Air Asia Starts Flying Ubon/Phuket Route - October

[SantiSuk]

At last those of us living light years from the sea (about 500 clicks to be approximate) can get to the beach quickly!

Air Asia start the above direct service in early October. From their website it looks like:

3 days a week - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Schedule is 'sociable hours' - dep HKT 10:10 arr UBP 12:05 then dep UBP 12:35 arr HKT 14:20

Regular fare is 1,442 baht one way plus taxes, baggage and probably convenience fee - say 2,000 baht one way

Some promotional fares in November on the UBP to HKT leg can reduce the round trip to nearer 3,000 baht

All the above based on a half hour scan of their website (since I am buying). E&OE

Hooray for Air Asia - it is otherwise a hel_l of a long way by road or rail and the time/expense saved means we will be able to afford a few tuk tuk rides. You Phuket wallahs should find our baht buses and cyclos extraordinarily cheap

Just a plug for the reverse route. Ubon Ratchatani is a relatively undiscovered mid-sized town (120,000 and growing prosperously) - fascinating to walk around and a few good hotels and restaurants. Nothing like Phuket of course, but maybe that's an appeal for a short break. There's a couple of friendly local expat bars and the odd karaoke/soapy. Better still you can also access southern Laos and Vietnam extremely easily. A VIP coach for 200 baht (last time I used it) takes you from Ubon through the border and into Savannakhet, Laos. The Southern Mekong in Laos (4,000 island area and a boat ride on the Mekong to the temple of Champasak for those firm in bum) is well worth a visit.

Please - let's not make this an I love Air Asia/ I hate Air Asia thread - that's been done to death.

[sorry if this has already been said - it has been presaged in an Issaan thread but a search revealed no details of the actual new program].

Edited September 1, 2010 by SantiSuk

[klfopera]

This is certainly welcome. I live in HKT, but boy friend and his family hail from UBP and there other family members there. They have built a beautiful home on the Moon River (all tropical woods). So we go there fairly often. Previously this has been a total pain in arse and wastes an entire day if you fly. (two flights; lousy schedule). I have done all the things the poster mentions and recommend them highly. Also Wat Phou is one of the best Khmer temples to see (you can do it on the boat trip he mentions).

Of course, there's the Candle Festival (breathtaking). But, most of all, the real Thai food is fantastic and much cheaper than in HKT.

[GiantFan]

Booked a flight from HKT in November. 2200 Baht return all in and only 2 hour flight (1/2 price special on the Ubon - Hkt leg). Much faster door to door than in the old days.

Thanks SantiSuk

[Svenn]

Just a plug for the reverse route. Ubon Ratchatani is a relatively undiscovered mid-sized town (120,000 and growing prosperously) - fascinating to walk around and a few good hotels and restaurants. Nothing like Phuket of course, but maybe that's an appeal for a short break. There's a couple of friendly local expat bars and the odd karaoke/soapy. Better still you can also access southern Laos and Vietnam extremely easily.

Bit of an exaggeration wouldn't you say SantiSuk? you sound a bit like the tourism authority ! I've been visiting Thailand for a fairly long time and have a home in Ubon, but I think from the perspective of a tourist who's been in Thailand even just a week, there's probably only 1 or 2 sites in Ubon that would stand out as unique (Wat Thung Si Muang and the candles), the rest of the city is profoundly monotonous and just a generic, bland Thai city. You're right Pha Taem and Champassak are visit-worthy, but only mildly, and perhaps not at all if one has been to Siem Reap. Not trying to drag good ol' Ubon down, just don't want her to be over-sold. I see too many tourists who show up in Ubon and just wander around the streets looking at 15 year old concrete warehouses, wondering why they came here!!!