Accomodation In Vientiane

[wcr]

I am going to Vientiane next week for a few days. Previously I have not been happy with the accomodation I have stayed in.

I want to spend about 1000 Baht per night and need a nice room with aircon and a decent bathroom. It can be in a Guest House or Hotel. I am driving up this time from Thailand, so need somewhere to park the car also. Any recommendations please?

Thanks

[cdnvic]

On the same topic (sort of) does your Thai insurance cover you when driving your vehicle over the border, or does it vary?

[technocracy]

Chaleunxay Hotel - free car park (complete with security) outside rooms are clean, have aircon, tv, shower/bath, minibar etc. rooms, $20 (750 baht) will put your in a top floor room. They do have cheaper rooms - $15 get you a room same everthing but minus bath and minibar and on the 3rd floor. I've stayed here many many times previously - never any hassles, nicely located to morning market and an easy walk to the Mekong if you want, but as your in the car that doesn't really make any difference!

Hotel Lao - also has parking but I think is just over 1000baht a night.

Just off out but I'll think about if there is others with parking in your price range and reply later.

As for Thai Insurance . . . no in theory you should buy Lao insurance but it isn't enforced, I'd say 95% of all cars, motorbikes etc in Lao do not have insurance. In personal my opinion if you stay around Vientiane there is no need to buy it - but if you go outside the city and outskirts it's a good idea to buy it.

Later. .

[wcr]

Thanks technocracy. Please can you give me a phone number of Chaleunxay Hotel. Also, don't forget I will be with my bf, so they need to be "friendly" hotels that aren't going to call the police, as per your reply to the thread on sleeping with Lao nationals.

As for car insurance, no. You must buy it at Friendship Bridge, before the car will be allowed into Laos. Cost about 500 Baht I am told for up to 5 days and is valid only in Vientiene provence.

Edited October 9, 2007 by wcr

[Jai Dee]

As for car insurance, no. You must buy it at Friendship Bridge, before the car will be allowed into Laos. Cost about 500 Baht I am told for up to 5 days and is valid only in Vientiene provence.

The current rate is 180 baht for 5 days cover.

/Edit - And no, your Thai insurance is invalid in Laos.

Edited October 9, 2007 by Jai Dee
Additional comment added

[sjaak327]

I wonder about the friendly hotel bit, as the law doesn't cover same sex partners. I have never had any problems checking into a hotel with my Lao partner, not once. Of course they might assume your partner is Thai, so no problems there. I actually liked the Khamkoun hotel, where for about 800 baht you will get a big family room, with view over Lane Xang. Look at travelfish.org for more hotels.

[Spaniel]

Last year we were in Vientiane for a few days and stayed at the Mali Namphu Guest House. It's a fairly new place, clean rooms with private bath, hot water and cable TV. We had a room for three, me/wife/son, and it was around $20 which included breakfast. The location is great. Check out their website for more details: www.malinamphu.com

[Spaniel]

I forgot to add, when we went we also drove, but left our car at the secure parking lot, whcih cost 80 bhat per day. The lot is located on the right side of the road, behind the row of shop houses, about a 100 meters before you get to the Immigration area.

[technocracy]

Thanks technocracy. Please can you give me a phone number of Chaleunxay Hotel. Also, don't forget I will be with my bf, so they need to be "friendly" hotels that aren't going to call the police, as per your reply to the thread on sleeping with Lao nationals.

As for car insurance, no. You must buy it at Friendship Bridge, before the car will be allowed into Laos. Cost about 500 Baht I am told for up to 5 days and is valid only in Vientiene provence.

As sjaak said you don't need to worry about the friendly hotel bit for same sex relationships. But the Chaleunxay are friendly anyway - I used to stay there with my now wife before we were married without any concerns.

Details for the Chaleunxay are:

Khouvieng Road, Chanthabury District, Vientiane

Tel : (856-21)241947

A few more details and pictures..

[youngkiwi]

The Fiesta Hotel, just by the river has excellent double rooms, modern decor, queen bed, satellite TV and private bathroom for $35 USD per night. Breakfast not included but you can't beat the place in terms of cleaniness and ambience. Internet service provided in the lobby and they advertised WIFI available, although I never tried it. Hope this helps.

[cdnvic]

In Laos, a Touch of Paris

By Jack Karp

Copy Editor

10/11/2007 11:21 AM EDT

URL: http://www.thestreet.com/funds/wealth-update/10383741.html

At 5:59 in the morning, Luang Prabang could be any small city snuggled in the sleepy hills of Southern France.

The crooked streets, some paved with cobblestones, others not paved at all, are empty and last night's rain -- it's the tail end of the monsoon here -- is evaporating into the humid air, shrouding the European-style homes in light gray mist.

But at exactly 6:00 a.m., they pour into the streets: hundreds of Buddhist monks in silent sandals and saffron robes, moving in single-file unison, an orange-clad army on its way to drill practice. The ritual is called takbat, when each morning the monks leave their monasteries carrying golden bowls to accept alms of rice donated by the locals who line the streets to feed them.

Watching, it's clear you're not in France anymore.

It's an easy mistake to make. Luang Prabang, the cultural capital of northern Laos, is a mystical amalgam, where ochre-walled cafes and French-colonial houses peek out from behind Buddhist temples. It was from here that the French ruled their empire of Indochine; here that Japanese invaders and later Communist nationalists vanquished the French; and here that Laos' line of kings breathed its last breath during two decades of war that left Laos with the dubious title of most bombed country in the world.

The conflicts, along with the city's remoteness, also left Luang Prabang relatively undiscovered by most travelers. Designated a world heritage site in 1995, it is only now experiencing a nascent tourism boom.

Brand new guesthouses are being built on almost every street where ancient Lao kings once rode their elephants. The Luang Prabang airport, opened in 1998, now welcomes flights from Bangkok and other nearby cities.

Full article at:

http://www.thestreet.com/pf/funds/wealth-u...e/10383741.html