Savvanahkhet trip

[zoolander]

My last couple of times I've been to Lisa Cafe just by the square with the evening food market (close to the big Catholic Church). Reasonable food and a nice place to spend the obligatory few hours in Savannakhet. 
 
Lisa cafe
Savannakhet, Laos
https://goo.gl/maps/WfPfAiEe6xq

Thanks will check it out


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[kingkenny]

Im flying here Wednesday, same as last year. Its a quiet little town but nice to stroll around. I stayed at aura last year and will again this week.. its clean and new, decent sized rooms and walking distance to the consul, and as I enjoy walking also walking distance to town. 

[Alex Teo]

Haven't been to Muk for almost 2 years. Is  the Wine Wild Why restaurant, on the bank of the Mekong not far from the Riverfront Hotel, still there?

[transam]

2 hours ago, kingkenny said:

Im flying here Wednesday, same as last year. Its a quiet little town but nice to stroll around. I stayed at aura last year and will again this week.. its clean and new, decent sized rooms and walking distance to the consul, and as I enjoy walking also walking distance to town. 

Shame about them only having small bottles of beer that are over priced though....

[Nong Khai Man]

59 minutes ago, transam said:

Shame about them only having small bottles of beer that are over priced though....

But There is a Beer Shop just up the road,where they sell BIG Bottles....

[transam]

1 minute ago, Nong Khai Man said:

But There is a Beer Shop just up the road,where they sell BIG Bottles....

Yeh I know, 10,000kip...But paying 12,000kip for a weee bottle in a place one books to sit is not for me...

[Will27]

50 minutes ago, transam said:

Yeh I know, 10,000kip...But paying 12,000kip for a weee bottle in a place one books to sit is not for me...

You only need to visit once a year.

 

I'm sure you can splash out 45 Baht for a drink

[transam]

4 minutes ago, Will27 said:

You only need to visit once a year.

 

I'm sure you can splash out 45 Baht for a drink

For A drink.....

[puchooay]

2 hours ago, transam said:

Shame about them only having small bottles of beer that are over priced though....

Sit out side the Avalon right next door. A large selection of beers available. Good prices too. 

[transam]

3 minutes ago, puchooay said:

Sit out side the Avalon right next door. A large selection of beers available. Good prices too. 

Yes I did, and stayed there before..

[zoolander]

When I Go to Mukdahan I Stay in Hop Inn, O.K It's Basic,But Cheap ( 550 Baht )with FREE Coffee in the reception & Very Clean with Comfortable Beds & Good Showers in the room.....
In Savanakhet We stayed in The Avalon ( 800 Baht ) It's O.K But Not a lot around the area,The Aura ( Next Door ) has Good Food & Relatively  Cheap Also NOT Too far from the Thai Consulate.....10 Minutes Walk or 50 Baht in a Tuk-Tuk....
 
Both places do for us,After all we don't go to see the sights !!!

Thanks think I will do the same.

Anyone know if there's decent internet at Avalon or auara hotels


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[transam]

25 minutes ago, zoolander said:

Thanks think I will do the same.

Anyone know if there's decent internet at Avalon or auara hotels


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Yes...Wifi...

[kingkenny]

Wi-Fi was good at aura last year, someone said to me they were in Avalon and the Wi-Fi was weak, that could have just been their room I guess. 

[Nong Khai Man]

4 hours ago, zoolander said:

Thanks think I will do the same.

Anyone know if there's decent internet at Avalon or auara hotels


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You're Welcome Zooie,As I Said it's perfect just for a night in each, I'll be doing it the same way at the end of the year......Not Sure about the internet at Avalon as I Did'nt carry my PC On Me Back with me....LOL !!

[juice777]

Opposite that Macchiato de Coffee is a soi with a hotel in it called somchith chaleunxay hotel

Its clean got free fast wifi aircon walking Distance from the Embassy and only about 400THB.

Next to that coffee shop is a small Thai style place which does the normal cheap dishes.Or I go to the fried chicken shop.

Both are nothing special but are ok and cheap.

Also if you turn right when you come out of the chicken shop at night time there is a small food market which does bbq and things like that but I have never eaten there.

Near the Cathedral there are a few places. There is a place which has live music on sometimes which is nice for some Thai food with a few beers or a bottle of whiskey.If you walk towards the River from there, there is a Small Indian place on the right which is lovely.

Both of them are a quite good in my opinion but I don't always go because I don't stay there.

If you come out if the Indian and walk towards the river turn right and walk for about 10 mins there is a floating restaurant what is good too.



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[transam]

1 minute ago, juice777 said:

Opposite that Macchiato de Coffee is a soi with a hotel in it called somchith chaleunxay hotel

Its clean got free fast wifi aircon walking Distance from the Embassy and only about 400THB.

Next to that coffee shop is a small Thai style place which does the normal cheap dishes.Or I go to the fried chicken shop.

Both are nothing special but are ok and cheap.

Also if you turn right when you come out of the chicken shop at night time there is a small food market which does bbq and things like that but I have never eaten there.

Near the Cathedral there are a few places. There is a place which has live music on sometimes which is nice for some Thai food with a few beers or a bottle of whiskey.If you walk towards the River from there, there is a Small Indian place on the right which is lovely.

Both of them are a quite good in my opinion but I don't always go because I don't stay there.

If you come out if the Indian and walk towards the river turn right and walk for about 10 mins there is a floating restaurant what is good too.



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Real Indian food...?

Where exactly....?

[juice777]

Real Indian food...?

Where exactly....?

From the Cathedra walk towards the river past the food market.Cross the road and it's on the right about halfway down before you get to the river.Make sure to look carefully at all the shops because it doesn't look like an Indian restaurant.It opens about 6 months ago I think.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/zt1WZ7dD5gP2 it's about here.

 

It's really good I ate there 2 times I promised I would mention it in here actually but I forgot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[juice777]

To the op if you are going from pattaya the last 7-11 you will see is at pattaya bus station.So I aways stock up on supplies there for the way there and back.There is not even one on route and the services half way are terrible and they just buy there stuff from 7 and double the price.

There is a new convenience store there now near the chicken shop but it is nowhere near as good as a 7-Eleven and a bit more expensive.


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[kingkenny]

4 hours ago, transam said:

Real Indian food...?

Where exactly....?

It is called Nameste and comes highy reccomened by a friend. As I am here 4 nights I will try it and update. 

[juice777]

It is called Nameste and comes highy reccomened by a friend. As I am here 4 nights I will try it and update. 

I had the Dosa and another side the first time.The second time some sort of chicken curry and rice and nan.They don't sell beer but you can buy it across the road.If you are there for 4 days check out the Thai/Loas place at the end of the market which has live music sometimes you will know you are in the right place they have tables made out of sewing machines,its about the best place to have a beer I recken.

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[Bredbury Blue]

On ‎4‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 5:58 PM, Bredbury Blue said:

Exit the Riverfront hotel, river in front, turn right and within 200m there's a bunch of restaurants. We went to the first one 'Sukhawadee Restaurant' and another night we walked past that and found another decent one overlooking the river but I don't recall it's name. Take a look on Google maps. 

 

"another decent one overlooking the river " was Wine Wild Why restaurant.

 

On Mukdahan hotels. I didn't find Riverfront hotel to be that great; very noisy corridors, breakfast was poor, awkward parking but its location is great on the riverfront. I've stayed at a Hop Inn before (Sa Kaew) and thought it value for money and comfortable but the one in Mukdahan seems to be on the main road through Muk so not the greatest location.

[kingkenny]

My mate sent me on a bum steer. Nameste is in Vientiane..

 

I did find the one mentioned above though, it's called Mirchi. It's a small clean place near the night market. The food was tasty and not expensive. 

 

Asmfor the visa, no issues. Note the consul is closed on 14th , I also had to show my original wedding certificate  

 

I found a good bar last night 100m from Aura, it was packed with live music. Come out of Aura and straight a cross the crossroads, you will see the round Heinekin sign. Big place, does food also. Not sure if busy on weekdays though. 

[juice777]

 

9 minutes ago, kingkenny said:

My mate sent me on a bum steer. Nameste is in Vientiane..
 
I did find the one mentioned above though, it's called Mirchi. It's a small clean place near the night market. The food was tasty and not expensive. 
 
Asmfor the visa, no issues. Note the consul is closed on 14th , I also had to show my original wedding certificate  
 
I found a good bar last night 100m from Aura, it was packed with live music. Come out of Aura and straight a cross the crossroads, you will see the round Heinekin sign. Big place, does food also. Not sure if busy on weekdays though. 

Is that the place with the tables made out of big Old wire reels and Sewing machines?

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[kingkenny]

6 hours ago, juice777 said:

 

Is that the place with the tables made out of big Old wire reels and Sewing machines?

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I didn't see this place..the one I mention near Aura is called Beer Home

[jimster]

On 4/28/2018 at 8:33 AM, Essecola said:

Macchiato de Coffee is not a bad place to eat in Savannakhet. But they are closed on Wednesdays for some reason. About 300m from the consulate. Down the road from there is Aura Residence Hotel. Also not too bad. Both easily found on Google maps. If I ever need to go to Savannakhet again, I plan to stay at Dao Savanh Resort. A little more pricey but saves walking around the main town which is overridden with stray dogs and few eating options. Would need a tuktuk to go anywhere I guess. But the point of a Savannakhet trip is that the consulate is relatively easy to deal with. 

Dao Savanh is the best place to stay in town but their breakfast is atrocious. Better skip it and go for the 30,000 Kip breakfast at the coffee shop next to the Hoong Thip hotel. It's superb and you get quite a spread for not much more than 100 Baht, including muesli with milk, baguette, fruit and juice. Their coffee is also excellent. One can always spot the farang who is in town for a marriage visa hanging around this coffee shop after submitting their visa application waiting for their visa so they can dart back across the border as quickly as possible.

 

Tuk-tuks are usually waiting inside or near the Dao Savanh hotel. However, it's a lot simpler if you've got your own transportation as it's a bit out of town but on the other hand not that far either - you can walk the 1km or so to the riverfront area where vendors set up makeshift restaurants in the evenings and during the day the restaurants and cafes are not much further away either.

[jimster]

On 4/29/2018 at 8:55 AM, doctorbailey said:

I recommend Lin's Cafe, Pilgrim's Kitchen and Inn (also very clean looking and perfectly located rooms though didn't stay there and a very nice, helpful, and intelligent youngish American female owner), Macchiato de Cafe (bizarre closing times on occasion - not just Wednesdays), SookSavan on the old town plaza for night time beers (Beer Lao is excellent), snacks, music, and people watching, Miga for excellent Korean BBQ with non-Thai beef if you know what I mean, and Masa for Japanese and sushi. There is a wine shop across the street with a good selection and hard liquor as well if interested.

 

I am also looking for a nice place to rest my head. Savan Vegas Casino is terrible and poorly located, Hung Huang and nearby hotels cater to bulk tour bus tourists, many of the other larger hotels in the central area also cater to tour buses of Chinese, Thais, Vietnamese or other Asians which might be fine for the owner of the hotel but not good for independent travelers in my overall experience. Riverfront and Pilgrim's kitchen come recommended.

 

As for Mukdahan I stayed in the Ploy Palace and it was OK but not really a great value (maybe 1500-1800 THB). It is somewhat the old grand dame of Mukdahan and some rooms have been renovated. Ploy Palace location was OK and near a night market and about 1-2KM to the river market (which closes around sun down). I have stayed in other places on the river before that were fine but unremarkable beyond and super hard beds, lazy staff, and unappealing breakfast.

I thought the owner of the Pilgrim cafe was Filipino or something. When I went in to order, I spoke Lao as I usually do but found the middle aged individual who served me couldn't understand me and he didn't respond to my Lao, which I thought was weird but then I quickly noticed he was speaking with all the staff in English so I figured he was probably from the Phils. The food is good value and the atmosphere quite nice though.

[jimster]

On 4/28/2018 at 11:57 PM, Shaunduhpostman said:

For Savanakhet, the last 2 years I've stayed at Pilgrim's Guest House and for me its about the best place to stay anywhere in the region including Thailand. Its in the old town near the night market and near some good restaurants. The guest house itself has very good Indian, western and Asian food and coffee is excellent, its also not too far from many restaurants in central Savanakhet and not far from the river where there are some other bars and restaurants. They have bicycles you can rent for a few bucks a day which makes all of downtown Savannakhet a breeze to get to. The guest house is in a nice building, a recently renovated old French colonial mansion. The  managers are an American woman and her Indian husband, both fairly young and quite back packerish which the place caters to. Some people seem to not like backpackers, so that is the only thing I can think of that might be a disadvantage. Even if you don't like back packers I think even still this place is far better than similarly priced  guest houses in Savanakhet which are quite often not particularly well run, but the management at Pilgrim's have it very well together as well as being quite relaxed friendly helpful people.  The place is spotlessly clean, newly painted and furnished, almost beautiful. They even go out to the hills and buy their own coffee beans from Lao coffee plantations and  roast it themselves. Last year they had an open mike in the evenings on Thursday in their rather spacious downstairs cafe restaurant. I think every other place I've stayed and a good many of the restaurants in Vientiane and Savanakhet, staff seem to have a chip on their shoulders and more often than not are quite difficult or unpleasant to deal with, not so with this place, even the wait staff and other hired help are reasonable and interrested in doing their jobs. It has been a year since I have been there, I hope its all humming along as it was the previous 2 years.

I found the food scene in Savannakhet far superior to say Pakse, a much larger city where you can't even find French food. I drove around there for almost an hour trying to find a French restaurant that seems to have closed down. Nowadays in Pakse you can only find run of the mill western backpacker food, mediocre Vietnamese food and of course the usual Lao food. However, only Sinouk cafe and the restaurants inside the Champasak Grand Hotel have any decent food.

 

Savannakhet on the other hand has 2 good French restaurants, Chez Boune and another one next to the "night market" (the night market is currently not operating). Although i was the only customer when I went in both restaurants, they sure know how to cook a good meal and all for a reasonable price. Pilgrim's is good and cheap for a quick bite, they seem to employ a Filipino guy who i thought was the manager or owner when I was there but apparently not.

[zoolander]

Dao Savanh is the best place to stay in town but their breakfast is atrocious. Better skip it and go for the 30,000 Kip breakfast at the coffee shop next to the Hoong Thip hotel. It's superb and you get quite a spread for not much more than 100 Baht, including muesli with milk, baguette, fruit and juice. Their coffee is also excellent. One can always spot the farang who is in town for a marriage visa hanging around this coffee shop after submitting their visa application waiting for their visa so they can dart back across the border as quickly as possible.
 
Tuk-tuks are usually waiting inside or near the Dao Savanh hotel. However, it's a lot simpler if you've got your own transportation as it's a bit out of town but on the other hand not that far either - you can walk the 1km or so to the riverfront area where vendors set up makeshift restaurants in the evenings and during the day the restaurants and cafes are not much further away either.

Thanks for your reply

I looked at the reviews on Agoda for Dao savanh and while it probably is the best place in town it appears still run down and a good hike in to town. Also very isolated with all the best places to eat in the centre of town.

I've been to the place opposite hoong thip hotel a few years ago and if it's the same place then indeed was very nice.

And yes I'm one of the farang waiting for a visa and can't wait to get out of savannakhet


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[youreavinalaff]

1 hour ago, zoolander said:

Thanks for your reply

I looked at the reviews on Agoda for Dao savanh and while it probably is the best place in town it appears still run down and a good hike in to town. Also very isolated with all the best places to eat in the centre of town.

I've been to the place opposite hoong thip hotel a few years ago and if it's the same place then indeed was very nice.

And yes I'm one of the farang waiting for a visa and can't wait to get out of savannakhet


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Are you talking about the one that is diagonally across from Hoong Thip? If you are then I'm sorry to say that it has gone. It is now a stationary shop. Shame. I went in there on my trip a few years back. Very nice it was. I did notice a new one right next door to HoongThip but did not go in. I had already had lunch on the floating restaurant "Savan Derm Lao.

[zoolander]

Are you talking about the one that is diagonally across from Hoong Thip? If you are then I'm sorry to say that it has gone. It is now a stationary shop. Shame. I went in there on my trip a few years back. Very nice it was. I did notice a new one right next door to HoongThip but did not go in. I had already had lunch on the floating restaurant "Savan Derm Lao.

Yes that's the one. Shame it's closed. One of the better places in town at the time.




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