Where do you stay in Vientiane while waiting for visa?

[Rob4]

It is not directly visa related but can help others since now you have to wait long time to get an appointment, and since

Vientiane is a hole. We for example, need to wait 6-7 days there, including a weekend(appointment is in the middle).

 

Where would you stay that is quite enough and not too far from the embassy ?

What would you do there ? (coffees/art/nature/malls/etc)?

 

 

Thanks.

[cowbee]

My agent put me in Anou paradise hotel. It just the opposite of the big river, pretty close to night market, 1-2 miles from the patuxai gate and 3 miles away from embassy


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[Caldera]

I'd stay nearby the river. If you stay for 6-7 days, distance to the consulate is of secondary concern - you only need to go there twice, after all. Personally, I've always walked to the consulate, but it's a bit of a hike and the heat at this time of the year won't help.

 

Maybe you should consider traveling somewhere else while waiting for the appointment. You clearly don't like Vientiane, why stay there for a whole week when you could visit another place for 3-4 days?

[thaitero]

douang pra seuth hotel if near consulate. Other than that longer stays by the river some random hotel.

[Rob4]

Thanks a lot.

The meeting is 2 days after arrival. Then there is a weekend. 

So not enough time to go somewhere else before/after.

Don't hate it, never been there but read its a pretty boring place.

 

Just hope they will not deny this ED.

[CanuckThai]

I'd find any hotel in your price range with pool and a few amenities.  Someone recommended being near the river, good idea.  The night market, restaurants, and other travelers may offer the diversions necessary to survive a long stay in Vientiane.  Many local interesting day tours are available as well

[Pravda]

I stay at Ibis. Reliable and fast internet is very important to me, so I can't risk it with any other place.

 

Bonus is that the beds are really comfortable and it's close to popular bakeries and restaurants.

 

Best value for money? Probably not.

[thaiguzzi]

40 minutes ago, Rob4 said:

Don't hate it, never been there but read its a pretty boring place.

You read wrong.

Big time.

Marvelous town.

Prefer it to any city in Thailand.

Nice people, great food choices, wonderful places to while away the hours, very cosmopolitan and varied compared to a similar city in TH.

Khop Jai Dheu near the fountain during the day.

Bpor Bpen Yang roof top bar at night.

Not seen anywhere better in TH.

Consider a 3 day trip to Vang Vieng.

2 hours ago, Rob4 said:

Vientiane is a hole.

But you've never been.........

Forget my above advice, i just wasted 2 minutes of my time.

Best just lock yourself up in a dark room.

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by thaiguzzi

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, Rob4 said:

Don't hate it, never been there but read its a pretty boring place.

Probably best to visit somewhere before declaring it a “hole”, and boring is subjective!

[champers]

I visited for 2 days on a visa run and loved the place. Down by the river there is plenty going on and the city is cheap and easy to get round. Some great cafes and restaurants. Some bars are like UK pubs. I loved the cafe/bakery where you got a plastic syringe full of rum to inject into your rum baba.

[elgenon]

20 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

You read wrong.

Big time.

Marvelous town.

Prefer it to any city in Thailand.

Nice people, great food choices, wonderful places to while away the hours, very cosmopolitan and varied compared to a similar city in TH.

Khop Jai Dheu near the fountain during the day.

Bpor Bpen Yang roof top bar at night.

Not seen anywhere better in TH.

Consider a 3 day trip to Vang Vieng.

But you've never been.........

Forget my above advice, i just wasted 2 minutes of my time.

Best just lock yourself up in a dark room.

 

So you live there? How is that?

[JackThompson]

Beware of the tuk tuks.  My experience - rude and try to rip you off at every turn.  A bicycle rental is a good way to see the sights w/o dealing with them.  The other Lao people are nice, though. 

[fred110]

Its a lovely city if you get out and about, dont listen to nay sayers,

[watcharacters]

19 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Beware of the tuk tuks.  My experience - rude and try to rip you off at every turn.  A bicycle rental is a good way to see the sights w/o dealing with them.  The other Lao people are nice, though. 

 

 

If I remember correctly, Bicycle rental was about 200 THB a day.

 

Great way to see a charming and lovely city.

 

[NightSky]

Ahh a sleepy retreat although harbouring hidden gems.

 

just ask tuktuk to take you into town and walk into any hotel you fancy.

 

Great french food is abound including french bread made the right way for lunch

 

hire a moped during the day as traffic isn’t bad or go by bycicle if not experienced on motorbike 

 

there are sights to see, a giant communal swimming pool and shooting range right next door to the pool (there’s s side door to the range no sign)

 

cycle or ride along the river front and keep going on the outskirts and stop to buy drinks and chat with locals 

 

at night have have a French steak then find the bars selling beers and cocktails 

 

there is more nightlife if you want that too

 

hmmm take your wife or girl have some fun 

 

errr

 

thats about it then on the way back grab a few cheap bottles and snacks from duty free

 

oh there are beautiful water falls dotted around outside the city if you fancy s longer ride out but research them first 

 

Enjoy 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by NightSky

[malibukid]

21 hours ago, champers said:

I visited for 2 days on a visa run and loved the place. Down by the river there is plenty going on and the city is cheap and easy to get round. Some great cafes and restaurants. Some bars are like UK pubs. I loved the cafe/bakery where you got a plastic syringe full of rum to inject into your rum baba.

great bakeries

[Proboscis]

23 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

You read wrong.

Big time.

Marvelous town.

Prefer it to any city in Thailand.

Nice people, great food choices, wonderful places to while away the hours, very cosmopolitan and varied compared to a similar city in TH.

Khop Jai Dheu near the fountain during the day.

Bpor Bpen Yang roof top bar at night.

Not seen anywhere better in TH.

Consider a 3 day trip to Vang Vieng.

But you've never been.........

Forget my above advice, i just wasted 2 minutes of my time.

Best just lock yourself up in a dark room.

 

How dare you tell everyone on this forum that Vientiane is a marvelous town! I spend a lot of time there and we don't want moaning Pataya residents clogging up the bars and we really do not want those beg-packers either.

 

[Spock]

Can't think of a bar anywhere in SEA more pleasant than Bpor Bpen Yang.

[NamH2O]

Try Mixay Paradise,opposite wat Mixai,rooms are a little small but has a good lounge good internet and serves a good breakfast.300 metres from river and night market & a good chose of Bars and restaurants.

[Pepper9187]

What's your budget per night ?

 

https://www.agoda.com/malinamphu-hotel/hotel/vientiane-la.html?cid=-218

Is pretty cheap and very quiet, nice area, swimming pool (small), clean, old style building shaped in U with a real nice restaurant area in the middle.

 

That one is really nice for the price

https://www.agoda.com/champa-boutique-hotel-ii-vientiane/hotel/vientiane-la.html?cid=-218

 

 

[thaiguzzi]

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Beware of the tuk tuks.  My experience - rude and try to rip you off at every turn. 

Yabbut.

They do that to the locals too.

And not just Vientienne.

The Lao Tuk Tuk driver is an unpopular person even to the Laos people.

I think it's 100 Baht / 25,000 Kip just to start an engine up and go to the end of the road.

Any road.

[thaiguzzi]

1 hour ago, Spock said:

Can't think of a bar anywhere in SEA more pleasant than Bpor Bpen Yang.

Concur.

Daytime whiling away the time, the Khop Jai Dheu by the fountain is hard to beat.

[jerrybeirne]

i used to stay at the AV HOTEL using agoda, have a look at the reviews.

clean, tidy very helpful staff and a 20 minute walk to the consulate.

[Myran]

I stayed at Vientiane Luxury Hotel last time and was very happy with it. Close to the night market/river and not too far from the consulate.

 

At the other end of the scale we have Laos Golden Hotel, which is a complete dumpster fire that everyone should steer well clear off (despite it being very close to the embassy). Horrible manager, a restaurant/room service that is never open (despite what they claim at check-in) and very noisy, with people slamming doors throughout the night.

[rickudon]

Only did one overnight stay with the wife when i went to get a non 'O' 5 years ago. Unfortunately my wife decided she could do better than me and would find a hotel. So we paid through the nose for a taxi into town, the hotel she was recommended gave us such a crap room we had to demand another, and the internet didn't work. Otherwise it was ok ????.  That night we couldn't find a decent restaurant, and then visited the night market on the river bank. It was not particularly vibrant and sold all the same rubbish as in Udon, but less variety and higher prices. After 2 hours of looking, the wife bought one thing just to save face..... 

 

The next day she found a tuk-tuk driver to take us to an indoor market, 'the best in town' she said. It had about 40 shops, half of them shut and again same old stuff as Thailand. We saw about 5 customers in total. Everything at the consulate was fine....  I have never been back.

 

If i do go back, i want Thaiguzzi as a guide!

[Baht Simpson]

On 3/30/2019 at 10:15 AM, JackThompson said:

Beware of the tuk tuks.  My experience - rude and try to rip you off at every turn. 

I can second this. I've only used them twice. The first time the driver took me on a tour of Vientiane even though I gave him a card with a map of the hotel on. Second time the driver had never heard of the Thai Consulate and I had to direct him. Both cases they demanded an enhanced fee. I will never use them again. Vientiane is lovely and an interesting place to walk and cycle in. But get a good map. 

 

As for hotels I've always used Lao Golden which seems to be the nicest medium priced hotel within 20 minutes walk of the consulate.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Baht Simpson

[Baht Simpson]

19 hours ago, Myran said:

I stayed at Vientiane Luxury Hotel last time and was very happy with it. Close to the night market/river and not too far from the consulate.

 

At the other end of the scale we have Laos Golden Hotel, which is a complete dumpster fire that everyone should steer well clear off (despite it being very close to the embassy). Horrible manager, a restaurant/room service that is never open (despite what they claim at check-in) and very noisy, with people slamming doors throughout the night.

Seems you had a bad experience Myran. I didn't use room service but the room was fine and not noisy. I guess it's just the draw of a card on that score. 

[Myran]

4 hours ago, Baht Simpson said:

Seems you had a bad experience Myran. I didn't use room service but the room was fine and not noisy. I guess it's just the draw of a card on that score. 

Possibly. I've stayed there a few times, and every time there's been something. The first time the manager of the hotel was supposed to get a room ready for me, but instead went off to lunch with some other guests and had me wait for 45 minutes. When I talked to some other staff, they had no idea what I was talking about, as the manager hadn't informed them of anything. Apparently, getting lunch was more important than taking care of his guests.

 

Another time one of the staff called my room at 3am, apparently to try to sell me a prostitute, as he was going on about some woman I knew nothing about.

 

Every time I've made sure to ask about the restaurant and room service, and each time they've assured me that they're both open as advertised. Yet room service never answers and there's no one in the restaurant.

 

I'm sure you can have a decent stay here if you get lucky, but overall it's an absolute mess and best avoided. There's so many better places for the same amount or less money per night.