Traveling To Loei

[zink]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

[billp]

The Transport Company website is a shambles, but it appears there's a 24-seat VIP bus going from Bangkok to Loei and then Chiang Khan at 22:00 for 694 baht (it would cost somewhat less to Loei), and taking 9 hours (to Chiang Khan, so less time to Loei), a 46 seater going to Loei at 07:00 for 321 baht (8 hours). There's another 46-seat bus at 20:00 to Chiang Khan, which must go to Loei although it doesn't say so on the website (or if it doesn't, you could just take a songthaew from Chiang Khan into Loei). That's all I could find, and I can't guarantee the times on that site are accurate -- or guarantee my understanding of its Thai and its Tinglish. (http://www.transport.co.th/)

You could also take a bus or fly to Udon Thani and then bus to Loei from there. Too bad Nok Air no longer serves Loei airport.

I've stayed at the King's Hotel. It's an OK provincial hotel, comfortable enough. Don't expect middle class hotels in small Thai towns to have websites. The Loog Mai is a brilliant guest house in Chiang Khan.

[bails]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

Buses to Loei depart every hour from Mochit bus terminal, average about 9 hours for the trip,price about 500 baht one way. From Loei to Bkk first bus departs 6am and i think every hour after that until about 9pm.

King Hotel is ok and centrally located and have good restaurant for western and Thai food.

[thaisail]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

I can't help you with the bus since we drove there in a rental car. But we found a wonderful hotel, very cheap that was brand new right in the middle of town. I can't remember the name but I will contact my Thai wife in Phuket and get right back to you on this thread with that information. I can tell you that it is right next to the big trafic circle downtown with a fountain in the middle. The lady who runs that hotel brought us fresh bread and pastries every morning even though there was no restaurant there. I think the price was only 300 baht per night and the place was very nice. My email is thaisail at gmail.com if you want to write direct. My wife is from Loei and she really knows everything about it but I am now in San Francisco so I have to wait for her to wake up to contact her in Phuket.

[bails]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

I can't help you with the bus since we drove there in a rental car. But we found a wonderful hotel, very cheap that was brand new right in the middle of town. I can't remember the name but I will contact my Thai wife in Phuket and get right back to you on this thread with that information. I can tell you that it is right next to the big trafic circle downtown with a fountain in the middle. The lady who runs that hotel brought us fresh bread and pastries every morning even though there was no restaurant there. I think the price was only 300 baht per night and the place was very nice. My email is thaisail at gmail.com if you want to write direct. My wife is from Loei and she really knows everything about it but I am now in San Francisco so I have to wait for her to wake up to contact her in Phuket.

I think you are referring to the Apricot Hotel,i have never stayed there but it does look fairly new.

[zink]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

I can't help you with the bus since we drove there in a rental car. But we found a wonderful hotel, very cheap that was brand new right in the middle of town. I can't remember the name but I will contact my Thai wife in Phuket and get right back to you on this thread with that information. I can tell you that it is right next to the big trafic circle downtown with a fountain in the middle. The lady who runs that hotel brought us fresh bread and pastries every morning even though there was no restaurant there. I think the price was only 300 baht per night and the place was very nice. My email is thaisail at gmail.com if you want to write direct. My wife is from Loei and she really knows everything about it but I am now in San Francisco so I have to wait for her to wake up to contact her in Phuket.

Thanks all for helpful comments! I would like to get contact information for this hotel if possible.

[bails]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

I can't help you with the bus since we drove there in a rental car. But we found a wonderful hotel, very cheap that was brand new right in the middle of town. I can't remember the name but I will contact my Thai wife in Phuket and get right back to you on this thread with that information. I can tell you that it is right next to the big trafic circle downtown with a fountain in the middle. The lady who runs that hotel brought us fresh bread and pastries every morning even though there was no restaurant there. I think the price was only 300 baht per night and the place was very nice. My email is thaisail at gmail.com if you want to write direct. My wife is from Loei and she really knows everything about it but I am now in San Francisco so I have to wait for her to wake up to contact her in Phuket.

Thanks all for helpful comments! I would like to get contact information for this hotel if possible.

OK. I am going into Loei on tuesday so i will get the telephone number from the hotel for you and will post on tuesday evening. By the way you will need to get a tuk-tuk from Loei bus station into the town. Its about 1.5 km

[fishhooks]

Wife & I stayed at the King's Hotel a few weeks back. Very nice rooms and great restaurant I think run by a guy from Europe.

Highly recommended.

[billp]

Is there really a direct bus to Loei every hour??? I wouldn't have thought there's enough traffic to justify that. Or do you mean a bus to Udon Thani with a connection to Loei?

[bails]

Is there really a direct bus to Loei every hour??? I wouldn't have thought there's enough traffic to justify that. Or do you mean a bus to Udon Thani with a connection to Loei?

Every hour from Mochit until 9 or 10 pm. Does not go to udonthani. Bus is usually near full and picks up and drops off passengers at many villages along the way,hence the 9 hour average time.

[bails]

Does anyone know up to date schedules for buses from Bangkok to Loei and back? I have seen 8.30pm and 10pm departures mentioned from Bangkok, are these times still valid? How about schedules from Loei to Bangkok?

Any hotel recommendations in Loei city (500-1000B price range)? I have found these hotels, but most of them lack website and pictures:

A.P. Court Hotel

Thai Udon Hotel,

King's Hotel

Sun Palace

Royal Inn Hotel

Phu Luang Hotel

I can't help you with the bus since we drove there in a rental car. But we found a wonderful hotel, very cheap that was brand new right in the middle of town. I can't remember the name but I will contact my Thai wife in Phuket and get right back to you on this thread with that information. I can tell you that it is right next to the big trafic circle downtown with a fountain in the middle. The lady who runs that hotel brought us fresh bread and pastries every morning even though there was no restaurant there. I think the price was only 300 baht per night and the place was very nice. My email is thaisail at gmail.com if you want to write direct. My wife is from Loei and she really knows everything about it but I am now in San Francisco so I have to wait for her to wake up to contact her in Phuket.

Thanks all for helpful comments! I would like to get contact information for this hotel if possible.

The phone number for this hotel is- 0428618889. I apologise for a mistake in earlier post - I thought it was Apricot hotel which is incorrect- it is the Orchid Hotel,which is next to APN Hotel (but on a different street)

There are 4 hotels all within 200 yards of each other - King hotel,Orchid hotel,APN,hotel and Royal Inn. I might add the Royal Inn looks a bit run down but the others look ok.

[maxjay]

The Loei Palace Hotel-an Amari Hotel has a special going now until Oct. 31..."from 800 THB".

http://www.amari.com/loeipalace/

They usually run specials throughout the year.

But, don't expect to get them just walking in and asking. Internet booking only.

Also last year I attempted to book a room via the internet using my U.S. credit card, I kept having problems. So I telephoned Amari's sales office in Bangkok, explained my problems, and was given the "internet rate" over the telephone. Sometimes it pays to pick up the telephone and call.

[citizen33]

The Loei Palace Hotel-an Amari Hotel has a special going now until Oct. 31..."from 800 THB".

http://www.amari.com/loeipalace/

They usually run specials throughout the year.

But, don't expect to get them just walking in and asking. Internet booking only.

Also last year I attempted to book a room via the internet using my U.S. credit card, I kept having problems. So I telephoned Amari's sales office in Bangkok, explained my problems, and was given the "internet rate" over the telephone. Sometimes it pays to pick up the telephone and call.

Have stayed at both King Hotel and Orchid Hotel, which are very acceptable but I think only have Thai-style bath rooms, with the shower running onto the floor. I say 'think' because they both offer various suites which may be an exception to this. The cafe at the King Hotel is good, but functional rather than luxurious. Even the Royal Inn hotel looked possible: certainly when I took a drink in the bar it seemed okay. The Loei Place looks nice, but at normal prices is just about the most expensive hotel in Isaan and is a little away from the city centre across a park. I think the rack rate is over the top considering that the facilities come nowhere near Khon Kaen's Pullman. It would be worth considering though at the discount rate quoted. The discounting probably reflects the fact that the hotel was pricing itself out of the market.

Edited September 14, 2009 by citizen33

[maxjay]

The Loei Place looks nice, but at normal prices is just about the most expensive hotel in Isaan and is a little away from the city centre across a park. I think the rack rate* is over the top

That is why I posted: book over the internet or telephone Amari's sales office in Bangkok , tell them you are having difficulty booking on the internet and want their "special internet promotion". It worked for me a year ago.

Rack rate*: if you walk into the hotel or telephone directly to the hotel you will get the rack rate.

Citizen 33...did you visit the weblink I posted?

It is a very nice nice hotel, we had a lovely room with a mountain/sunset view.

Edited September 14, 2009 by maxjay

[citizen33]

The Loei Place looks nice, but at normal prices is just about the most expensive hotel in Isaan and is a little away from the city centre across a park. I think the rack rate* is over the top

That is why I posted: book over the internet or telephone Amari's sales office in Bangkok , tell them you are having difficulty booking on the internet and want their "special internet promotion". It worked for me a year ago.

Rack rate*: if you walk into the hotel or telephone directly to the hotel you will get the rack rate.

Citizen 33...did you visit the weblink I posted?

It is a very nice nice hotel, we had a lovely room with a mountain/sunset view.

I'm not disagreeing with your post, just saying that the discount rate you got is good value but the rack rate isn't. Yes, the hotel is nice but not on the same level as the Pullman in KK. Didn't visit the link because I have no plans to stay in the immediate future.

Edited September 14, 2009 by citizen33

[fishhooks]

Have stayed at both the Loei Palace & Kings.

Agree with former post re Palace being good value, BUT only when on special. Their normal rates are not worth the cost and the restaurant is quite expensive, especially for breakfast which is almost never included with their internet specials.

Kings with their better rooms are much better value and a good value restaurant to boot.

[PaulDoughfile]

Don't expect middle class hotels in small Thai towns to have websites.

What's this then?

w w w.loeiorchidhotel.com

[fishhooks]

QUOTE (billp @ 2009-09-11 06:16:04) *

Don't expect middle class hotels in small Thai towns to have websites.

Many middle class hotels have their own website and if not their own, many of such hotels are easily accessed through several agencies. A few minutes on Google will get you a good hotel in almost any Thai place that has more than 2 men and a dog as residents.