Luang Prabang Best Place In Se Asia?

[folium]

Sitting overlooking the Mekong having just finished an excellent lunch washed down by copious amounts of Beer Lao, all for a very reasonable price.

A stunning, gentle place with bearable tourist pressure. Is there anywhere in Thailand that comes close in terms of beauty, interest and value?

It has the feel of the old city of Chiang Mai 30 years ago, albeit on a smaller scale. Can LOS compete? Is Pai its best contender?

Is Luang Prabang the benefit of colonialism? Did Thailand miss out in this respect?

How can Thailand compete for the tourist $ now that all SE Asia is open for business?

[craigt3365]

LP is pretty cool, for sure. IMHO, Pai has too many hippies selling stuff on the streets. I've been 3 times, so do like the surrounding countryside, but the city has been overrun. Enjoy LP while you can!

Also remember, not everybody likes that relaxed pace. For some, Bangkok is great. For others, not so great...

Try Tha Ton, up the river from Chiang Rai. Great rooms there right on the local river...very small and very relaxed. Thailand has places similar to this, but not in the major tourist areas...

[NanLaew]

The OP hadn't mentioned being well lathered, the post would have held a higher level of credibility.

Beer Lao is good piss tho'

[poohy]

The OP hadn't mentioned being well lathered, the post would have held a higher level of credibility.

Beer Lao is good piss tho'

Yes its a beautiful place but if you are working here its like being on the rigs after a month or so you need R&R in Bangkok, unless Thai visitors can be brought in of course1

[zzaa09]

How one compares LP with Pai is beyond me.

[jdinasia]

LP --- nice for 4-5 days max ... after that boredom and liver enlargement

[craigt3365]

How one compares LP with Pai is beyond me.

Both are on the backpacker trail, along with CM, Khao San Road, Phi Phi and KPN....

[TenCent]

are there Girls available?

if not, it would be a lonely Place :-)

[poohy]

are there Girls available?

if not, it would be a lonely Place :-)

No there are not take it from me! their idea of short time is two day trip to Thailand where dastardly deeds have to be done away from laos society

like i said you bring in your own supplies from outside,I have a colleague working for another company their rules state immediate dismissal if caught with Laos girl Thai girls can visit on site no problem

[folium]

Can we keep on topic.

Does LOS have anything to compete with Luang Prabang as a tourist destination?

Personally I think Pai is a poor contender and my hunch is that Thailand has nothing to compare. Wooden houses have been swept away by "progress".

Are Ayutthaya or Sukothai anywhere close? Haven't been to either for 25 odd years & I fear they have changed since.

Is LOS now reliant on 2nd division tourist attractions and the sex industry as it's key selling points to mass tourism?

Is there a small town in Thailand that can compete with LP for location, attraction and services? I want to be wrong re my concerns about LOS.

[poohy]

Can we keep on topic.

Does LOS have anything to compete with Luang Prabang as a tourist destination?

Personally I think Pai is a poor contender and my hunch is that Thailand has nothing to compare. Wooden houses have been swept away by "progress".

Are Ayutthaya or Sukothai anywhere close? Haven't been to either for 25 odd years & I fear they have changed since.

Is LOS now reliant on 2nd division tourist attractions and the sex industry as it's key selling points to mass tourism?

Is there a small town in Thailand that can compete with LP for location, attraction and services? I want to be wrong re my concerns about LOS.

Like i said for 2 or 3 days its a very beautiful relaxed stay the tourists love it for sure but (99% only stay for around 2/3 days then move on, after that boredom sets in,as there is very little entertainment of any kind adult or otherwise,officilaly there is still a midnight curfew not hard to comply with as most places close by 10.30

Its small town Laos a great place to visit, can Thailand compare arcitecturally and culturally maybe not with LPQ but i am sure there are many small laid back towns all over Thailand where you can be in bed by 10.30 and up at 6.00

[Camelot]

One of my favourite escapist retreats is Nakhon Phanom. The restaurants fronting the Mekong can be quite idyllic, especially at Loy Kratong. I find it peaceful and relaxing and not overrun with tourists and internet cafes like Luang Prabang or Pai. It has grown a lot in recent years but hasn't been spoiled (yet) and is a great kick-off point for exploration.

I like to think it combines some of the best of Thailand with a taste of the best that Laos has to offer.

Maybe it's not perfect, but, for me, it comes close.

[folium]

One of my favourite escapist retreats is Nakhon Phanom. The restaurants fronting the Mekong can be quite idyllic, especially at Loy Kratong. I find it peaceful and relaxing and not overrun with tourists and internet cafes like Luang Prabang or Pai. It has grown a lot in recent years but hasn't been spoiled (yet) and is a great kick-off point for exploration.

I like to think it combines some of the best of Thailand with a taste of the best that Laos has to offer.

Maybe it's not perfect, but, for me, it comes close.

Excellent. Now that's what I was after. Not somewhere to live, but places to visit for a few days that retain some Thai charm and make for great places to stay on holiday.

Is there anywhere else in the Isaan near Phimai or Phanom Rung? What's Sukothai like nowadays?

[zzaa09]

are there Girls available?

if not, it would be a lonely Place :-)

There's always girls available, like anywhere in the broader region.

[jdinasia]

One of my favourite escapist retreats is Nakhon Phanom. The restaurants fronting the Mekong can be quite idyllic, especially at Loy Kratong. I find it peaceful and relaxing and not overrun with tourists and internet cafes like Luang Prabang or Pai. It has grown a lot in recent years but hasn't been spoiled (yet) and is a great kick-off point for exploration.

I like to think it combines some of the best of Thailand with a taste of the best that Laos has to offer.

Maybe it's not perfect, but, for me, it comes close.

Excellent. Now that's what I was after. Not somewhere to live, but places to visit for a few days that retain some Thai charm and make for great places to stay on holiday.

Is there anywhere else in the Isaan near Phimai or Phanom Rung? What's Sukothai like nowadays?

Almost anywhere in Thailand if you get off the beaten track (that Luang Prabang is on) has something to offer. A jaunt west of BKK for a start, head to Kanchanaburi and then head north. A visit to muang Chantaburi in the SE. Any of the towns between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the area around Mae Hong Son and down into Tak and the area around Mae Sod even just north of BKK into Lopburi, Saraburi and Nakhon Nayok all have a lot to offer for a few days -- AND if you get away from the backpackers it has an actual air of discovery that goes with it.

[roamer]

One of my favourite escapist retreats is Nakhon Phanom. The restaurants fronting the Mekong can be quite idyllic, especially at Loy Kratong. I find it peaceful and relaxing and not overrun with tourists and internet cafes like Luang Prabang or Pai. It has grown a lot in recent years but hasn't been spoiled (yet) and is a great kick-off point for exploration.

I like to think it combines some of the best of Thailand with a taste of the best that Laos has to offer.

Maybe it's not perfect, but, for me, it comes close.

Excellent. Now that's what I was after. Not somewhere to live, but places to visit for a few days that retain some Thai charm and make for great places to stay on holiday.

Is there anywhere else in the Isaan near Phimai or Phanom Rung? What's Sukothai like nowadays?

Almost anywhere in Thailand if you get off the beaten track (that Luang Prabang is on) has something to offer. A jaunt west of BKK for a start, head to Kanchanaburi and then head north. A visit to muang Chantaburi in the SE. Any of the towns between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the area around Mae Hong Son and down into Tak and the area around Mae Sod even just north of BKK into Lopburi, Saraburi and Nakhon Nayok all have a lot to offer for a few days -- AND if you get away from the backpackers it has an actual air of discovery that goes with it.

I couldn't agree more. Its almost worth buying a copy of Lonely Planet just so you can go to the places they don't mention or rate.

[Fookhaht]

...Thailand has nothing to compare. Wooden houses have been swept away by "progress".

You obviously have not been to rural Isaan yet.

By the way, I vote also for Nakhon Phanom for a 3-4 day getaway, as recommended by an earlier poster. Been there twice and a great experience each time. Relaxed, scenic, clean, great restaurants, and friendly. A lot of interesting day-trips available: Mukdahan, Savannakhet, Vietnamese Village, Ho Chi Minh's former home (now turned museum). What more could you want?

[jdinasia]

Almost anywhere in Thailand if you get off the beaten track (that Luang Prabang is on) has something to offer. A jaunt west of BKK for a start, head to Kanchanaburi and then head north. A visit to muang Chantaburi in the SE. Any of the towns between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the area around Mae Hong Son and down into Tak and the area around Mae Sod even just north of BKK into Lopburi, Saraburi and Nakhon Nayok all have a lot to offer for a few days -- AND if you get away from the backpackers it has an actual air of discovery that goes with it.

I couldn't agree more. Its almost worth buying a copy of Lonely Planet just so you can go to the places they don't mention or rate.

I keep one (old) in the car and one at the house, for maps and suggestions because even places listed in the LP guides are quite often not on the backpacker trail

[Xangsamhua]

One of my favourite escapist retreats is Nakhon Phanom. The restaurants fronting the Mekong can be quite idyllic, especially at Loy Kratong. I find it peaceful and relaxing and not overrun with tourists and internet cafes like Luang Prabang or Pai. It has grown a lot in recent years but hasn't been spoiled (yet) and is a great kick-off point for exploration.

I like to think it combines some of the best of Thailand with a taste of the best that Laos has to offer.

Maybe it's not perfect, but, for me, it comes close.

I liked Mukdaharn and its outer districts (visited a friend's family in a village) and got upriver as far as Songkon, where the shrine to the Seven Martyrs is located, but haven't been as far as Nakhorn Phanom. How does Mukdaharn compare with Nakhorn Phanom?

Haven't been to Luang Prabang since 1974, so can't comment on what it's like now. It was idyllic then, though almost completely dark after nightfall. The kiosk in the Bungalow (Hotel Phousi) was open for drinks at night, but not for a meal. I don't recollect the hotel having a restaurant (and the rooms were pretty basic). I used to go up a back street to a tiny little shophouse restaurant called, bizarrely, the Tokyo, which had nice biftek pommes frites and cold beer ("33" in those days).

Once the mass tourism industry takes an interest in a place it starts to go down the tube. I hope Bhutan keeps its policy of high-end tourism only, which keeps the numbers down. So nice to go to a place where no one tries to rip you off.

The tourism industry: a mother who eats her own children.

[zzaa09]

...Thailand has nothing to compare. Wooden houses have been swept away by "progress".

You obviously have not been to rural Isaan yet.

Not just limited to Isaan, as wooden structures are still in evident and numbers throughout the country - for those who don't get out of the big bad city.

[folium]

had a great trip many years ago through the Isaan, seeing Phimai, Phanom Rung and even tiptoed through the minefields to see Preah Vihar, complete with some none too friendly Khmer Rouge types.

What's that area (excepting PV for the moment) like today? Still worth a visit?

[jdinasia]

...Thailand has nothing to compare. Wooden houses have been swept away by "progress".

You obviously have not been to rural Isaan yet.

Not just limited to Isaan, as wooden structures are still in evident and numbers throughout the country - for those who don't get out of the big bad city.

Including in Aung Sila --- using the costal route from Chonburi to Bang Saen. (Quite a nice ride, actually, with a few places to stop and eat, the hill overlooking Bang Saen with the monkeys, the Chinese temple area, then on into Sri Racha and out to Koh Sri Chang.

or just across the river from BKK in Samut Phrakhan, and down into the weekend floating market at Baan Nam Pueng,

or down to Ampawa floating market for the evening market with homestays available.

or anywhere up into the hills from Kanchanaburi .....

etc etc etc

[folium]

Thanks JD for all the ideas, just what was wanted.

[Fookhaht]

had a great trip many years ago through the Isaan, seeing Phimai, Phanom Rung and even tiptoed through the minefields to see Preah Vihar, complete with some none too friendly Khmer Rouge types.

What's that area (excepting PV for the moment) like today? Still worth a visit?

Can only visit, at present, if you're a conscript in the Thai Army.

Used to be just minefields. Now it's live artillery. Watched the news lately?