjustice]

Second on the Tosang K. Nice rooms but overpriced. Beds were hard as a rock. I stay at the local resort you see as you cross the Mun. 500b a nite and a better sleep.


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[ResandePohm]

On 11/10/2017 at 8:13 AM, crazygreg44 said:

you can be sure, in Eesan you still find those cozy hotels where you almost get electrocuted during taking a shower

 

this not so rare occurence counts as one of the adventures of the Eesan . . .  

 

a lot of things have gone for the better, but a lot of things have just stayed the same

 

Thus said, another obvious fact hit my mind . . . . . 

 

After having seen the the zillionth waterfall and the thousandth cliff and the umpteenth temple, the highlights of the Eesan will soon dissolve & dissapear in the eye of the viewer . . . . . 

I don't think you know much about Isaan. Firstly it is not spelt or pronounced Eesan but Isaan. Secondly there is no reason to stay in the sleezy rundown hotels which are mostly used for short time stays. I am a little surprised that you are familiar with them. There are plenty of resort hotels with high standards and of good quality.

 

If you are bored with the fantastic panorama views, the incredible artwork in many of the temples and the beautiful waterfalls then why not participate in the incredible traditional culture which thankfully is still practiced in Isaan. Having recently enjoyed and participated in the Loi Krathong festival I can thoroughly recommend them. If these things do not interest you then I really think Isaan is not for you. It would be better to go to Pattaya where you can enjoy the pleasures of the flesh and where you can help perpetuate the myth that all the beautiful Isaan women have migrated there.

[crazygreg44]

what a reply post 45 is!!   First, the english-speaking majority in this forum spell it "Eesarn" as "Isaan" is for the german speaking folk. Second, I live in the Eesarn for almost 10 years, after having lived in greater Bangkok, Supan Buri and Hua Hin for 11 years, and I love it.  However it would be bold to say that the attractions of this "Isaan" place go very far beyond the friendly folk, the beautiful temples, scenic waterfalls and the yearly Loi Krathong festival. Maybe the tenfold fees for foreigners in their National Parks, their ultra-safe roads, the highly recommended educational schools and the burning sweltering piles of plastic & batteries in the villages need to be addressed as the greater achievements of this region.  The rest of the year all over the Eesarn it is "Life as usual" and this doesn't mean they rise & shine every day. There is lots of misery going on in the villages and it needs rose-tinted glass bearers for not seeing them.

 

The person here who does not know anything about the real life in the Eesarn must obviously be you. I have stayed in good hotels, in cheap hotels, in expensive hotels and in filthy hotels. I have had my share of experience, yet. I have slept in "good" hotels where the shower head was live with electric current, that's why I mentioned it. Each year I have spent the Loi Krathong festival in a different place! Myself I don't intend to live in this rubbish bin called Pattaya, I do not hang around in bars nor do I intend to do so in the future. I have lots of good thai friends with whom I can participate in normal life. However myself I tend to see the lovely Eesarn and its people through Non-Tinted glasses for what it really is . . . a little set-back backwater place with lots of issues that still need to be addressed

Edited November 13, 2017 by crazygreg44

[mrblonde]

My first visit to Isaan with my uk gf and we both love it. We're in buriram at the moment, love the people, the food (yes we eat at open air local eateries where you have to keep whacking flys away from your food) but we're staying in a recently built hotel that's costing £35 a night (equivalent back home would be £150+ a night). 

 

Yes its it's a bit of a struggle ording the exact food we want, and drink, but we can both point our way to a 95% success rate. 

 

We love it here, I guess this is the real thailand (cliche), away from the neon lights, the 6ft ladyboys and pot-bellied, tattood westerners that are staggering around Walking Street swinging wild punches at one another fighting over one of the tens of thousands bar girls there 

[EcigAmateur]

I was also a high so azzhole who never wanted to spend time in Esan, but it has changed a lot (maybe I also changed :-) ) and just like Esan girls that I didn't want to know, Esan provinces are very nice to visit now <3