Is life in Ubon boring?

[transam]

On 11/24/2017 at 1:17 PM, aircooledflat4 said:

I tried Ubon for 3 months and was underwhelmed. I tried to like it, but it feels to me at some point this town has had the stuffing knocked out it, and it hasn’t recovered.

 

Difficult to walk anywhere, the place is strictly designed for cars. A distinct lack of green space, gardens and recreational places for families or exercise, even just places to sit and relax. The Mun River is the jewel of the crown but is terribly underdeveloped, under-utilised and neglected. A simple boardwalk or cycling track along the river bank would transform this city and give it some much needed vibrancy.

 

Sadly everyone just stays in their cars. You don’t see pedestrians in Ubon, the infrastructure is rundown and the footpaths can swallow you whole. There’s no local bus service, only taxis and songtaews. Difficult to get a taxi after dark.

 

The old town is all Chinese and I was surprised how little food options there are there. The place should be buzzing with hot pot and bbq, but after dark it all shuts down behind their metal shutters. On the plus side the Chinese seem to have managed to rid the streets of all dogs. In places like Warim however they are an ever present menace.

 

The central park in town is in a constant state of neglect and disrepair, as is the outdoor gym equipment which is rusted and dangerous. The moat surrounding the park is a sad looking remnant of better days.

 

The street food beside the main park in town is not particularly inviting and the night markets are dull. Like a lot of towns in Thailand, Ubon is completely overrun with traffic. There’s very few places to go to get away from the noise. It’s a town with big potential, but it feels like people have given up. There’s a distinct lack of cultural activities, street music and street art, apart from Loi Krathong and the Candle Festival. The museum and library are under-utilised and devoid of patrons. I went to the museum and I was the only person there. I get the feeling Ubonites prefer to go to Central Plaza which is sad.

 

I gave it a go there, but for me beach towns offer a better alternative.

 

Ubon is not a beach town, chalk and cheese...But I think you are being a little unfair with your comments...

[SantiSuk]

Aircooledflat overstates the case in a couple of areas:

• no local buses - "only songtaews and taxis";  ie a very wide range of frequent ultra-cheap songtaews during the day and easily accessible relatively (Bangkok prices) taxis that come quickly, even on weekend nights in our experience of pub-crawling around town with the Ubon Hash. I've seen the criticism about taxis not being available later on a couple of times now so maybe there is some experience that differs from mine. Or perhaps people don't appreciate that they are essentially a phone-up service that has in recent years permitted drivers to pick-up on the streets if they have no fare (but most people order thenm by phone as they are very responsive that way (or have been IME). You certainly should not rely on finding one on the streets even in the central area late evening.
• no green spaces - the poster found candle park which is indeed relatively small and unimpressive. He must have missed any of three reservoir/lakes within the ring road and no that far from the town central areas that make for pleasant walking and excercising opportunities.

However I have some sympathy with hia case and any casual arivee insofar as getting information is concerned and I agree entirely about the Old Town comments - it's a disgraceful waste of an opportunity to have a revitalised up and coming bohemian quarter. The burghers of Ubon have absolutely no idea about modern town development/planning and just sit on their @rses all day in relation to tourism development. Luckily the private sector fills in with a wide range of good and high value hotels and the restaurant/bar scene and other nightlife is OK when you have the knowledge of where to look, but again the tourist office has no idea that this information should be provided. If I walk into the pathetic excuse of a tourist office they are still peddling the same rubbish maps/guides that they did when I first arrived 10 years ago. the same can be said of most other Thai tourist offices I walked into away form the real tourist hotspots. TAT should be sent to see how the South Koreans do city visit tourist information 

 

Needs a bomb putting under the City Council and the tourist office IMO. Maybe it's them that think that Ubon is boring! They seem to have failed to recognise that the several thousand rooms that have been added since I came here have people in them that mostly don't know the city and want to know where to eat, drink, shop and go look around! Web sites like trip adviser only get you so far.

 

I hope the boss of N-Joy bar doesn't mind me purloining her recent facebook pic of Huai Wang Nong in north central Ubon town. 2 clicks south of Big C. Nice upmarket restaurant "Feeling" on its north western bank, interesting Lao style temple worth a look within a few minutes walk away (Wat Phratat Nong Bua) and a decent karaoke/hostess garden bar along the road.

 

 

 

 

 

[SantiSuk]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Where's that...?

'Ubon Tap Taste House'. Google that for a map/facebook page, but as you know Ubon Tramsam I'll describe it. From the junction of Phadaeng and Pitchitrangsan Roads, go east on the northern side of Pitchitrangsan (towards Laithong hotel). Cross over the Nakhoban Road junction, continuing to head for Laithong and you'll soon come across it on your left before hitting the next crossroads. Edit - ok map below for avoidance of doubt

Ubon tap taste house - Google Maps.pdf

[BsBs]

Hello,

 

Ubon is the best town where anybody not totally insane would live in Esarn.

 

So many cheap new hotels in town (300-500 thb) but do you know if there is a cheap hotel / guesthouse near the river ?

 

Thanks.

[SantiSuk]

If you don't mind old-style then the Sri Isaarn is OK - actually I quite like it but you will find that some Trip Advisor respondents think it is dirty. What they really mean IMO is it is old-style so doesn't look as pristine as the raft of new value hotels in the Phadaeng/Hopp Inn/A+/T3/Come Pang/Bliss/V-Hotel type category.

 

 

I have stayed in more than 25 hotels in Ubon (come up from Sisaket every month for Ubon Hash House Harriers), but only 2 of these were what I would call close to the river (in the central area of town). See attached for an extract from review notes for:

The Ratchathani, which was an AVOID, and

Sri Isaarn, opposite the big fresh market close to the east side of the main town bridge on Ratchabutr Rd, which gets a qualified recommendation (see pdf file and opening comment above.

 

Ones I haven't tried are:

Eco Inn on Srinarong between Luang and Ratchawaong Roads - new 3storey mansion style hotel; a friend who stayed there said it was nice and it's quite well rated on Booking and Agoda.coms; haven't tried it because it looks overpriced at 950 baht for a room with breakfast that looks like what you get at 700-800 baht in other parts of town. Also I left a document at reception for said friend who stayed there: first non-English speaker receptionist spoke no English and my intermediate Thai caused her panic; the second and probably senior male receptionist spoke English well and appeared to understand  my request to let him know it awaited him when he returned. But friend inevitably never got the document. Maybe I will try it one day. Bit further from the river but still only 5 mins walk and close to some fine wats.

Ubon Hotel on Kuanthani Rd immediately south of 'Candle Park' (Thung Si Meuang). In the vintage of Sri Isaan and similar price range, but its ratings on the booking websites are poor. Can't be bothered to try it, albeit an Ubonite long standing falang told me it has an interesting Saturday night dance club (old style with taxi dancers if I remember what he wrote) on the top floor Saturdays - sounds like a cultural exploration called for!

 

Ratchabutr Hostel down the road from and in the same street block as the Sri Isaarn - practically on the riverside. I do want to try out this backpacker one day which looks basic and cheap (350ish) but is well rated by real travellers!

Ubon Best Place about 1.5km further east along Srinarong from Eco Inn, so it's a bit of a walk to the central part of Chinatown, but the river is only 5 mins walk south of here. Probably good as a base for a real (or even semi-real) walking enthusaist, as it is highly rated and around 400-450 baht and there and some interesting wats around too

 

 

There are also a couple of resorts (bungalow style) on the river bank on the Warin side. Can't recall the names - about 2 km up river from the main town bridge. Too far from the action for my interest when staying in Ubon. I'm guessing 600+ baht ish without breakfast

 

Nice to see someone who is as enthusastic about the hidden gem of Ubon and its river Mun as am I and most of my other friends who live or visit regularly!

[transam]

3 minutes ago, SantiSuk said:

If you don't mind old-style then the Sri Isaarn is OK - actually I quite like it but you will find that some Trip Advisor respondents think it is dirty. What they really mean IMO is it is old-style so doesn't look as pristine as the raft of new value hotels in the Phadaeng/Hopp Inn/A+/T3/Come Pang/Bliss/V-Hotel type category.

 

 

I have stayed in more than 25 hotels in Ubon (come up from Sisaket every month for Ubon Hash House Harriers), but only 2 of these were what I would call close to the river (in the central area of town). See attached for an extract from review notes for:

The Ratchathani, which was an AVOID, and

Sri Isaarn, opposite the big fresh market close to the east side of the main town bridge on Ratchabutr Rd, which gets a qualified recommendation (see pdf file and opening comment above.

 

Ones I haven't tried are:

Eco Inn on Srinarong between Luang and Ratchawaong Roads - new 3storey mansion style hotel; a friend who stayed there said it was nice and it's quite well rated on Booking and Agoda.coms; haven't tried it because it looks overpriced at 950 baht for a room with breakfast that looks like what you get at 700-800 baht in other parts of town. Also I left a document at reception for said friend who stayed there: first non-English speaker receptionist spoke no English and my intermediate Thai caused her panic; the second and probably senior male receptionist spoke English well and appeared to understand  my request to let him know it awaited him when he returned. But friend inevitably never got the document. Maybe I will try it one day. Bit further from the river but still only 5 mins walk and close to some fine wats.

Ubon Hotel on Kuanthani Rd immediately south of 'Candle Park' (Thung Si Meuang). In the vintage of Sri Isaan and similar price range, but its ratings on the booking websites are poor. Can't be bothered to try it, albeit an Ubonite long standing falang told me it has an interesting Saturday night dance club (old style with taxi dancers if I remember what he wrote) on the top floor Saturdays - sounds like a cultural exploration called for!

 

Ratchabutr Hostel down the road from and in the same street block as the Sri Isaarn - practically on the riverside. I do want to try out this backpacker one day which looks basic and cheap (350ish) but is well rated by real travellers!

Ubon Best Place about 1.5km further east along Srinarong from Eco Inn, so it's a bit of a walk to the central part of Chinatown, but the river is only 5 mins walk south of here. Probably good as a base for a real (or even semi-real) walking enthusaist, as it is highly rated and around 400-450 baht and there and some interesting wats around too

 

 

There are also a couple of resorts (bungalow style) on the river bank on the Warin side. Can't recall the names - about 2 km up river from the main town bridge. Too far from the action for my interest when staying in Ubon. I'm guessing 600+ baht ish without breakfast

 

Nice to see someone who is as enthusastic about the hidden gem of Ubon and its river Mun as am I and most of my other friends who live or visit regularly!

Ubon Hotel has had the pleasure of hearing a certain persons.......at the roof top dance hall, but l hear that venue is now been demoted to downstairs...Folk ain't happy.............That a certain person ain't been there for a while..

[Rhys]

Watching the rice grow101.

[BsBs]

And so many cute young girls all around...

With so few foreigners, especially the young ones ! It looks like paradise !

 

 

[SantiSuk]

D&mn! Had already made a mental note to put the Ubon Hotel dance venue on the menu of the Ubon Hash nightlife scouting squad! Thanks for the info though Transam

[KiChakayan]

I'd say it depends a lot on what your priorities are. If you have a family that you love you'd be able to settle anywhere. I am in depressingly flat and hot Buriram and I miss the snow and ice of my Alps, but I can cope as  my wife and two girls are happy here, and give me plenty of compensations.

[MeMock]

Cant talk about the Ubon Hotel Dance parties as I wasn't around (but heard they were the best in town) but I do enjoy going up to the 8th floor for a sundowner looking over Tung Sri Muang Park.

 

Unfortunately when I tried that a couple of days ago they said it was closed. Also disappointing is the state of the park. I used to love taking my kids there and so were so excited to visit again after an absence of a few years. Playgrounds removed, grass all dead, no painting to be done..... closed off the list for now  

[Alanthebuilder]

Ubon has a few ok Farang restaurants.


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