Udon Thani Hotel

[deankham]

Hi All,

Off to Udon Thani next month for about 7 - 10 days.

..Have heard some mixed reports on the hotels. Would anyboby recommend staying at either Ban Chiang or Charoensri Grand Royal? (or anywhere else!). Also going to hire a pick up and go explore. Again anyboby recommend a rental company

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Hi All,

Off to Udon Thani next month for about 7 - 10 days.

..Have heard some mixed reports on the hotels. Would anyboby recommend staying at either Ban Chiang or Charoensri Grand Royal? (or anywhere else!). Also going to hire a pick up and go explore. Again anyboby recommend a rental company

For the last lots of years we've always stayed at the Chroen Hotel.  It's an oldie, of sorts, 40 years or so, but still quite OK.  Good coffee shop there in the "old" wing (on the rightas you're facing the place) for dinners, but I prefer going elsewhere for breakfast.

Car rentals, check out:  http://www.udonmap.com/getting_around_udon_thani.html

Indeed, check out www.udonmap.com for lots more info on Udorn.

While up in the area don't miss:

--  Ban Chiang, the archaeological digs, pots, tools, jewelry, bones dating back some 6,000 years!

--   Phu Pra Bat national park, take the walk all the way up to the top!  Neat views.

--  Nong Khai, and do a day hop over to Vientiane.

Mac

[sutnyod]

..Have heard some mixed reports on the hotels. Would anyboby recommend staying at either Ban Chiang or Charoensri Grand Royal?

Ban Chiang? Nyeeeees. It is okay but quite expensive. With expensive I mean that the price is not adequate to the services it offers.

Charoensri? Definitely no. I used to stay there and it was okay until I noticed some centimeter-wide cracks throughout its walls, even breaking the wood around the ceiling. I never went back there (last time was three years ago). I usually stay in the Charoen Hotel, too.

There are several waterfalls when you go from Praputtabaht Bua Bok north. They are mostly in Sangkhom, but easy to drive to from Udorn. Nice landscape also. Then you have, if you are interested in peace of quiet, some interesting temples there, Wat Hin Mak Beng being the most prominent one. It is directly on the bank of the Mekong.

Have fun.

[tartempion]

I often go for a swim at Ban Chiang hotel, looks clean good place.

I stayed severall times at Charoen on Tanon Posri, rooms in old wing were refurbished 2 years ago, small swimming pool, excellent lunch buffet for 180baht, short walk to Charoensri shopping mall and farang bars around the mall, night market near train station also short walk. Internet price 950 baht breakfast incl. I enjoyed the place.

I dunno for the Charoensri Grand Royal, supposedly the best in town, next to the shopping mall, to be had for 1250/night.

Over the last 4 months i got sick twice on four lunch buffet visits at 200 baht. I will stick to the Charoen buffet.

[martynsnowman]

Hi All,

Off to Udon Thani next month for about 7 - 10 days.

..Have heard some mixed reports on the hotels. Would anyboby recommend staying at either Ban Chiang or Charoensri Grand Royal? (or anywhere else!). Also going to hire a pick up and go explore. Again anyboby recommend a rental company

hi ,

i,ve stopped at both hotels , this year !!! both are o.k upto a point ... the rooms at ban chiang are fine , clean ( we had the large room ) about 1100b but the food was after first day never eat there again ...

charoensri grand alsp o.k food much better but hotel well over priced for what you get .... they have pick up hire at hotel ....

i built my own house in udon much better and if the foods not good then i box the wife ...( only joking ).. ....

[deankham]

Thanks for all your comments;

..Sounds like the Charoen gets most peoples votes so will check that out.

Just looking forward to getting there, hiring a 4WD and exploring (www.udonmap.com has been usefull)

Noticed a few people have been sick eating at various places. Is this something I need to watch out for?

Thanks once again,

Dean.

[technocracy]

Yep another vote for the Charoen - nice tidy and good value hotel (as been mentioned 950baht at the door).

The Charoensri Grand is also good and probably the best if you're just staying for a night or two and want to just shop and go the bars as they are all on it's doorstep. For longer stay the extra expense isn't worth it - also has very poor choice of tv channels - the Charoen has everything including Supersport2 which has all the Sky Sports feeds if you interested footie!

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Hi All,

Off to Udon Thani next month for about 7 - 10 days.

..Have heard some mixed reports on the hotels. Would anyboby recommend staying at either Ban Chiang or Charoensri Grand Royal? (or anywhere else!). Also going to hire a pick up and go explore. Again anyboby recommend a rental company

Another thought for travel, either a long day's drive, or spend one night on the road.

Udorn up to Nong Khai, then right along the river west to Tha Bo, Sri Chiang Mai, and on along the river to Loei province, via Pak Chom and Chieng Kham.  Perhaps RON at Chieng Kham, quiet town and OLD.  It's right where the Mekong River makes the bend to the east towards Vientiane after coming down from Luang Prabang.

After C. Kham, a bit south to Loei town itself, then down to Wang Saphung junction.  From there head east back to Udorn via Nong Bua Lamphu.

A comment on Ban Chieng.  Expensive these days?  I've not been there since 2002, wasn't bad then.  If the visit is to the  Ban Chieng National Museum, sort of on the north or NNW side of town, is that up to the ripoff price of baht 400 now?  I don't know.  I'd not go at that price.

http://www.thaipro.com/detailed/10000/1000...-ban-chiang.htm

I'd pxxs me off, too, as an American, as "we" funded a goodly portion of the facility.

Flashing a Thai drivers license might help to get the price down, don't know.  I've got that yellow tambien ban now and I'd try it.

In any case, there's the "original" digs over on the NE side of town in a wat.  Used to visit that in the early 1970s on visits from Vientiane, only show in town at the time.

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7153/udon.htm#bcha2

Mac

[ray23]

Charoen is close in withig a few blocks of the fowntown center, easy walk to amny farrang resturants if feel the need for soem comfot food. Tuks Tuks always front if yuo donlt feel like walking.

There is a car service there operated by a man named Twaan, if feel like doing some exploring while relaxing speaks great english and a honest person.

S guy from another forum, hired him last year to help him find long lost relatives that he had never seen, with only a vague name of the village Twann found them.

I think it may be hard to beat the services you can get at that hotel.

But I'm hardly an expert.

By the way if your going to spend more then a few days yuo can negoaite the rate at the desk.

[mackayae]

Try Lek Car Rentals, they have the newest fleet. If you prefer a small hotel, try the Irish Clock, the City Lodge or the BB resort. More info can be found on udonmap.com.

[Mr Conrad]

Once you rent your car, Tomas Resort (also known as Udon Thai House) is worth a look also. You can find contact numbers on Udonmap.com.

Located a couple of Km outside Udon on the Sakhon Nakhon highway.

The rooms were 550 baht early last year, quite new and of a good standard. Small pool useful for coling off in, not for serious swimming.

Regards

Mr Conrad

Edited August 18, 2007 by Mr Conrad

[Gary A]

I've always stayed at the Siri Grand Hotel. Nothing special at all but clean and free breakfast. For about 600 baht per night it's pretty hard to beat.

[tartempion]

Once you rent your car, Tomas Resort (also known as Udon Thai House) is worth a look also. You can find contact numbers on Udonmap.com.

Located a couple of Km outside Udon on the Sakhon Nakhon highway.

The rooms were 550 baht early last year, quite new and of a good standard. Small pool useful for coling off in, not for serious swimming.

Regards

Mr Conrad

Agreed, it's a nice quiet place, rooms around a small swimming pool, car required though.

I had a few "German" meals there, not impressed by food though, but nice place to relax.

Place is easy to find: get out of town on Thanon Posri towards Sakhon Nakhon, pass Big C on your left at the overpass (still not finished) approx 1 km on your left - some sois after a 7/11 and a petrol station-(see sign Udon Thai house or is it Thomas resort???) 1km on your left in that soi, ample parking space. You're out of town though.

[Cuban]

Hello Dean,

> Charoensri Grand Royal (or anywhere else!). Also going to hire a pick up and go explore.

I've stayed here a few times when visiting friends in the area, rooms are OK but as others have said not really special or worthy of the price considering you are up country. The Location is fine, near food, shopping and the market. (Hospitals etc.) Secured (!) parking gets filled up pretty quick but the road outside has spaces before and after the evening/weekend rush.

> Again anyboby recommend a rental company

You don't mention whether you are looking locally or driving up from Bangkok/Pattaya. In the past I took a 4x4 from Expat Car Rental in Pattaya, their web site, for the drive up country, I took a longish day to do the trip but it was fun in my early days in Thailand. Got to see a lot of places I've read about, the interaction with people and buying food on the way up is so much more interesting than a flight.

>Noticed a few people have been sick eating at various places. Is this something I need to watch out for?

The problem with large hotels popular with farang tourists is that the catering staff can not always cook farang food correctly, or use sensible portion/batch size so the cooked food is often left laying around a while before it is eaten. The buffet breakfast or evening meal being the prime area of concern, personally I avoid salads and try to use the commis chef who gets the task of fried eggs to order etc. With the hotel breakfast - get there early (6am) then rest a while....

Try eating Thai food - generally that is cooked correctly, in UT the night market has a few good stalls and you pass a few good places on the walk from the hotel.

[Scalawag]

We stay at the Irish Clock there and would recommend it. It has a British and Irish atmosphere but as an American I still thought it was a good deal.....

[frankthetank]

Once you rent your car, Tomas Resort (also known as Udon Thai House) is worth a look also. You can find contact numbers on Udonmap.com.

Located a couple of Km outside Udon on the Sakhon Nakhon highway.

The rooms were 550 baht early last year, quite new and of a good standard. Small pool useful for coling off in, not for serious swimming.

Regards

Mr Conrad

Agreed, it's a nice quiet place, rooms around a small swimming pool, car required though.

I had a few "German" meals there, not impressed by food though, but nice place to relax.

Place is easy to find: get out of town on Thanon Posri towards Sakhon Nakhon, pass Big C on your left at the overpass (still not finished) approx 1 km on your left - some sois after a 7/11 and a petrol station-(see sign Udon Thai house or is it Thomas resort???) 1km on your left in that soi, ample parking space. You're out of town though.

Thomas can hire you a car or truck also, and he will collect you from the airport /train or bus station.

Probably best to call first to make sure he will keep a vehicle for you.

His number is +66 4220 4014, please tell him big frank gave you this number.

Mobile no. +66 (0) 86 235 36 63

his website is: http://www.udonthaihouse.com/

Edited August 19, 2007 by frankthetank

[citizen33]

I stayed at the Charoen last Christmas and thought it was very good value. The food was generally fine, but avoid the Christmas lunch, unless you think that turkey, a jacket potato and salad is the real deal. The hotel is tantalisingly close to the centre but, because of the location of the entrances and high perimeter wall, is a longer walk than it should be. The Yellow Bird disco is in the rear parking lot. Incidentally, you may have diffiiculty in getting locals to understand your pronounciation of the hotel name - they say something that sounds like 'ja-learn'. When I tried to negotiate by telephone with the Charoensri on price, a pushy front desk person wanted 1400 per night and would not even come down to the internet rate, so I will not give them my custom. The smaller places mentioned looked okay when I explored the town.

[deankham]

Try Lek Car Rentals, they have the newest fleet. If you prefer a small hotel, try the Irish Clock, the City Lodge or the BB resort. More info can be found on udonmap.com.

Was just checking out Lek's website. Certainly looks like a good bet. A brand new Mitsubishi 4x4 for 1100 baht / day sounds reasonable? Thanks for info

[EricZ]

Hello, a friend of a friend recomended Unon Thani to me as a place a little out of the usual tourist area. Id like to stay in the area up to a month (or a bit longer) with my 8 year old daughter. Can anyone recomend a suitable place for us to stay?

[bigchang]

as before suggested try thomas at udon thai house,we always stay there,great place,nice and peaceful and thomas and his staff are great hosts,i agree the food wasnt to good last time we where there,unfortunately

but we are still back there in january,cant wait

but he gets very busy at times so its better to check beforehand

matt